Definition of alto Alto
/æˈltow/ - [altow] - al•to
We found 16 definitions of alto from 7 different sources.
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What does alto mean?
WordNet
NounPlural: altoes |
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| alto - the pitch range of the lowest female voice | ||
| pitch the action or manner of throwing something; "his pitch fell short and his hat landed on the floor" | ||
| alto - (of a musical instrument) the second highest instrument in a family of musical instruments | ||
| pitch the action or manner of throwing something; "his pitch fell short and his hat landed on the floor" | ||
| alto - a singer whose voice lies in the alto clef | ||
| vocalist, vocaliser, vocalizer, singer a person who sings | ||
| alto - the highest adult male singing voice | ||
| countertenor | ||
| singing voice the musical quality of the voice while singing | ||
| alto - the lowest female singing voice | ||
| contralto | ||
| singing voice the musical quality of the voice while singing | ||
Adjectivealto, altoer, altoest |
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| alto - (of a musical instrument) second highest member of a group; "alto clarinet or recorder" | ||
| high-pitched, high set at a sharp or high angle or slant; "a high-pitched roof" | ||
| music musical activity (singing or whistling etc.); "his music was his central interest" | ||
| alto - of or being the lowest female voice | ||
| contralto | ||
| low-pitched, low set at a low angle or slant; "a low-pitched roof" | ||
| alto - of or being the highest male voice; having a range above that of tenor | ||
| countertenor | ||
| high-pitched, high set at a sharp or high angle or slant; "a high-pitched roof" | ||
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Wiktionary 
Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘
- alto (n.)
Formerly the part sung by the highest male, or counter-tenor, voices; now the part sung by the lowest female, or contralto, voices, between in tenor and soprano. In instrumental music it now signifies the tenor. - alto (n.)
An alto singer.
OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω
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alto
A musical part or section higher than tenor but lower than soprano, with a typical range from the F below "middle C" to the E a tenth above it.
Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕
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alto
alt′o, n. (mus.) properly the same as counter-tenor, the male voice of the highest pitch (now principally falsetto), and not the lowest female voice, which is properly contralto, though in printed music the second part in a quartet is always called alto. [It.—L. altus, high.]
Wikipedia 
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The word alto can mean: someone who sings lower than a soprano. Usually females with lower voices are called contraltos. A male alto is a man who sings in a special way called falsetto. In England male altos sing in church and cathedral choirs. In some countries like Germany it is tradition to have boy altos in cathedral choirs. These will probably be boys whose voices will soon be breaking and are starting to get lower.
One of the most famous contraltos was the legendary Kathleen Ferrier who had a short career before she died of cancer. There are not so many female singers who call themselves contraltos these days. It has become more fashionable to be a mezzo-soprano. It is partly because it has become fashionable to use men for the alto parts in music by Bach and other Baroque composers, like it would have been performed in those days.
Operatic roles which need a contralto include Lucretia in Britten's "Rape of Lucretia" and Erda in Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen.
The word "alto" can also mean: the second line down in 4 part choir music. In old music the alto line was written in a special clef called the “alto clef”, which is the same as the “viola clef” (a C clef in which the middle line is middle C).
Altos in modern music.
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Part of speech
🔤- alto, noun, singular of altos.
- alto, adjective.
Pronunciation
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