Contralto


Voice type
Female voices
Soprano
Mezzo-soprano
Contralto

Male voices

Countertenor
Tenor
Baritone
Bass

A contralto is a type of classical female singing voice with a vocal range between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano; it is the deepest female singing voice. The typical contralto range lies between the F below middle C (F3) to two Gs above middle C (G5).[1] In the lower and upper extremes, some contralto voices can sing from the E below middle C (E3) to two B♭s above middle C (B♭5).[2] The contralto voice has the lowest tessitura of the female voices and is noted for its rich and deep vocal timbre. In current operatic practice, female singers with a very low tessitura are often included among mezzo-sopranos, because singers in both ranges are able to cover the other, and true operatic contraltos are rare.[3]

The term contralto is not synonymous with the term alto which designates a specific part within choral music and is not a voice type. Technically, "alto" is only a separate category in choral music where it refers simply to the vocal range and does not consider factors like tessitura, vocal timbre, vocal facility, and vocal weight.[4] For information regarding non-classical singers, see the article "Voice classification in non-classical music".

Although both men and women may have voices in the contralto vocal range, the word is always used in the context of a female singer. Men singing in the contralto, mezzo-soprano, or soprano range are called countertenors.[3]

Contraltos are scarce in opera, since there is very little work that was written specifically for them. Most of the time, contralto roles are limited to playing male figures that were originally intended to be performed by castrato singers or playing female villains such as witches, but they do occasionally get to play more feminine roles, including Angelina in La Cenerentola; Rosina in The Barber of Seville, and Olga in Eugene Onegin. A common saying among contraltos is that they're only allowed to play 'witches', 'bitches', or 'britches'.[5]

Contraltos are usually broken down into three categories: coloratura contralto, lyric contralto, and dramatic contralto.

Contents

Coloratura contralto

A coloratura contralto is a very rare contralto that specializes in florid passages and leaps, with a light, high, and agile voice, that can sing very high for the classification. These voices are rare in the fact that they have extensive coloratura and high sustaining notes, which are not typical for a contralto voice. They have a range from approximately the E below middle C (E3) to two B♭s above middle C (B♭5).[6] Some coloratura contraltos can sing up to (B5) and very rarely up to high C (C6).

Lyric contralto

A lyric contralto voice has a sweet, sounding timbre and a voice lighter than a dramatic contralto's, yet is not capable of executing the ornamented musical passages and leaps of a coloratura contralto. These voices are unique in the fact that they possess a lighter timbre then the other contralto voice types, and are among the most common today. The range of the lyric contralto usually extends from the G below middle C (G3) to the G two octaves above middle C (G5).

Dramatic contralto

Dramatic contraltos possess the deepest, darkest, heaviest voices of all the contralto voice types. Dramatic contraltos usually have a heavier tone and possess stronger power than the regular contralto. These along with the coloratura contralto are the rarest contralto voice types. Some exceptional dramatic contraltos, Ernestine Schumann-Heink and Sigrid Onegin for example, had techniques that enabled them to perform both the weighty music of Wagner and the florid music of, say, Donizetti. The typical range for dramatic contraltos is the G below middle C (G3) to the A above middle C. (A5).[7].

Contralto roles in opera

The following is a list of examples of contralto roles in the standard operatic repertoire[5].

* indicates a role that may also be sung by a mezzo-soprano.

Contralto roles in musical theatre

* indicates a role that may also be sung by a mezzo-soprano.

See also

Search Wikisource Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Contralto.

References

  1. ^ See Scientific pitch notation for these terms.
  2. ^ McKinney, James (1994). The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults. Genovex Music Group. ISBN 978-1565939400. 
  3. ^ a b Appelman, D. Ralph (1986). The Science of Vocal Pedagogy: Theory and Application. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0253203786. 
  4. ^ Stark, James (2003). Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0802086143. 
  5. ^ a b Boldrey, Richard (1994). Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias. Caldwell Publishing Company. ISBN 9781877761645. 
  6. ^ answers.yahoo.com[unreliable source?]
  7. ^ The New York Times guide to essential knowledge [Full citation needed]

Further reading

  • Coffin, Berton (1960). Coloratura, Lyric and Dramatic Soprano, Vol. 1. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.. ISBN 9780810801882. 
  • Peckham, Anne (2005). Vocal Workouts for the Contemporary Singer. Berklee Press Publications. ISBN 978-0876390474. 
  • Smith, Brenda (2005). Choral Pedagogy. Plural Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-1597560436. 
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