Contralto

As Printed on a Score

Labels the lowest women’s voice (Contralto; Contralti for a section), and in choral scores the alto part, which is just as often printed Alto (A.; plural Alti). It is written in treble clef; older editions use the alto C clef. In French scores Alto means the viola, so check whether the staff is vocal or instrumental.

Abbreviations: A.

Also spelled: Contralti, Alto, Alti

How Composers Use It

A true contralto is rare: the voice sits roughly from F3 to F5, dark and weighty in its lowest fifth, and that low register is easily covered by an orchestra. Brahms (Alto Rhapsody), Mahler (Das Lied von der Erde) and Elgar (Sea Pictures) wrote for its depth. For a choral alto part, keep most of the line between G3 and C5, and let it move freely, since it usually carries the inner harmony.

Example

Coleridge-Taylor, “Oh, the Summer”, staff labels: “Soprano” over “Contralto”, above the piano — a duet for the two women’s voices.

Related Terms