February 11, 2026
High notes, higher drama
A shortage of tenors
Choirs beg for tenors as the internet belts jokes, doubts and baritone rage
TLDR: Choirs have begged for tenors for decades; even a 1926 concert ended with a plea for high-voiced men. Commenters split between 'it's always been like this,' 'write different music,' and jokes on supply chains and tensors, while baritones gripe pop songs sit too high—why the tenor gap matters at karaoke.
A century ago, a packed 1926 concert in England ended with a plea: any tenors in the audience, please join the choir. Today, the internet’s singing the same tune—and the comments section is the real chorus. Is there truly a worsening tenor shortage, or is this just the oldest song in the book? One skeptical voice insists it’s always been scarce, not necessarily worse, while others turn the crisis into comedy.
The crowd’s favorite gag: turn this into a supply-chain saga. One commenter begged for a Bloomberg Odd Lots-style episode on “where all the tenors went,” while another misread the headline as “tensors” and expected an AI meltdown instead of a choir problem. Meanwhile, the music theory nerds chimed in with a hot take: stop treating SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) like sacred law. Write different parts, adapt the music, and the crisis vanishes, they argue—castrati jokes and all.
But the spiciest sentiment comes from the baritones: male pop songs sit so high that average guys can’t sing along, pushing would-be tenors out of the singalong economy. The vibe? Half meme, half manifesto. Whether choirs need more tenors or just more flexible arrangements, the community is harmonizing on one point: this drama hits way beyond the concert hall.
Key Points
- •The article highlights choirs’ strong demand for tenors.
- •A Taunton Madrigal Society concert in November 1926 was packed and received many encores.
- •Despite the success, the choir lacked tenor singers.
- •A member appealed to the audience for tenors to join the choir.
- •The event took place in south‑west England, as reported by a local newspaper.