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Created page with '{{DISPLAYTITLE:Contralto}} '''Contralto''' is the deepest female classical singing voice,<ref name=McKinney>{{cite book |title= The Diagnosis…'
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Contralto}}
'''Contralto''' is the deepest female [[Classical music|classical]] [[voice type|singing voice]],<ref name=McKinney>{{cite book
|title= The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults
|last= McKinney
|first= James
|year= 1994
|publisher= Genovex Music Group
|isbn=978-1565939400}}</ref> with the lowest [[tessitura]],<ref name=Appelman>{{cite book
|title= The Science of Vocal Pedagogy: Theory and Application
|last= Appelman
|first= D. Ralph
|year= 1986
|publisher= [[Indiana University Press]]
|isbn=978-0253203786}}</ref> falling between [[tenor]] and [[mezzo-soprano]]. It typically ranges between the F below middle C (F<sub>3</sub> in [[scientific pitch notation]]) to the second G above middle C (G<sub>5</sub>), although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C (E<sub>3</sub>) or the second B{{Music|flat}} above middle C (B{{Music|flat}}<sub>5</sub>).<ref name=McKinney/>
==Terminology==
"Contralto" is meaningful only in reference to classical and operatic singing, as other genres lack a [[Voice classification in non-classical music|system of vocal categorization]] comparable to that generally accepted in the classical context. Even within current [[opera]]tic practice, contraltos are often classed as mezzo-sopranos, because singers in each range can cover for those in the other. When appearing separately, the term "contralto" applies only to female singers; men whose voices fall in the same range or higher are known as "[[countertenor]]s."<ref name=Appelman /> The terms "contralto" and "[[alto]]" are not synonymous, the latter technically denoting a specific [[vocal range]] in choral singing without regard to factors like tessitura, vocal timbre, vocal facility, and [[vocal weight]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy|last=Stark|first=James|year=2003|publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]]|isbn=978-0802086143}}</ref>
Within the category of contraltos are three generally recognized subcategories—'''coloratura contralto''', '''lyric contralto''', and '''dramatic contralto'''—that usefully describe the voice type in general terms. Note, however, that they do not always apply with precision to individual singers; some exceptional dramatic contraltos, such as [[Ernestine Schumann-Heink]] and [[Sigrid Onégin]], were technically equipped to perform not only heavy, dramatic music by the likes of [[Wagner]] but also florid compositions by [[Gaetano Donizetti|Donizetti]].
===Coloratura contralto===
Coloratura contraltos—who have light, agile voices ranging very high for the classification and atypically extensive coloratura and high sustaining notes—specialize in florid passages and leaps. Given its deviations from the classification's norms, this voice type is quite rare.
===Lyric contralto===
A lyric contralto voice is lighter than a dramatic contralto but not capable of the ornamentation and leaps of a coloratura contralto. This class of contralto, lighter in timbre than the others, is the most common today and usually ranges from the G below middle C (G<sub>3</sub>) to the G two octaves above middle C (G<sub>5</sub>).
===Dramatic contralto===
The dramatic is the deepest, darkest, and heaviest contralto voice, usually having a heavier tone and more power than the others. Singers in this class, like the coloratura contraltos, are rare. They typically sing in a range from the G below middle C (G<sub>3</sub>) to the A above middle C (A<sub>5</sub>).<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=-BIGv9vIoqcC&pg=PA148&lpg=PA148&dq=What+is+a+dramatic+contralto&source=bl&ots=_zvJFUExDE&sig=16BdjKsT9ZIgYO4nNhyoY6JG_l0&hl=en&ei=cnBaS76HK8SOlQeatJHuBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CBcQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=What%20is%20a%20dramatic%20contralto&f=false ''The New York Times guide to essential knowledge''] {{Full}}</ref>
==Contralto roles in opera==
True operatic contraltos are rare, and the operatic literature contains few roles written specifically for them. Contraltos sometimes are assigned feminine roles like Angelina in ''[[La Cenerentola]]'', Rosina in ''[[The Barber of Seville]]'', and Olga in ''[[Eugene Onegin (opera)|Eugene Onegin]]'', but more frequently they play female villains or assume [[Breeches role|trouser roles]] originally written for [[castrato|castrati]]. A common saying among contraltos is that they may play only "witches, bitches, or britches."<ref name=Boldrey>{{cite book
|title= Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias
|last= Boldrey
|first= Richard
|year= 1994
|publisher= Caldwell Publishing Company
|isbn=9781877761645}}</ref>
Examples of contralto roles in the standard operatic repertoire include the following:<ref name=Boldrey />.
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*Angelina<sup>*</sup>, ''[[La Cenerentola]]'' ([[Gioachino Rossini|Rossini]])
*Art Banker, ''[[Facing Goya]]'' ([[Michael Nyman]])
*Auntie<sup>*</sup>, landlady of The Boar, ''[[Peter Grimes]]'' ([[Benjamin Britten|Britten]])
*Azucena<sup>*</sup>, ''[[Il trovatore]]'' ([[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]])
*The Baroness, ''[[Vanessa (opera)|Vanessa]]'' ([[Samuel Barber|Barber]])
*La Cieca, ''[[La Gioconda (opera)|La Gioconda]]'' ([[Amilcare Ponchielli|Ponchielli]])
*Erda, ''[[Das Rheingold]], [[Siegfried (opera)|Siegfried]]'' ([[Richard Wagner|Wagner]])
*Madame Flora, ''[[The Medium]]'' ([[Gian Carlo Menotti]])
*Fides, [[Le prophète]] ([[Giacomo Meyerbeer]])
*Katisha, ''[[The Mikado]]'' ([[Gilbert and Sullivan]])
*Klytemnestra<sup>*</sup>, ''[[Elektra (opera)|Elektra]]'' ([[Richard Strauss|Strauss]])
*Maddalena<sup>*</sup>, ''[[Rigoletto]]'' (Verdi)
*Mama Lucia, ''[[Cavalleria rusticana]]'' ([[Pietro Mascagni|Mascagni]])
*Malcolm<sup>*</sup>, ''[[La donna del lago]]'' (Rossini)
*Margret, ''[[Wozzeck]]'' ([[Alban Berg|Berg]])
*Mary, ''[[The Flying Dutchman (opera)|Der fliegende Holländer]]'' (Wagner)
{{col-break}}
*Mother, ''[[The Consul]]'' (Menotti)
*Mother Goose, ''[[The Rake's Progress]]'' ([[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]])
*Olga<sup>*</sup>, ''[[Eugene Onegin (opera)|Eugene Onegin]]'' ([[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]])
*Orfeo, ''[[Orfeo ed Euridice]]'' ([[Christoph Willibald Gluck|Gluck]])
*Lel, ''[[The Snow Maiden]]'' ([[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov|Rimsky-Korsakov]])
*Little Buttercup, ''[[H.M.S. Pinafore]]'' (Gilbert and Sullivan)
*Lucretia, ''[[The Rape of Lucretia]]'' (Britten)
*Didone, ''[[Egisto (opera)|Egisto]]'' ([[Francesco Cavalli|Cavalli]])
*Pauline, ''[[The Queen of Spades (opera)|The Queen of Spades]]'' (Tchaikovsky)
*La Principessa, ''[[Suor Angelica]]'' ([[Giacomo Puccini|Puccini]])
*Rosina<sup>*</sup>, ''[[The Barber of Seville]]'' (Rossini)
*Ruth ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' (Gilbert and Sullivan)
*Orsini ''[[Lucrezia Borgia]]'' ([[Donizetti]])
*Ulrica, ''[[Un ballo in maschera]]'' (Verdi)
*Widow Begbick<sup>*</sup>, ''[[Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny]]'' ([[Kurt Weill]])
*Cornelia ''[[Giulio Cesare]]'' ([[Handel]])
*{{col-end}}
<sup>*</sup> indicates a role that may also be sung by a [[mezzo-soprano]].
==See also==
{{Wikisource1911Enc}}
*[[Fach]]
*[[List of contraltos in non-classical music]]
*[[List of operatic contraltos]]
==References==
<references />
==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book
|title= Coloratura, Lyric and Dramatic Soprano, Vol. 1
|last= Coffin
|first= Berton
|year= 1960
|publisher= Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
|isbn=9780810801882}}
*{{cite book
|title= Vocal Workouts for the Contemporary Singer
|last= Peckham
|first= Anne
|year= 2005
|publisher= Berklee Press Publications
|isbn=978-0876390474}}
*{{cite book
|title= Choral Pedagogy
|last= Smith
|first= Brenda
|year= 2005
|publisher= Plural Publishing, Inc
|isbn=978-1597560436}}
[[Category:Vocal music]]
[[Category:Voice types]]
[[Category:Opera terminology]]
[[Category:Italian loanwords]]
[[Category:Pitch (music)]]
[[ca:Contralt]]
[[de:Alt (Stimmlage)]]
[[es:Contralto]]
[[fr:Contralto]]
[[gl:Contralto]]
[[io:Kontralto]]
[[it:Contralto]]
[[pl:Kontralt]]
[[pt:Contralto]]
[[ru:Контральто]]
[[sr:Kontraalt]]
[[sv:Kontraalt]]
[[tr:Kontralto]]
'''Contralto''' is the deepest female [[Classical music|classical]] [[voice type|singing voice]],<ref name=McKinney>{{cite book
|title= The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults
|last= McKinney
|first= James
|year= 1994
|publisher= Genovex Music Group
|isbn=978-1565939400}}</ref> with the lowest [[tessitura]],<ref name=Appelman>{{cite book
|title= The Science of Vocal Pedagogy: Theory and Application
|last= Appelman
|first= D. Ralph
|year= 1986
|publisher= [[Indiana University Press]]
|isbn=978-0253203786}}</ref> falling between [[tenor]] and [[mezzo-soprano]]. It typically ranges between the F below middle C (F<sub>3</sub> in [[scientific pitch notation]]) to the second G above middle C (G<sub>5</sub>), although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C (E<sub>3</sub>) or the second B{{Music|flat}} above middle C (B{{Music|flat}}<sub>5</sub>).<ref name=McKinney/>
==Terminology==
"Contralto" is meaningful only in reference to classical and operatic singing, as other genres lack a [[Voice classification in non-classical music|system of vocal categorization]] comparable to that generally accepted in the classical context. Even within current [[opera]]tic practice, contraltos are often classed as mezzo-sopranos, because singers in each range can cover for those in the other. When appearing separately, the term "contralto" applies only to female singers; men whose voices fall in the same range or higher are known as "[[countertenor]]s."<ref name=Appelman /> The terms "contralto" and "[[alto]]" are not synonymous, the latter technically denoting a specific [[vocal range]] in choral singing without regard to factors like tessitura, vocal timbre, vocal facility, and [[vocal weight]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy|last=Stark|first=James|year=2003|publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]]|isbn=978-0802086143}}</ref>
Within the category of contraltos are three generally recognized subcategories—'''coloratura contralto''', '''lyric contralto''', and '''dramatic contralto'''—that usefully describe the voice type in general terms. Note, however, that they do not always apply with precision to individual singers; some exceptional dramatic contraltos, such as [[Ernestine Schumann-Heink]] and [[Sigrid Onégin]], were technically equipped to perform not only heavy, dramatic music by the likes of [[Wagner]] but also florid compositions by [[Gaetano Donizetti|Donizetti]].
===Coloratura contralto===
Coloratura contraltos—who have light, agile voices ranging very high for the classification and atypically extensive coloratura and high sustaining notes—specialize in florid passages and leaps. Given its deviations from the classification's norms, this voice type is quite rare.
===Lyric contralto===
A lyric contralto voice is lighter than a dramatic contralto but not capable of the ornamentation and leaps of a coloratura contralto. This class of contralto, lighter in timbre than the others, is the most common today and usually ranges from the G below middle C (G<sub>3</sub>) to the G two octaves above middle C (G<sub>5</sub>).
===Dramatic contralto===
The dramatic is the deepest, darkest, and heaviest contralto voice, usually having a heavier tone and more power than the others. Singers in this class, like the coloratura contraltos, are rare. They typically sing in a range from the G below middle C (G<sub>3</sub>) to the A above middle C (A<sub>5</sub>).<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=-BIGv9vIoqcC&pg=PA148&lpg=PA148&dq=What+is+a+dramatic+contralto&source=bl&ots=_zvJFUExDE&sig=16BdjKsT9ZIgYO4nNhyoY6JG_l0&hl=en&ei=cnBaS76HK8SOlQeatJHuBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CBcQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=What%20is%20a%20dramatic%20contralto&f=false ''The New York Times guide to essential knowledge''] {{Full}}</ref>
==Contralto roles in opera==
True operatic contraltos are rare, and the operatic literature contains few roles written specifically for them. Contraltos sometimes are assigned feminine roles like Angelina in ''[[La Cenerentola]]'', Rosina in ''[[The Barber of Seville]]'', and Olga in ''[[Eugene Onegin (opera)|Eugene Onegin]]'', but more frequently they play female villains or assume [[Breeches role|trouser roles]] originally written for [[castrato|castrati]]. A common saying among contraltos is that they may play only "witches, bitches, or britches."<ref name=Boldrey>{{cite book
|title= Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias
|last= Boldrey
|first= Richard
|year= 1994
|publisher= Caldwell Publishing Company
|isbn=9781877761645}}</ref>
Examples of contralto roles in the standard operatic repertoire include the following:<ref name=Boldrey />.
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*Angelina<sup>*</sup>, ''[[La Cenerentola]]'' ([[Gioachino Rossini|Rossini]])
*Art Banker, ''[[Facing Goya]]'' ([[Michael Nyman]])
*Auntie<sup>*</sup>, landlady of The Boar, ''[[Peter Grimes]]'' ([[Benjamin Britten|Britten]])
*Azucena<sup>*</sup>, ''[[Il trovatore]]'' ([[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]])
*The Baroness, ''[[Vanessa (opera)|Vanessa]]'' ([[Samuel Barber|Barber]])
*La Cieca, ''[[La Gioconda (opera)|La Gioconda]]'' ([[Amilcare Ponchielli|Ponchielli]])
*Erda, ''[[Das Rheingold]], [[Siegfried (opera)|Siegfried]]'' ([[Richard Wagner|Wagner]])
*Madame Flora, ''[[The Medium]]'' ([[Gian Carlo Menotti]])
*Fides, [[Le prophète]] ([[Giacomo Meyerbeer]])
*Katisha, ''[[The Mikado]]'' ([[Gilbert and Sullivan]])
*Klytemnestra<sup>*</sup>, ''[[Elektra (opera)|Elektra]]'' ([[Richard Strauss|Strauss]])
*Maddalena<sup>*</sup>, ''[[Rigoletto]]'' (Verdi)
*Mama Lucia, ''[[Cavalleria rusticana]]'' ([[Pietro Mascagni|Mascagni]])
*Malcolm<sup>*</sup>, ''[[La donna del lago]]'' (Rossini)
*Margret, ''[[Wozzeck]]'' ([[Alban Berg|Berg]])
*Mary, ''[[The Flying Dutchman (opera)|Der fliegende Holländer]]'' (Wagner)
{{col-break}}
*Mother, ''[[The Consul]]'' (Menotti)
*Mother Goose, ''[[The Rake's Progress]]'' ([[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]])
*Olga<sup>*</sup>, ''[[Eugene Onegin (opera)|Eugene Onegin]]'' ([[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]])
*Orfeo, ''[[Orfeo ed Euridice]]'' ([[Christoph Willibald Gluck|Gluck]])
*Lel, ''[[The Snow Maiden]]'' ([[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov|Rimsky-Korsakov]])
*Little Buttercup, ''[[H.M.S. Pinafore]]'' (Gilbert and Sullivan)
*Lucretia, ''[[The Rape of Lucretia]]'' (Britten)
*Didone, ''[[Egisto (opera)|Egisto]]'' ([[Francesco Cavalli|Cavalli]])
*Pauline, ''[[The Queen of Spades (opera)|The Queen of Spades]]'' (Tchaikovsky)
*La Principessa, ''[[Suor Angelica]]'' ([[Giacomo Puccini|Puccini]])
*Rosina<sup>*</sup>, ''[[The Barber of Seville]]'' (Rossini)
*Ruth ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' (Gilbert and Sullivan)
*Orsini ''[[Lucrezia Borgia]]'' ([[Donizetti]])
*Ulrica, ''[[Un ballo in maschera]]'' (Verdi)
*Widow Begbick<sup>*</sup>, ''[[Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny]]'' ([[Kurt Weill]])
*Cornelia ''[[Giulio Cesare]]'' ([[Handel]])
*{{col-end}}
<sup>*</sup> indicates a role that may also be sung by a [[mezzo-soprano]].
==See also==
{{Wikisource1911Enc}}
*[[Fach]]
*[[List of contraltos in non-classical music]]
*[[List of operatic contraltos]]
==References==
<references />
==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book
|title= Coloratura, Lyric and Dramatic Soprano, Vol. 1
|last= Coffin
|first= Berton
|year= 1960
|publisher= Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
|isbn=9780810801882}}
*{{cite book
|title= Vocal Workouts for the Contemporary Singer
|last= Peckham
|first= Anne
|year= 2005
|publisher= Berklee Press Publications
|isbn=978-0876390474}}
*{{cite book
|title= Choral Pedagogy
|last= Smith
|first= Brenda
|year= 2005
|publisher= Plural Publishing, Inc
|isbn=978-1597560436}}
[[Category:Vocal music]]
[[Category:Voice types]]
[[Category:Opera terminology]]
[[Category:Italian loanwords]]
[[Category:Pitch (music)]]
[[ca:Contralt]]
[[de:Alt (Stimmlage)]]
[[es:Contralto]]
[[fr:Contralto]]
[[gl:Contralto]]
[[io:Kontralto]]
[[it:Contralto]]
[[pl:Kontralt]]
[[pt:Contralto]]
[[ru:Контральто]]
[[sr:Kontraalt]]
[[sv:Kontraalt]]
[[tr:Kontralto]]