Bass vs. Tenor

Of sound, a voice or an instrument, low in pitch or frequency.

Example: ‘The giant spoke in a deep, bass, rumbling voice that shook me to my boots.’;

A low spectrum of sound tones.

Example: ‘Peter adjusted the equalizer on his audio equipment to emphasize the bass.’;

A section of musical group that produces low-pitched sound, lower than the baritone and tenor.

Example: ‘The conductor preferred to situate the bass in the middle rear, rather than to one side of the orchestra.’;

A male singer who sings in the bass range.

Example: ‘Halfway through middle school, Edgar morphed from a soprano to a bass, much to the amazement and amusement of his fellow choristers.’;

(musical instrument) An instrument that plays in the bass range, in particular a double bass, bass guitar, electric bass or bass synthesiser.

Example: ‘The musician swung the bass over his head like an axe and smashed it into the amplifier, creating a discordant howl of noise.’;

The clef sign that indicates that the pitch of the notes is below middle C; a bass clef.

Example: ‘The score had been written without the treble and bass, but it was easy to pick out which was which based on the location of the notes on the staff.’;

The perch; any of various marine and freshwater fish resembling the perch, all within the order of Perciformes.

The fibrous inner bark of the linden or lime tree, used for making mats.

Fibers from other plants, especially palm trees

Anything made from such fibers, such as a hassock, basket or thick mat.

To sound in a deep tone.

An edible, spiny-finned fish, esp. of the genera Roccus, Labrax, and related genera. There are many species.

The two American fresh-water species of black bass (genus Micropterus). See Black bass.

Species of Serranus, the sea bass and rock bass. See Sea bass.

The southern, red, or channel bass (Sciæna ocellata). See Redfish.

The linden or lime tree, sometimes wrongly called whitewood; also, its bark, which is used for making mats. See Bast.

A hassock or thick mat.

A bass, or deep, sound or tone.

The lowest part in a musical composition.

Deep or grave in tone.

To sound in a deep tone.

the lowest part of the musical range

the lowest part in polyphonic music

an adult male singer with the lowest voice

the lean flesh of a saltwater fish of the family Serranidae

any of various North American freshwater fish with lean flesh (especially of the genus Micropterus)

the lowest adult male singing voice

the member with the lowest range of a family of musical instruments

nontechnical name for any of numerous edible marine and freshwater spiny-finned fishes

having or denoting a low vocal or instrumental range;

Example: ‘a deep voice’; ‘a bass voice is lower than a baritone voice’; ‘a bass clarinet’;

the lowest adult male singing voice

Example: ‘his bass voice rings out attractively’;

a singer with a bass voice.

a part written for a bass voice.

denoting the member of a family of instruments that is the lowest in pitch

Example: ‘a bass clarinet’;

a bass guitar or double bass.

the low-frequency output of a radio or audio system, corresponding to the bass in music.

the common European freshwater perch.

any of a number of fish similar to or related to the perch.

another term for bast

(music) Musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto.

A person, instrument, or group that performs in the tenor higher than bass and lower than alto range.

Musical part or section that holds or performs the main melody, as opposed to the contratenor bassus and contratenor altus, who perform countermelodies.

The lowest tuned in a ring of bells.

Tone, as of a conversation.

(obsolete) duration; continuance; a state of holding on in a continuous course; general tendency; career.

(linguistics) The subject in a metaphor to which attributes are ascribed.

(finance) Time to maturity of a bond.

Stamp; character; nature.

(legal) An exact copy of a writing, set forth in the words and figures of it. It differs from purport, which is only the substance or general import of the instrument.

That course of thought which holds on through a discourse; the general drift or course of thought; purport; intent; meaning; understanding.

An tenor saxophone

Of or pertaining to the tenor part or range.

Example: ‘He has a tenor voice.’;

A state of holding on in a continuous course; manner of continuity; constant mode; general tendency; course; career.

Example: ‘Along the cool sequestered vale of lifeThey kept the noiseless tenor of their away.’;

That course of thought which holds on through a discourse; the general drift or course of thought; purport; intent; meaning; understanding.

Example: ‘When it [the bond] is paid according to the tenor.’; ‘Does not the whole tenor of the divine law positively require humility and meekness to all men?’;

Stamp; character; nature.

Example: ‘This success would look like chance, if it were perpetual, and always of the same tenor.’;

An exact copy of a writing, set forth in the words and figures of it. It differs from purport, which is only the substance or general import of the instrument.

The higher of the two kinds of voices usually belonging to adult males; hence, the part in the harmony adapted to this voice; the second of the four parts in the scale of sounds, reckoning from the base, and originally the air, to which the other parts were auxillary.

the adult male singing voice above baritone

the pitch range of the highest male voice

an adult male with a tenor voice

pervading note of an utterance;

Example: ‘I could follow the general tenor of his argument’;

(of a musical instrument) intermediate between alto and baritone or bass;

Example: ‘a tenor sax’;

of or close in range to the highest natural adult male voice;

Example: ‘tenor voice’;

a singing voice between baritone and alto or countertenor, the highest of the ordinary adult male range

Example: ‘he had a good tenor voice’; ‘the Serenade for tenor, horn, and strings’;

a singer with a tenor voice.

a part written for a tenor voice

Example: ‘several members of the party had been able to put in the tenor and the bass’;

an instrument, especially a saxophone, trombone, tuba, or viol, of the second or third lowest pitch in its family

Example: ‘a tenor sax’;

the largest and deepest bell of a ring or set.

the general meaning, sense, or content of something

Example: ‘the general tenor of the debate’;

a settled or prevailing character or direction, especially the course of a person's life or habits

Example: ‘the even tenor of life in the kitchen was disrupted the following day’;

the actual wording of a document.

the time that must elapse before a bill of exchange or promissory note becomes due for payment.

A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is one of the highest of the male voice types.