In learning how to sing Alto, it’s important for you to know its meaning and its significance to the world of music. In Latin, Alto means high ‘though it may have other possible interpretations in other languages. In terms of using specific instruments, alto belongs to a group of instruments that is known to be one of the highest ranges second to soprano or treble such as the term alto saxophone for example.
In other groups of instruments like the trombone, soprano is not present. Alto is considered the highest, ‘though it is not found in the standard contemporary symphony orchestra. As far as choral music is concerned, alto refers to the 2nd highest part of the voice in a 4-part chorus. Apart from its meaning of high in the Italian language, it also refers to contratenor altus a Latin phrase which is identified to the medieval polyphony.
In learning how to sing Alto, this term describes the highest of 3 parts with the line in counterpoint which also means against or contra. This word comes from the Latin verb tenere which means to hold. In choral music, alto ranges from G3, with G beneath the mid C to F5 with F rested in the 2nd octave on top of mid C. In ordinary use, alto describes the type of voice that sings this part. Alto and 3 other standard contemporary choral voice groups namely, soprano, bass and tenor, describe a portion within the polyphonic or homophonic texture instead of individual voice type.
Alto and contralto are often considered as similar to each other, but in actual, they are not related or interchangeable. Some lady singers in a choir who know how to sing Alto are actually contraltos, but they should be called mezzo-sopranos to be more accurate. On the other hand, a lot of male singers are countertenors who use falsetto voice, and they should be more accurately called male alto. Having a contralto voice is something related to vocal tessitura and vocal timbre along with range.
A solo contralto performer who is classically-trained how to sing Alto
usually has a higher range compared to an ordinary choral alto in lower and upper ranges. But the vocal tessitura of this classically-trained contralto could make him sing more comfortable at the lower part of his voice. In singing, a choral contralto may possess a low range of D3, but there are also singers who encounter difficulty in singing beyond E5. With regard to a choral context, contraltos and mezzo-sopranos may be able to sing the alto part along with countertenors which results in having 3 timbres to sing the same notes.
It is very rare that Alto is used in describing a solo voice, but there are a lot of terms which are commonly used in different cultures and in a great number of languages for solo singers having this range. This includes contralto, tenor altino, haute-contre and countertenor among others. In learning how to sing Alto, it would be a great advantage if you know its meaning and how it is attained in singing.
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