Could Have Mario become a Baritone?

[Joseph Fagan]

Mind you, I am glad he did not...........but I have often wondered if
he *could* have become an baritone and would he have been just as
good. Was he headed in this direction as his voice matured anyway? He
did sing many songs considered baritone turf and he did them
exceptionally well e.g "One Alone"

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Joe: I think the best answer to your question is contained in this
paragraph by Anthony Tommasini's in today's New York Times. He's
reviewing Domingo's performance in the baritone role of Simon
Boccanegra:

"Whether a singer is a tenor or a baritone is not just a matter of
range. The coloring and character of a voice also identifies its type.
There have long been dusky, baritonal qualities to Mr. Domingo’s
singing, but the overall colorings and ping in his sound were those of
a tenor."

Mario always had a baritonal quality to his timbre, but he was still
very much a tenor -- right to the end.