Contraction ofcontratenor alto, from Latincontratenor altus.
contralto (pluralcontraltosorcontralti)
- (music) The lowest female voice or voice part, falling betweentenor andmezzo-soprano. The termscontralto andalto refer to the same musical pitch range, but among singers, the termcontralto is reserved for female singers; the equivalent male form iscounter-tenor. Originally thecontratenor altus was a high countermelody sung against thetenor or main melody.
1867,Fyodor Dostoyevsky, chapter III, inThe Gambler, translated by C. J. Hogarth[1]:As for her dress, it was invariably rich, effective, and chic, yet in good taste. Lastly, her feet and hands were astonishing, and her voice a deepcontralto.
contralto m (pluralcontraltos)
- contralto
Fromcontra- +alto.
- IPA(key): /konˈtral.to/
- Rhymes:-alto
- Hyphenation:con‧tràl‧to
contralto m (pluralcontralti)
- contralto (female)
- counter-tenor (male)
Borrowed fromItaliancontralto.[1]
- Rhymes:(Portugal)-altu,(Brazil)-awtu
- Hyphenation:con‧tral‧to
contralto m (pluralcontraltos)
- (music)contralto(voice between tenor and mezzo-soprano)
- (music)contralto(singer with this voice)
- IPA(key): /konˈtɾalto/[kõn̪ˈt̪ɾal̪.t̪o]
- Rhymes:-alto
- Syllabification:con‧tral‧to
contralto f (pluralcontraltos)
- contralto
