What is Alto?
The word '''alto''' can mean: someone who sings lower than a soprano. Usually females with lower voices are called '''contralto'''s. A '''male alto''' is a man who sings in a special way called [[falsetto]]. In England male altos sing in [[church]] and [[cathedral choir]]s. 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 [[Kathleen Ferrier]]. 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 [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]] and other [[Baroque music|Baroque]] composers, like it would have been performed in those days. Operatic roles which need a contralto include Lucretia in [[Benjamin Britten|Britten's]] ''[[Rape of Lucretia]]'' and Erda in [[Richard Wagner|Wagner's]] ''[[Der Ring des Nibelungen]]. The word ''alto'' can also mean: the second line down in 4 part [[Choir (music)|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== *[[Adele]] *[[Sade Adu]] *[[Fiona Apple]] *[[Sara Bareilles]] *[[Anita Baker]] *[[Toni Braxton]] *[[Cher]] *[[Fairuz]] *[[Fergie]] *[[Judy Garland]] *[[Lana Del Rey]] *[[Lisa Gerrard]] *[[Lucy Lawless]] *[[Annie Lennox]] *[[Joni Mitchell]] *Ily Matthew Maniano *[[Tina Turner]] *[[Lady Gaga]] *[[Norah Jones]] *[https://www.reverbnation.com/cherrycreekband Teresa Davis] *[[Judith Holofernes]] {{music-stub}} [[Category:Vocal ranges]]