Alto
 

Alto is a voice-range between a tenor and mezzo-soprano. This voice is referred to the lowest singing female voice or to a kind of male singing voice referring to falsetto called countertenor. Alto pieces usually spans between G below middle C to the E a tenth above a C. At the bottom of their range male alto almost sound like tenors. Some altos have even larger ranges; from the C below middle C to the two octaves above middle C, but like all singers, their vocal type is defined mostly by their "vocal center" and not by their range. In four-part choral harmony, the alto is the second highest voice. Alto pieces were originally written in the alto clef, but now use the treble clef. Although both men and women may have voices in the alto range, the word is usually used to mean a female singer. The word "contralto" can be used to refer specifically to a female alto singer, versus male alto singers or instruments or clefs. However, choirs singing early music frequently include adult male altos, called countertenor.

You can hear an example of an alto voice on this page. This is one of our members, Caitlin.

Alto Notes: 
(Graphic used with permission from Wikipedia)

Several famous altos include: Tony Braxton.

If you want to learn more about the alto voice, visit these links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alto

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