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Contralto

January 13, 2023

A contralto (Italian pronunciation: [konˈtralto]) is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type.[1]

The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically between the F below middle C (F3 in scientific pitch notation) to the second F above middle C (F5), although, at the extremes, some voices can reach the D below middle C (D3)[2] or the second B♭ above middle C (B♭5).[1] The contralto voice type is generally divided into the coloratura, lyric, and dramatic contralto.

History

"Contralto" is primarily meaningful only in reference to classical and operatic singing, as other traditions lack a comparable system of vocal categorization. The term "contralto" is only applied to female singers; men singing in a similar range are called "countertenors".[3] The Italian terms "contralto" and "alto" are not synonymous, "alto" technically denoting a specific vocal range in choral singing without regard to factors like tessitura, vocal timbre, vocal facility, and vocal weight.[4] However, there exists some French choral writing (including that of Ravel and Poulenc) with a part labelled "contralto", despite the tessitura and function being that of a classical alto part. The Saracen princess Clorinde in André Campra's 1702 opera Tancrède was written for Julie d'Aubigny and is considered the earliest major role for bas-dessus or contralto voice.[5]

Vocal range

 
Contralto vocal range (F3–F5) notated on the treble staff (left) and on piano keyboard in green with dot marking middle C (C4).
 

The contralto has the lowest vocal range of the female voice types, with the lowest tessitura.[3][6]

The contralto vocal range is between tenor and alto.

Although tenors, baritones, and basses are male singers, some women can sing as low (albeit with a slightly different timbre and texture) as their male counterparts. Some of the rare female singers who specialized in the tenor and baritone registers include film actress Zarah Leander,[7][8] the Persian āvāz singer Hayedeh,[9] the child prodigy Ruby Helder (1890–1938),[10] and Bavarian novelty singer Bally Prell.[11][12]

Subtypes and roles in opera

Within the contralto voice type category are three generally recognized subcategories: coloratura contralto, an agile voice specializing in florid passages; lyric contralto, a voice lighter in timbre; and dramatic contralto, the deepest, darkest, and most powerful contralto voice. The coloratura contralto was a favorite voice type of Rossini's. Many of his roles listed below were written with this type of voice in mind. Lyric contraltos are heavily utilized in both the French and English operatic repertoire. Many of the Gilbert and Sullivan contralto roles are best suited with a lyric contralto voice. Ma Moss in The Tender Land is a notable lyric contralto role. The dramatic contralto voice is heard in much of the German operatic repertoire. Erda in Der Ring des Nibelungen and Gaea in Daphne are both good examples of the dramatic contralto.

True operatic contraltos are rare, and the operatic literature contains few roles written specifically for them. Contraltos sometimes are assigned feminine roles like Teodata in Flavio, Angelina in La Cenerentola, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Isabella in L'italiana in Algeri, and Olga in Eugene Onegin, but more frequently they play female villains or trouser roles. Contraltos may also be cast in roles originally written for castrati. A common saying among contraltos is that they may play only "witches, bitches, or britches."[13]

Examples of contralto roles in the standard operatic repertoire include the following:[13]

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

See also

References

  1. ^ a b McKinney, James (1994). The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults. Genovex Music Group. ISBN 978-1-56593-940-0.
  2. ^ Jones, David L. (2007). "Training the Contralto Voice". The Voice Teacher. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  3. ^ a b Appelman, D. Ralph (1986). The Science of Vocal Pedagogy: Theory and Application. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-20378-6.
  4. ^ Stark, James (2003). Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-8614-3.
  5. ^ The part of Clorinde is notated in the soprano clef (original score, p. 71), but, although it never descends below d′, tradition has it that it was the first major bas-dessus (contralto) role in the French opera history (Sadie, Julie Anne, Maupin, in Sadie, Stanley (ed), op. cit., III, p. 274).[incomplete short citation]
  6. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Contralto" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  7. ^ Peucker, Brigitte. The Material Image: Art and the Real in Film. Stanford University Press 2007. p. 120 ISBN 9780804754316 2017-09-05 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Rosa Sala Rose. "Zarah Leander and the Leibstandarte SS". 2016-06-02 at the Wayback Machine 15 December 2012.
  9. ^ "HĀYEDA – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  10. ^ Elliot, David J. (2005). Praxial Music Education: Reflections and Dialogues. Oxford University Press. p. 302. ISBN 9780199725113. from the original on 26 March 2017.
  11. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "Contralto Female Voice…". YouTube: DHO Gwen. 8 January 2017.
  12. ^ "Bally Prell". Historical Tenors. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  13. ^ a b Boldrey, Richard (1994). Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias. Caldwell Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-877761-64-5.

Further reading

External links

  •   Media related to Contraltos at Wikimedia Commons
  •   The dictionary definition of Contralto at Wiktionary

January 13, 2023
contralto, contralto, italian, pronunciation, konˈtralto, type, classical, female, singing, voice, whose, vocal, range, lowest, female, voice, type, contralto, vocal, range, fairly, rare, similar, mezzo, soprano, almost, identical, that, countertenor, typicall. A contralto Italian pronunciation konˈtralto is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type 1 The contralto s vocal range is fairly rare similar to the mezzo soprano and almost identical to that of a countertenor typically between the F below middle C F3 in scientific pitch notation to the second F above middle C F5 although at the extremes some voices can reach the D below middle C D3 2 or the second B above middle C B 5 1 The contralto voice type is generally divided into the coloratura lyric and dramatic contralto Contents 1 History 2 Vocal range 3 Subtypes and roles in opera 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksHistory Edit Contralto is primarily meaningful only in reference to classical and operatic singing as other traditions lack a comparable system of vocal categorization The term contralto is only applied to female singers men singing in a similar range are called countertenors 3 The Italian terms contralto and alto are not synonymous alto technically denoting a specific vocal range in choral singing without regard to factors like tessitura vocal timbre vocal facility and vocal weight 4 However there exists some French choral writing including that of Ravel and Poulenc with a part labelled contralto despite the tessitura and function being that of a classical alto part The Saracen princess Clorinde in Andre Campra s 1702 opera Tancrede was written for Julie d Aubigny and is considered the earliest major role for bas dessus or contralto voice 5 Vocal range Edit Contralto vocal range F3 F5 notated on the treble staff left and on piano keyboard in green with dot marking middle C C4 The contralto has the lowest vocal range of the female voice types with the lowest tessitura 3 6 The contralto vocal range is between tenor and alto Although tenors baritones and basses are male singers some women can sing as low albeit with a slightly different timbre and texture as their male counterparts Some of the rare female singers who specialized in the tenor and baritone registers include film actress Zarah Leander 7 8 the Persian avaz singer Hayedeh 9 the child prodigy Ruby Helder 1890 1938 10 and Bavarian novelty singer Bally Prell 11 12 Subtypes and roles in opera EditWithin the contralto voice type category are three generally recognized subcategories coloratura contralto an agile voice specializing in florid passages lyric contralto a voice lighter in timbre and dramatic contralto the deepest darkest and most powerful contralto voice The coloratura contralto was a favorite voice type of Rossini s Many of his roles listed below were written with this type of voice in mind Lyric contraltos are heavily utilized in both the French and English operatic repertoire Many of the Gilbert and Sullivan contralto roles are best suited with a lyric contralto voice Ma Moss in The Tender Land is a notable lyric contralto role The dramatic contralto voice is heard in much of the German operatic repertoire Erda in Der Ring des Nibelungen and Gaea in Daphne are both good examples of the dramatic contralto True operatic contraltos are rare and the operatic literature contains few roles written specifically for them Contraltos sometimes are assigned feminine roles like Teodata in Flavio Angelina in La Cenerentola Rosina in The Barber of Seville Isabella in L italiana in Algeri and Olga in Eugene Onegin but more frequently they play female villains or trouser roles Contraltos may also be cast in roles originally written for castrati A common saying among contraltos is that they may play only witches bitches or britches 13 Examples of contralto roles in the standard operatic repertoire include the following 13 Angelina La Cenerentola Rossini Arnalta L incoronazione di Poppea Monteverdi Arsace Semiramide Rossini Art Banker Facing Goya Nyman Azucena Il trovatore Verdi Auntie landlady of The Boar Peter Grimes Britten The Baroness Vanessa Barber Bradamante Alcina Handel La Cieca La Gioconda Ponchielli Cornelia Giulio Cesare Handel The Countess The Queen of Spades Tchaikovsky Didone Egisto Cavalli Dryade Ariadne auf Naxos Strauss Erda Das Rheingold Siegfried Wagner Felicia Il crociato in Egitto Meyerbeer Madame Flora Baba The Medium Menotti Fides Le prophete Meyerbeer Florence Pike Albert Herring Britten Gaea Daphne Strauss Genevieve Pelleas et Melisande Debussy Griselda Griselda Vivaldi Helene Bezukhova War and Peace Prokofiev Hippolyta A Midsummer Night s Dream Britten Isabella L italiana in Algeri Rossini Katisha The Mikado Gilbert and Sullivan Klytemnestra Elektra Richard Strauss Lel The Snow Maiden Rimsky Korsakov Little Buttercup H M S Pinafore Gilbert and Sullivan Lucretia The Rape of Lucretia Britten Maddalena Rigoletto Verdi Magdelone Maskarade Nielsen Mamma Lucia Cavalleria rusticana Mascagni Ma Moss The Tender Land Copland Malcolm La donna del lago Rossini Margret Wozzeck Berg Maria Porgy and Bess Gershwin The Marquise of Berkenfield La fille du regiment Donizetti Marthe Faust Gounoud Marilyn Klinghoffer The Death of Klinghoffer Adams Mary Der fliegende Hollander Wagner Miss Todd The Old Maid and the Thief Menotti Mother The Consul Menotti Mother Goose Mother Goose Felix Jarrar Mother Goose The Rake s Progress Stravinsky Mrs Noye Noye s Fludde Britten Mrs Prin Tabula Rasa Felix Jarrar Mistress Quickly Falstaff Verdi Norn I Gotterdammerung Wagner Olga Eugene Onegin Tchaikovsky Orfeo Orfeo ed Euridice Gluck originally for castrato Orlando Orlando Furioso Vivaldi Orsini Lucrezia Borgia Donizetti Polina The Queen of Spades Tchaikovsky Ratmir Ruslan and Lyudmila Glinka Rosina The Barber of Seville Rossini Rosmira Eurimene Partenope Handel Ruth The Pirates of Penzance Gilbert and Sullivan Schwertleite Die Walkure Wagner Smeaton Anna Bolena Donizetti Sosostris The Midsummer Marriage Tippett Stella What Next Carter Tancredi Tancredi Rossini Ulrica Un ballo in maschera Verdi Widow Begbick Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny Weill 3rd Woodsprite Rusalka Dvorak La Zia Principessa Suor Angelica Puccini Zita Gianni Schicchi Puccini indicates a role that may also be sung by a mezzo soprano See also Edit Opera portalCategory of contraltos Fach the German system for classifying voices List of contraltos in non classical music List of operatic contraltos Voice classification in non classical musicReferences Edit a b McKinney James 1994 The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults Genovex Music Group ISBN 978 1 56593 940 0 Jones David L 2007 Training the Contralto Voice The Voice Teacher Retrieved 24 July 2018 a b Appelman D Ralph 1986 The Science of Vocal Pedagogy Theory and Application Indiana University Press ISBN 978 0 253 20378 6 Stark James 2003 Bel Canto A History of Vocal Pedagogy University of Toronto Press ISBN 978 0 8020 8614 3 The part of Clorinde is notated in the soprano clef original score p 71 but although it never descends below d tradition has it that it was the first major bas dessus contralto role in the French opera history Sadie Julie Anne Maupin in Sadie Stanley ed op cit III p 274 incomplete short citation Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Contralto Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th ed Cambridge University Press Peucker Brigitte The Material Image Art and the Real in Film Stanford University Press 2007 p 120 ISBN 9780804754316 Archived 2017 09 05 at the Wayback Machine Rosa Sala Rose Zarah Leander and the Leibstandarte SS Archived 2016 06 02 at the Wayback Machine 15 December 2012 HAYEDA Encyclopaedia Iranica www iranicaonline org Retrieved 30 June 2019 Elliot David J 2005 Praxial Music Education Reflections and Dialogues Oxford University Press p 302 ISBN 9780199725113 Archived from the original on 26 March 2017 Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine Contralto Female Voice YouTube DHO Gwen 8 January 2017 Bally Prell Historical Tenors Retrieved 12 July 2021 a b Boldrey Richard 1994 Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias Caldwell Publishing Company ISBN 978 1 877761 64 5 Further reading EditCoffin Berton 1960 Coloratura Lyric and Dramatic Soprano Vol 1 Rowman amp Littlefield ISBN 978 0 8108 0188 2 Peckham Anne 2005 Vocal Workouts for the Contemporary Singer Berklee Press ISBN 978 0 87639 047 4 Smith Brenda 2005 Choral Pedagogy Plural Publishing ISBN 978 1 59756 043 6 External links Edit Media related to Contraltos at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of Contralto at Wiktionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Contralto amp oldid 1126545448, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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