alto
Voice or musical instrument between tenor and soprano, of approximate range G3–D5. It is also used before the name of an instrument, for example alto saxophone, and indicates a size larger than soprano.
The traditional male alto voice of early opera, Anglican church choirs, male voice quartets, and choral societies is also known as countertenor. Trumpetlike and penetrating, it is an extension of the high (alto) male voice register, produced by falsetto. The term is also used as an abbreviation of ‘contralto’, the low register (‘contra-alto’) female voice, which is rich and mellow in tone; for example, the voice of the English singer Kathleen Ferrier. Alto is also the French name for the viola.
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