Alto
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Female |
Male |
In music, an alto or contralto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano. The term is used to refer to the owest female singing voice, or one of the highest male voices. A typical alto will have a range from around the F below middle C to the E a tenth above middle C (i.e. F3-E5); at the bottom of their range, altos sound almost like tenors. Some altos have even larger ranges; from the C below middle C to the C two octaves above (C3-C6 if middle C is C4). In four part choral harmony, the alto is the second highest voice. Altos originally sang from music written in the alto clef, but now use the treble clef.
Although both men and women may have voices in the alto range, the word is usually used to mean a female singer. However, choirs singing early music frequently include adult male altos, also called countertenors. In English church usage, the term alto is sometimes exclusively used to mean a boy with this range, while contralto is used for a female singer. However, this is not done consistently, and for most practical purposes, alto and contralto can be thought of as synonyms (the phrase "boy alto" can be used if there is a chance of misunderstanding). A few popular music enthusiasts define the contralto and alto separately, as the contralto having an especially dark range, from the D above low C to Tenor C, which is essentially a female of tenor range, while alto is a voice with a range from F below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C, and is closer to the mezzo-soprano. The majority however define contralto and alto as synonyms, and assign the adjectives light and dark, with a dark alto being a female of tenor range, while a light alto, commonly referred to as simply alto, to include mezzo-sopranos as well.
In medieval polyphony, the principal voice was the tenor. When additional voices were added, they were called contratenor (meaning "against the tenor"). When two such voices were added, they were called contratenor alto and contratenor bassus, indicating high and low respectively.
Contraltos are fairly rare in opera, since there is very little work that was written specifically for them. Most of the time, contralto roles are limited to maids, mothers and grandmothers, but they do occasionally get notable roles, with witches being the most common outside of the three former roles (A common saying among contraltos is that they're only allowed to play "witches, bitches, or britches"). Baroque opera features a large number of alto roles.
The word, "alto", is often applied to instruments to indicate their range in relation to other instruments of the same group. In common usage, particularly among jazz musicians, the word has become synonymous with the alto saxophone. In US usage the alto horn is an Eb saxhorn, a brass instrument.
Alto roles in operas
- 3rd Lady (Die Zauberflöte)
- Alto (Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs)
- Angelina (la Cenerentola) (La Cenerentola)
- Arsace (Semiramide)
- Art Banker (Facing Goya)
- Azucena (Il Trovatore)
- Birgitta (Die Tote Stadt)
- Julius Caesar (Giulio Cesare)
- Dalila (Samson Et Dalila)
- Flora (The Medium)
- Frédéric (Mignon)
- Erda (Das Rheingold, Siegfried)
- La Cieca (La Gioconda)
- Little Buttercup (H.M.S. Pinafore)
- Lucretia (The Rape Of Lucretia)
- Jo March (Little Women)
- Oberon (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
- Olga (Eugene Onegin)
- Orfeo (Orfeo Ed Euridice)
- Orlando (Orlando)
- Pauline (The Queen Of Spades)
- Rinaldo (Rinaldo)
- Sextus (La Clemenza Di Tito)
- The Witch (Hänsel Und Gretel)
- Ulrica (Un Ballo In Maschera)
- Zelinda (Teuzzone)
- Zidiana (Teuzzone)
Alto roles in operettas and musicals
- Bombalurina (Cats)
- The Baker's Wife (Into The Woods)
- Cassandra (Cats)
- Charity Agnes Valentine (Sweet Charity)
- Chief Persina (Pirates: A Romeo And Juliet Story)
- Columbia (The Rocky Horror Show) (although the role has been played by sopranos and mezzo-sopranos)
- Cora Hoover Hooper (Anyone Can Whistle)
- Dame Carruthers (The Yeomen Of The Guard)
- Dorothy Brock (42nd Street)
- Duchess of Plazatoro (The Gondoliers)
- Edwin Drood (The Mystery Of Edwin Drood)
- Elphaba (Wicked) - (however, a strong belting ability is required and can be played by a strong mezzo or soprano belter with a low range)
- Eulalie Shinn (The Music Man)
- Fraulein Schneider (Cabaret)
- Jenny Diver (The Threepenny Opera)
- Katisha (The Mikado)
- Lady Blanche (Princess Ida)
- Lady Jane (Patience)
- The Lady of the Lake (Monty Python's Spamalot) (although mezzo-sopranos and sopranos could play this role as well)
- Little Buttercup (HMS Pinafore)
- Lucy (You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown)
- Lucy Brown (The Threepenny Opera)
- Madame Morrible (Wicked)
- Matron "Mama" Morton (Chicago)
- Meg Brockie (Brigadoon)
- Mimi (Rent)
- Mona Stangley (The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas)
- Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd)
- Nala (The Lion King)
- Polly (Pirates: A Romeo And Juliet Story)
- Princess Puffer (The Mystery Of Edwin Drood)
- Queen of the Fairies (Iolanthe)
- Rosie Alvarez (Bye Bye Birdie)
- Reno Sweeney (Anything Goes)
- Ruth (The Pirates Of Penzance)
- Sally Bowles (Cabaret)
- Tantomile (Cats)
- "Turn Back O' Man" (Godspell)
- Velma Kelly (Chicago)
- Victoria Grant (Victor/Victoria)
- Yente (Fiddler On The Roof)
Famous altos
Popular music
- Anita Baker
- Mary J. Blige
- Karrin Allyson
- Edyta Bartosiewicz
- Brandy
- Toni Braxton
- Blu Cantrell
- Neko Case
- Tracy Chapman
- Karen Carpenter
- Cher
- Ciara
- Tara Cowley
- Sheryl Crow
- Des'ree
- Doris Day
- Céline Dion
- Mama Cass Elliot
- Enya
- Sara Evans
- Roberta Flack
- Sia Furler
- Judy Garland
- Delta Goodrem
- Debbie Harry
- Kristin Hersh
- Annabelle Hodgetts
- Whitney Houston
- Mahalia Jackson
- Etta James
- Joan Jett
- Norah Jones
- Alicia Keys
- Carole King
- Gladys Knight
- Kasia Kowalska
- Diana Krall
- k.d. lang
- Amy Lee
- Geddy Lee
- Annie Lennox
- Jenny Lewis
- Lulu
- Monica
- Sonny Moore
- Alison Moyet
- Anita Mui
- Anne Murray
- Nico
- Johnette Napolitano
- Siti Nurhaliza
- Anne Nurmi
- Sinead O'Connor
- Amanda Palmer
- Christa Päffgen
- Laura Pausini
- P!nk
- Sara Ramirez
- Bonnie Raitt
- Sade
- Cristina Scabbia
- Shakira
- Carly Simon
- Grace Slick
- Heather Small
- Gwen Stefani
- Miriam Stockley
- T-Boz
- Tanita Tikaram
- KT Tunstall
- Tomiko Van
- Albertina Walker
- Cassandra Wilson
- Mary Wilson
- Lizz Wright