heldentenor

[ hel-dn-ten-er; German hel-dn-tey-nohr ]

noun

, plural hel·den·ten·ors, German hel·den·te·no·re [hel, -dn-tey-noh-, r, uh].

1. a tenor having a brilliant, powerful voice suited to singing heroic roles, as in Wagnerian opera.

Heldentenor

/ ˈhɛldəntenoːr /

noun

1. a tenor with a powerful voice suited to singing heroic roles, esp in Wagner

Word History and Origins

Origin of heldentenor¹

1925–30; < German, equivalent to Helden- combining form of Held hero + Tenor tenor

Word History and Origins

Origin of heldentenor¹

literally: hero tenor

Example Sentences

That said, Saturday night was a fireworks show, including a trio of stunner main-stage debuts from soprano Pretty Yende, British heldentenor David Butt Philip and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn.

From Washington Post

And the music is rapturously handled, thanks to the conductor Lorenzo Viotti, the heldentenor Clay Hilley and the soprano Lenneke Ruiten.

From New York Times

Upcoming installments of these 100-ticket, socially distanced soirees this month include NSO musicians performing chamber works by Molly Joyce, Victor Ewald, Andy Akiho, Alvin Singleton, Zhao Tian and Duke Ellington on Aug. 8, and an evening of grand opera arias sung by “heldentenor par excellence” Issachah Savage, accompanied by pianist Joy Schreier on Aug. 15.

From Washington Post

In remembering Marie, his Paul was visibly tormented, with a voice occasionally made ugly by melancholy; and in chasing Marietta he was foolish and crazed, throwing himself over furniture in what amounted to a cardio workout atop heldentenor high notes.

From New York Times

Then, on Saturday morning, the Austrian tenor Andreas Schager, who has made a name for himself in heldentenor roles requiring Wagnerian heft and stamina, made his much-anticipated debut as Siegfried in “Götterdämmerung,” the fourth and final opera of Wagner’s “Ring.”

From New York Times