View source for Alto

==In opera==
According to ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Opera]]'' (1992), the term "alto" refers to singers whose voice encompasses the [[Pitch (music)|pitches]] of the [[Musical note|notes]] ''f'' to ''d{{pprime}}'' (see [[Helmholtz pitch notation]]). The singer of this voice type is more often described, for a female, as a contralto; for a male, as a countertenor (or in early French music as ''[[haute-contre]]'') or a [[falsetto]] singer. A [[castrato]] may also sing in this range.<ref>"Alto (opera)" in ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Opera]]'', vol. 1, p. 99. London: Macmillan, 1992. Online reprint (2002): [https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O900102 "Alto (opera) (It.: ‘high’; Fr. ''alto''; Ger. ''Alt'')"], [[Grove Music Online]].</ref>