Music

In European classical music and opera, voices are treated like musical instruments. Composers who write vocal music must have an understanding of the skills and vocal properties of singers.

Singers usually build their careers around certain musical styles. Voice classification systems have evolved to classify singers by tessitura, vocal weight and timbre. Choral singers are classified by vocal range (see also musical range). Other categories are soubrette, heldentenor, coloratura, and basso buffo.

There are also categories for men capable of singing in the female range. This type of voice is rare, but is still used in opera. In Baroque music, many roles were written for castrati, male singers who were castrated as boys to prevent their voices from changing. A male with this kind of singing voice may be a countertenor (suitable for Castrato Alto roles) or a sopranist (suitable for Castrato Soprano roles).

Singer are also classified by the style of music they sing, such as soul singers or carnatic vocalists.