A bass-baritone is a type of singing voice that combines features of a bass and a baritone. This voice type became known in the late 1800s to describe singers who could perform specific roles in operas by Richard Wagner. These roles included the main character in Der fliegende Holländer, Wotan in The Ring Cycle, and Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Wagner called these roles "Hoher Bass" (high bass), a term that is further explained in musical classifications.

The bass-baritone voice has two main characteristics. First, it must be able to sing comfortably in the range of pitches typical for a baritone. Second, it must have the rich, deep lower range usually found in bass voices. For example, the role of Wotan in Die Walküre requires singing from a low F (at the bottom of the bass clef) up to a higher F-sharp (above middle C), though the lowest notes are rarely used. Bass-baritones are often divided into two groups: lyric bass-baritone and dramatic bass-baritone.

Bass-baritones should not be confused with Verdi baritones, a type of Italian baritone voice. Verdi baritones have a brighter sound and sing in a slightly higher range. They are commonly found in operas by Giuseppe Verdi and other composers from around 1830, such as Donizetti, Ponchielli, Massenet, Puccini, and verismo composers.

The term "bass-baritone" is similar to the Italian term "basso cantante." For example, in Verdi’s opera Don Carlos, the role of Philip II is usually sung by a bass-baritone, while the role of Ferrando in Il trovatore is sung by a true bass, even though their ranges are similar. In Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, the character Golaud has a range between a high baritone (Pelléas) and a bass (Arkel). Some early Mozart baritone roles, such as Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva, and Gugliemo, were sometimes performed by bass-baritones before the term "baritone" became widely used.

In the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, a comic bass-baritone character was often included, such as the role created for Richard Temple of the D'Oyly Carte company.

In summary, a bass-baritone has the deep, resonant lower notes of a bass and the ability to sing in the range of a baritone. This voice type is often described as being between a bass and a baritone in both range and tone.

The range required for a bass-baritone can vary depending on the role. Some roles are less demanding than others. Many bass-baritones have performed baritone roles, including singers like Leopold Demuth, Georges Baklanoff, Rudolf Bockelmann, George London, Thomas Quasthoff, Thomas Stewart, James Morris, and Bryn Terfel.

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The following operatic roles are typically performed by bass-baritones, though they may also be sung by high basses:

Main bass-baritone operatic roles:

Bass-baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas:

Other bass-baritone roles:

A role that is also performed by regular baritones.