sb. and a. Forms: 7 bariton, barritone, 9 baritone, baryton, 8–9 barytone. [a. F. barytone, or It. baritono, ad. Gr. βαρύτονος deep-sounding, f. βαρύ-ς heavy, deep + τόνος pitch, TONE.]
A. sb.
1. The male voice of compass intermediate between tenor and bass, ranging from lower A in the bass clef to lower F in the treble clef.
1609. Douland, Ornithop. Microl., 84. Of the Baritone. The Bassus … is the lowest part of each Song. Or it is an Harmony to be sung with a deepe voyce, which is called Baritonus.
1859. Geo. Eliot, A. Bede, 1. The strong barytone … which was heard above the sound of plane and hammer, singing—Awake, my soul.
fig. 1870. Lowell, Among my Bks., II. 240. Harmonies … deep and eternal, like the undying barytone of the sea.
2. A singer possessing a barytone voice.
1821. Byron, Juan, IV. lxxxix. Our baritone … A pretty lad, but bursting with conceit.
1878. Grove, Dict. Music, I. 127. Offered him an engagement as principal barytone.
3. A musical instrument of deep sound: † a. a kind of bass viol now obsolete; b. see quot. 1880.
1685. Lond. Gaz., No. 2088/4. Some performance upon the Barritone.
c. 1790. Haydn (title), Concertos for baryton with accompaniment of two violins and bass.
1880. Grove, Dict. Mus., I. 139/2. Baritone, the name usually applied to the smaller bass saxhorn in B♭ or C.
4. Grk. Gram. A barytone word: see B. 2.
B. adj.
1. Of the voice: Having a compass intermediate between bass and tenor. b. Of music: Suited for a barytone voice. c. Of a singer: Possessing a barytone voice.
1729. Swift, Corr. (1841), II. 628. I recommend one Mr. Mason … a barytone voice, for the vacancy.
1861. Sat. Rev., 16 Dec., 611. The present fashion of writing at the extreme end of the baritone register.
1871. Palgrave, Lyr. Poems, 50. And the deep rich oily Te Deum By the barytone canon sung.
2. Grk. Gram. Not having the acute accent on the last syllable.
1828. Walker, Dict., Introd. 65. The tendency to the barytone pronunciation in the noun [prophecy] and the oxytone in the verb [prophesy].
1862. H. W. Chandler, Greek Accentuation, § 905. When words are combined in a sentence…. Oxytones become barytone, except before a colon, a full stop, [etc.].
1863. Rudim. Grk. Lang. Edin. Acad., 184. Words unaccented on the last syllable are called barytone.
