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His voice was the earth-shaking basso rumble coming from behind the forbidding mask of Darth Vader in the Star Wars saga, starting with the original 1977 film, and the stentorian growl of Mufasa, King of the Pride Lands and father of Simba in The Lion King.—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 Mephistopheles, who wears a Patriots uniform, or perhaps a Belichekian hoodie, cackles in his dark basso tones every time a new candidate for the post gets behind center.—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2023 Michael’s father, Harold, was a longtime basso with the Metropolitan Opera, who’d urged Joanna, sitting on his lap, to sing stanzas back to him.—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023 There’s a flicker of ironic recognition in the old man yet, for Shakespeare’s verse still flows elegantly out of Page’s basso instrument.—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2023 Scored for five voices, five unspecified instrumental parts and basso continuo, the music is reverent and wistful.—New York Times, 20 Mar. 2020 Jackson's basso delivery earns plenty of laughs, and Harkness is affecting as Paul's decline into alcoholism curtails his performing career.—David Rooney, Billboard, 22 Mar. 2019 Neyfakh is an adept broadcaster, an authoritative basso who does not trip over his words, even if the scripts’ long sentences might make more sense on the page than in the ear.—Rumaan Alam, The New Republic, 4 Feb. 2020 His mother was a secretary, and his father was a basso profondo at the Metropolitan Opera who wanted Martin to become an artist.—Harrison Smith, BostonGlobe.com, 14 July 2019
Word History
Etymology
Italian, from Medieval Latin bassus, from bassus short, low
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