Talk:Alto/Archive 1

Misc.

Re Cassandra & Lizz, consider it done. There were a few more additions just done randomly at the bottom, so I alphabetized. Lizz is a dead link (no article) so I haven't highlighted it. Danypo 20:07, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Would it be fair to say that altos, sadly, tend to be a relatively ignored (by the casual listener) part of the choir/opera cast? Personally, screechy sopranos can get kind of annoying after a while... --Robert Merkel 13:47 29 Jun 2003 (UTC)

In he context of a choir, it's true that they normally just chug along, filling in harmonies and not doing anything very interesting, but that's probably also true of the tenors. But I certinaly think that it would be fair to say that the majority of female leads in operas are written for sopranos rather than altos, yes. --Camembert

What happened to the rest of the altos under pop music? They seem to have been edited to reflect only R&B/rap "artists" and there were others under here that are now missing. Danypo

Alto vs. contralto

Many years ago a very knowledgeable musician explained to me that contralto refers to the voice (or to the singer having that voice), and alto refers to the musical part. This is similar to the difference between mezzo-soprano and second soprano. For example, a mezzo-soprano would likely sing the second soprano part, but a soprano or a contralto could also sing second soprano, and a mezzo-soprano might sing alto. A contralto would most likely sing alto, but might sing second-soprano or, in some choirs, tenor.

Thus, the voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, countertenor, tenor, baritone, and bass, while the vocal parts are first and second soprano, first and second alto, first and second tenor, and first and second bass.

Comments please?--Lanternshine 03:04, 17 April 2006 (UTC)

List is too long

Should be shortened to more "prominent" singers. 216.79.251.170 20:55, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

Pants roles

Any opinions on putting the pants roles under a separate heading? Roscelese 21:05, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

alto vs. contralto vs. mezzo-soprano

I agree that this page is a bit muddled. Much of the material really applies to mezzos, not contraltos--and in fact some info is duplicated on the mezzo-soprano page!

And yes, alto and contralto are not the same thing.

And yes, the lists are much too long. Dybryd 18:28, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

alto-roles in opera

Is Azucena really a contralto? Her lowest note is low a (below middle c) which she gets to sing only at the end of her story-telling, while there are several high a's, couple of high b-flats and even a high c in her part, all in forte! She fits the mezzo category better. Great alto parts that are not mentioned include Marfa (Khovanshchina), Konchakovna (Prince Igor) and Tancredi (pants role).

Contralto

Isn't kontralto a female voice even lower than alto? (according to answers.com) --Eleassar777 09:28, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Hi: the article seems to intimate that the names are the same, although contralto may frequently be of a darker "coloring" and have a slightly lower range. I suppose not distinguishing between contralto and alto would be like calling a mezzo simply a soprano. Does that make sense? :-) I've always felt that contralto should mean a deeper, darker sound. Danypo 23:19, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

First off, it's "contralto" with a "c", as it's from Italian. Secondly, there is no difference between "contralto" and an "alto singer", except that "contralto" is more specific. "Alto" can be a vocal range, either male or female, or a certain clef (C clef on middle line is alto clef), or a kind of an instrument ("alto flute" for instance). "Contralto" is specifically a female alto singer (unlike an alto countertenor, for instance). As said below, "alto" can also refer to the vocal part in musical harmony, but "contralto" is always the singer.

Actually I beg to differ with you all. You are correct that contralto is spelled with a C and that the term alto can refer to a certain clef, specific range, or be used to designate a kind of instrument within a family of instruments. However, in terms of vocal music the term alto was created within the context of choral singing, not opera, for the purpose of classifying voices in the same way that one would classify instruments within a family and to delineate polyphonic structure. The alto range lies more within the tessitura of mezzo-sopranos than contraltos, although for the most part contaltos should have no problem singing the alto line. Futhermore, the term alto is used only to refer to women and never men. A male voice that sings in the alto tessitura is refered to as simply a countertenor or possibly a sopranist if they can sing into the soprano range as well. There is no such thing as an "alto countertenor", just countertenor.Nrswanson (talk) 04:33, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

Pop Vocal Range "NOTE"

There is no way to realistically "artificially enhance" vocal range. I suppose it could be done...but even with modern day granular based pitchshifting it cannot with ANY degree of transparency. Additionally it is perfectualy reputable to deduce the range of any singer (pop, classical, or anything) by considering their lowest and highest recorded notes. Voice quality is a bit more subjective, BUT not more subjective than in the classical world! I don't consider Fischer-Dieskau a baritone because he and his agents told me so, I consider him a baritone because of what I've heard come out of his mouth in song. I'm deleting the entire comment from the page. Jmejia 23:22, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Casey Donovan

Is Australian Idol winner 2004 Casey Donovan an alto? I think she has a beautiful voice and singing style, but I can't find anything that analyses it, nor anyone I could ask personally. By my ear she is not fully alto (somewhere beetween mezzo) [1] [2]. Doxent

where have all the Popular Altos Gone?

I see a list of famous basses and tenors in the popular basses section. You had the popular alto singers a few days ago and now they are gone. Please put them back! Even if that happens to be a list mainly consisting soul singers. The alto voice is usually associated with sultry, rich, soulful and powerful singers. I'm looking for more alto artists that I can learn from and emulate.

Kash

Abigail Adams

Is Abigail Adams certainly an alto role?

Can someone....?

Can someone please tell this user, "209.62.172.83" to please stop adding "Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana" on the crossover alto section? I had to delete it twice.

(Miley Cyrus is NOT an alto.)

Ineversigninsodonotmessageme 03:26, 2 September 2007 (UTC)ineversigninsodonotmessageme

There is a a few citations which state Miley IS an ALTO. 82.25.178.76 21:57, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

She is not. People who are huge fans of hers needs to stop adding her name to the list. Same with Ashlee Simpson, Ysabella Brave and Brooke Hogan. That is Wikipedia:Vandalism.

Ineversigninsodonotmessageme 18:55, 29 September 2007 (UTC)ineversigninsodonotmessageme

Lowest Female

Does anyone know who is the lowest female ever! Because I am doing some hard research and I cant seem to find who is world record or something like that, as to who is the lowest female and are they famous or something. Plus if anyone knows of audio files of this(besides that of the dutch divas website) that would be so helpful.! ^_^

Kathleen Ferrier apparently had an unusually deep voice because of a medical ailment. Fredesvinda Garcia was said to have an "androgynous sound" according to her article, which could mean deep or even mannish. Mary Fahl, formerly of October Project, has one of the lowest female voices I know of in popular music. Tracy Chapman is also often cited as a "deep voiced" singer. Category:Altos and it's subcats only amount to 16 names, see if you can find samples of their sound and then decide for yourself. (Although I was wondering this myself, I thought maybe there was something below an alto for women.)--T. Anthony 16:12, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

Having listened to them now "Freddy" might be the lowest of the ones I named, even though I just named her. Here's a link. You can't buy it, but you can listen to samples.--T. Anthony 00:47, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

I recently read of a woman named "Signora Mela" who apparently did tenor roles in opera, but I can't find a sound-sample of her and she may have predated sound recording for all I know. Generally the women who tried to do "tenor sounds" were apparently doing damage to their voice so I'm guessing it's not normal for any woman. (A possible exception might be tall women whose bodies produce naturally high levels of testosterone as one "female tenor" described herself as such. This is sort of the reverse of the situation with "high pitched" male singer Jimmy Scott)--T. Anthony 13:44, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

Section heading

"Alto pants roles in operas" What is this heading talking about, or is it plain vandalism? --Littleghostboo[ talk ] 08:39, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

It's an Americanism for "trouser role", i.e. a role for a male character which was written to be performed by a female singer (or was written for a castrato but may be performed nowadays by a female alto).--GuillaumeTell 09:36, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. Do you think this should be explained in the article? Littleghostboo[ talk ] 07:12, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

Two more names for the list of altos in pop and jazz: Cassandra Wilson, Lizz Wright --216.75.143.162 16:27, 7 November 2005 (UTC) CW 11:25 7 Nov 2005 (EST)

Wiki Warnings

As this article carries no citations, I think it would be prudent to include an informational comment to that effect at the TOP of the page (not buried at the bottom).

Additionally, there are those of us who do not accept the use of "alto" and "contralto" as synonymous and interchangeable. As such, I would like to place an informational comment to that effect as well — also at the top of the page. I have seen such comments, indicating that some of the content is disputed, but do not know where to find and insert them. May I have an assist here?

Thank you.

Lanternshine 21:53, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

I'd rather have the list of famous alto's made reliable before we start whinging on about alto/contralto differences. It is quite common to shorten contralto to alto and is done often in books on singing that i own. Contralto as a full term is generally only used to refer to the type of VERY heavy female voice in the range these days. Also, male alto's are covered in the countertenor articles. --I'll bring the food (Talk - Contribs - My Watchlist) 01:30, 15 January 2007 (UTC)