alto

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 incorrectly to refer to the deepest female singing voice, while in actuality it defines 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. Given poor recording quality, altos can 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 (SATB) 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 correctly 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 and timbre, from the D above low C to Tenor C, which is essentially a female of a 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.