Who was the greatest tenor of the 20th century?

there is no debate in my mind - carreras was really a baritone, pavarotti was really an oratorio singer having a lovely cathedral voice that brought tears to your eyes but no real operatic tenor - his voice was too thin - domingo was and still is the best operative tenor I will ever hear - his voice was so natural, not manufactured and incredibly masculine. wehn he sings a role is like it was written for his voice - please - these other voices are nice but just don't compare - listen to the three tenors recording and you cannot but understand that damingo was the best of the three.

the best is impossible to say but Bjorling, Pavarotti and Corelli are perhaps the top 3. Jussi was lifeless on stage but vocally supreme. Caruso's widow said Bjorling was the closest to her husband. Pavarotti was simply magnificent....listen to his 1973 London recording of "Che gelida manina" with Mirella Freni. Does anyone know a recording that tops it? Corelli was supreme in the 1960's, a golden age for great opera recordings, and combined vocal technique and power with commanding stage presence. Women would audibly gasp when Corelli walked onstage. Interestingly, he developed terrible stage fright.
One might answer the question of who was best by asking themselves who they would most want to see at the Met, in their best voice, sing Calaf? For me, Franco Corelli

I'll match Lanza's with Pav's "Che gelida manina" any day of the week. The same with "La Danza," which Pav can't compete at all with him. Pav's voice was too thin in comparison and as far as sheer beatuty, Mario's was the more beautiful voice.

as far as recordings of the timless la bohem classic che gelida manina is concerned, i would say mario lanzas 1949 recording of this aria is better than pavs. it was voted the best recording by acclaimed critcs of this time. i still believe it still is

Mario Lanza. After all, he DID play the Great Caruso!

Nicolai Gedda

Best tenor of the 20th century? One who had the voice and musicality of Bjoerling, the passion and diction of Di Stefano, the technique of Gigli, the charisma of Pavarotti, the charm of Wunderlich, the artistry and acting abilities of Domingo, the looks of Corelli, the elegance of Bergonzi, the power of Del Monaco and the name Enrico.

lanza had all that u mentioned and more

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youtube david phelps...true tenor..a tenor doesnt have to be an opera singer

Have your contributors never heard of, or listened to Jussi Bjorling? It is my view that this amazing Swedish singer was the greatest tenor of the 20th century for many reasons:
1. He was not a native Italian speaker, yet brought to the Italianate repertoire a vocal quality that made the Italians (and the rest of the world) sit up and take notice. Many of his operatic triumphs were recorded in Rome!
2. He had perfect pitch and could reach any note instantly with or without a score. Also, in Puccini arias he rarely resorted to the Neapolitan hic so beloved by italian tenors of the time, especially, Gigli
3. His breath control was truly amazing, and he could sustain phrases for an astounding length of time. Please listen, especially, to Bjorling's 1957 recording of Umberto Giordano's Come un bel di di maggio from Andrea Chenier. There are many other examples of Bjorling's genius, too numerous to list here. Please listen to a lot more Bjorling and then re-cast your vote.
4. His voice had the most amazing timbre, and he could unleash his voice or restrain it according to what he was singing.
4. I admit that Bjorling was no actor - in this area Pavarotti knocks spots off him, but if we are considering only the voice, as we should be, since most of us only listen to him on CD, then Bjorling is without equal.

I'm a Lanza man myself and like Bjorling as well. He's no actor, as you've said, but please don't insult my intelligence by calling Pav an actor. He had personality and sold himself that way, but he was far from an actor.

Bo Derek.

the greatest tenor in our time will be Jonas Kaufman. He has an amazing variaties of tones in his voice and takes us back to excellent tenors like Jussi Bjørling and Fritz Wunderlich, who really had the tenor quality.
Many tenor do have the same voice and they can sing very laut, but aare lacking the really melodius voice like Kaufman.
Watch out for him .....

they are all great. being a tenor i know what goes into singing. enjoy their voices and keep this great music alive,

I vote for Jussi Bjorling and DeStefano.

Aside from your choice, the rest are noise.

This list virtually ignores the tenors of the golden 1930s through 50s. It is a perversion of aesthetic to include Bocelli.

My favorite tenor was Mario Lanza. Maybe he sold himself to Hollywood, but his voice was pure magic.

When you say "sold himself" to Hollywood, Stefanie, be careful. Bjorling and Richard Tucker were around then but Mario had the looks and voice that caused Hollywood to want him as opposed to them. Nobody had the overall package that Lanza had, and none of the others were sought after like he was. Do you really think you would have turned Hollywood down if you had been in his shoes? Mario was inked to play Canio in "I Pagliacci" at the time of his unfortunate demise. As far as the quality of his voice, you and I are in total accord.

Jussi Björling.Pavarotti once said in an interview "Don´t compare me with Jussi, I´m only human!"

Pavarotti was obviously great and became very popular to the media, but suprisingly nobody has mentioned the one guy that Pavarotti and Domingo emulated. Guiseppe DiStefano! for those who have not heard of this guy or heard him sing you are missing something special. After hearing him sing he is hands down the greatest tenor of the 20th century. He has the the power and beauty in his voice that is unmatched.

Franco Corelli

Where is Jussi Bjoerling?? Quite simply the standard against which others must be compared.

I so agree with your comment about Jussi Bjorling (as we spell his name in Europe). In the 1940s and 50s, he showed the Italians how to sing Puccini, Verdi, Mascagne, Leoncavallo, etc. Please listen to his 1944 Swedish recording of Nessun Dorma, and then tell me that you have heard it sung better. Bjorling was a genius - I simply cannot understand why most of the world seemingly could accept this. My only dream ticket would have been to hear Bjorling sing with Maria Callas. I believe that it was only rivalry between various recording companies that prevented this once in a lifetime major recording coup. Bjorling and Callas would have sold big-time. How many former record company executives, still living, have rued their disastrous decision not to record Bjorling with Callas?

The obvious answer, of course, was Enrico Caruso himself, followed closely by Richard Tucker.
Why is Bocelli even on the list? And I don't see any reason for Pavarotti-Domingo-Carreras to be included either, other than the fact that they were mass marketed as the 'three tenors' and by no means considered above 'good' in the operatic industry.

you're right about Bocelli, the fact that he's on the list raises eyebrows about the people who created the list. On the other hand, stating that Pavarotti and Domingo aren't considered above "good" in the operatic industry is utter nonsense

Lanza, period...............pav was great. Caruso was a Baritone. His recordings are old, I agree, but you can here him TRYING to hit some of the notes.

What about Mario Lanza?

he has the most complet voice ,whit loat of passion and emotion.He can sing not only opera

either Francesco Merli or Giacomo Lauri-Volpi.....it's a toss-up.

Pavarotti by a mile...the quality and control of his voice makes the other sound like pub singers

I totally agree

Pav's voice was too small to compare to heavyweights like Lanza, Caruso and Corelli. He simply lacked the power. In every other way, esp. vocal control, he was superb, but his voice was simply too thin. He was marvelous but not the best.

He inspired all that were to follow. He not only understood the music and was a great artist, but he was a great performer too.

it's mario lanza the greates tenor to walk on gods green earth

to me franco corelli was the greatest such an exiting voice

Beniamino Gigli or Jussi Bjorling

Jussi Bjorling without a doubt. Bocelli shouldn't be there at all -- he is a good pop singer but does not have the background in opera. Carreras may have been better without his illness but was by far the weakest of the '3 tenors' and had horribly distorted top notes. Caruso was certainly the first 'great' but wasn't that good -- often had to have music transposed down so that he could get the top notes! Pavarotti of course was magnificent but had not the finesse of Bjorling, whereas Jussi could match him in power and in singing full top Cs and even higher.

Good insights...thanks Mike S!