contralto

[ kuhn-tral-toh ]

noun

, plural con·tral·tos.

1. the lowest female voice or voice part, intermediate between soprano and tenor.
2. the alto, or highest male voice or voice part.
3. a singer with a contralto voice.

adjective

1. pertaining to the contralto voice or its compass.

contralto

/ kənˈtræltəʊ; -ˈtrɑːl- /

noun

1. the lowest female voice, usually having a range of approximately from F a fifth below middle C to D a ninth above it In the context of a choir often shortened toalto
2. a singer with such a voice

adjective

1. of or denoting a contralto

   the contralto part

contralto

1. The lowest range of the female singing voice; alto .

Word History and Origins

Origin of contralto¹

1720–30; < Italian, equivalent to contr(a) contra- ²( def ) + alto alto

Word History and Origins

Origin of contralto¹

C18: from Italian; see contra- , alto

Example Sentences

'My Lord, What a Night'Two gifted originals in divergent pursuits — music and physics — come together in this Ford’s Theatre production, based on the true story of the friendship between contralto Marian Anderson and scientist Albert Einstein.

From Washington Post

That is not an instrument for the production of tones in the contralto compass.

From Project Gutenberg

What she sang he did not know, but her deep contralto, holding heaven in its tones, he both knew and understood.

From Project Gutenberg

The contralto and I were talking about it one day on the train and saying how glad we should be to get away from it.

From Project Gutenberg

With that there smote on our ears the sounds of two voices in altercation outside—one a woman's high contralto.

From Project Gutenberg

Through the warm air, heavy with the perfume of flowers, floated the contralto voice of Dolores.

From Project Gutenberg