Hardest Song You've Ever Had to Sing...

Tenor parts are written 8va down in treble clef, so that G is only the first G above the "real" middle C.

Tenor parts are written 8va down in treble clef, so that G is only the first G above the "real" middle C.

Thank you for clearing that up, Ive been seeing the descriptions and thinking "WHAAA?"

If you notice, tenor parts have an 8 below the treble clef, which makes it an octave below the written note. As Daniel has explained.

Also, the little 8 often is omitted from the part, leaving just a treble clef. It's still to be sung an octave below written though.

Also, the little 8 often is omitted from the part, leaving just a treble clef. It's still to be sung an octave below written though.

Of course.

Probably "For The Flowers Are Great Blessings," the tenor aria from "Rejoice In The Lamb" by Benjamin Britten.

It sits rather high and must be sung slowly and very legato and sustained, with great beauty and expressiveness. A well trained singer can readily fulfill a few of those demands, but it's exceedingly difficult to do it all. Of course, I believe it was written for Sir Peter Pears, who in his prime was abundantly capable of singing it exceeding well. I'm still not convinced I sang it as it deserves, but I did my best. I never want to sing it again.

I was working on this last semester - I didn't get to sing it in the concert however. My problem is the amount of air required to complete the phrases. The tessitura is fine, the Gsharps are ok, but the lines are tooooo dammmnnn looonnnnggg!!!

Right now I'm singing Britten's Serenade for Tenor solo, horn and strings. A horn player friend of mine wants to do it for his senior recital next year, and he's asked me to sing it. It's very difficult. In the 4th movement, the Dirge, the tenor sings a 6 measure phrase 9 times in a row. The phrase starts with: G - Ab - G, G - Ab - G, then moves below. It also starts pianissimo, with a gradual crescendo, then decrescendo back to pp for the 9th time. It's a voice KILLER.

Also, the little 8 often is omitted from the part, leaving just a treble clef. It's still to be sung an octave below written though.

:O OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! haha, i really seriously didnt know that. Should also say something: Im not a singer, and the choir that i was in was actually at a piano summer school I went to. There were 14 pianists (age 14-17) at this school out of the whole of Australia (really, not that many people auditioned haha), and then they decide we are going to be...a choir. We learnt that song in 2 days, and a few others as well, for a performance on the third day ....the summer school was a week long.

Hence, this explains my misunderstanding of a tenor singer and its stave,...the paper i sang off didnt have the little 8 underneath, so thats why.

Thank you for clearing that up for me :)