Alto facts for kids
The word alto describes a voice type that is lower than a soprano. Often, women with lower voices are called contraltos. A male alto is a man who sings using a special technique called falsetto. In countries like England, male altos often sing in church and cathedral choirs. In other places, like Germany, it's traditional for boys to sing alto parts in cathedral choirs. These are usually boys whose voices are starting to get lower as they grow.
One of the most famous contraltos was Kathleen Ferrier. Today, fewer female singers call themselves contraltos. It has become more common to be a mezzo-soprano. This is partly because it's now popular to use men for the alto parts in music by composers like Bach and other Baroque artists, just as it would have been done in their time.
Some opera roles that need a contralto voice include Lucretia and Erda in Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.
The word alto can also mean the second lowest part in a four-part choir song. In older music, the alto line was written using a special clef called the "alto clef." This clef is the same as the "viola clef," where the middle line of the musical staff represents middle C.
Famous Alto Singers
Many popular singers have alto voices. Here are some examples:
- Adele
- Sade Adu
- Fiona Apple
- Sara Bareilles
- Anita Baker
- Toni Braxton
- Cher
- Fairuz
- Fergie
- Judy Garland
- Lisa Gerrard
- Lucy Lawless
- Annie Lennox
- Joni Mitchell
- Ily Matthew Maniano
- Tina Turner
- Lady Gaga
- Norah Jones
- Judith Holofernes
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Alto para niños
