basso cantante

[ bas-oh kuhn-tahn-tee, -tey, bah-soh; Italian bahs-saw kahn-tahn-te ]

noun

, Music.

, plural bas·si can·tan·ti [bas, -ee k, uh, n-, tahn, -tee, bah, -see, bahs, -see kahn-, tahn, -tee].

1. a bass voice with an upper range that is more developed than that of the basso profundo.

Word History and Origins

Origin of basso cantante¹

1875–80; < Italian: literally, singing bass

Example Sentences

An Italian tenor, a Serbian baritone, an American basso cantante, and some twenty extras milled around, preparing for the big Act I brawl.

From The New Yorker

Groissboeck describes himself as a “basso cantante,” a higher, more lyrical voice than a “basso profondo,” who is strongest at the bottom of the range.

From Washington Times

THE superb German bass René Pape has impressed in recent years with his Wagner performances at the Metropolitan Opera, demonstrating a lyrical, sensual basso cantante and regal stage presence.

From New York Times

The baritone for the New York season was "Garcia, jr.," as the subject of this memoir was advertised, and the cast was completed by d'Angrisani as the basso cantante, and Rosich as the buffo caricato.

From Project Gutenberg

László Polgár was capable of producing a true basso cantante Photograph: Janos Vajda/EPA The Hungarian bass László Polgár, notable for his outstanding interpretation of the saturnine antihero in Bartók's Duke Bluebeard's Castle, has died unexpectedly at the age of 63.

From The Guardian