|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
alto
al·to / ˈaltō/ • n. (pl. -tos) Mus. a voice, instrument, or part below the highest range and above tenor, in particular: ∎ the highest adult male singing voice; countertenor. ∎ the lowest female singing voice; contralto. ∎ [as adj.] denoting the member of a family of instruments pitched second or third highest: alto flute. ∎ an alto instrument, esp. an alto saxophone. |
|
|
Cite this article
"alto." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alto." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-alto.html "alto." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-alto.html |
|
alto
alto In singing, the highest male voice, also called countertenor; or the lowest female voice, also called contralto. It is also used to describe that member of a family of instruments with a range that corresponds to the alto voice; for example, an alto flute is a fourth lower than a standard one.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"alto." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alto." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-alto.html "alto." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-alto.html |
|
alto
alto singing voice the range of which is lower than the soprano by the interval of a fifth. More generally, the term refers to the register in which this voice sings, i.e., the second highest part in a four-part musical texture, and to instruments utilizing this register. See countertenor . |
|
|
Cite this article
"alto." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alto." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-alto.html "alto." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-alto.html |
|
alto
|
|
|
Cite this article
MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "alto." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "alto." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-alto.html MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "alto." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-alto.html |
|
alto
alto highest male voice, counter-tenor. XVII. — It. alto high — L. altus.
|
|
|
Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "alto." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "alto." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-alto.html T. F. HOAD. "alto." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-alto.html |
|
alto
alto
•bateau, chateau, gateau, gelato, mulatto, plateau
•de facto, ipso facto
•alto
•canto, Esperanto, manteau, panto, portmanteau
•antipasto, impasto-
•agitato, Ambato, castrato, esparto, inamorato, legato, moderato, obbligato (US obligato), ostinato, pizzicato, rubato, staccato, tomato, vibrato, Waikato
•contralto
•allegretto, amaretto, amoretto, Canaletto, cornetto, falsetto, ghetto, larghetto, libretto, Loreto, Orvieto, Soweto, stiletto, Tintoretto, vaporetto, zucchetto
•perfecto, recto
•cento, cinquecento, divertimento, lento, memento, pimiento, portamento, Risorgimento, Sacramento, Sorrento, Trento
•manifesto, pesto, presto
•concerto
•Cato, Plato, potato
•Benito, bonito, burrito, coquito, graffito, Hirohito, incognito, Ito, magneto, Miskito, mosquito, Quito, Tito, veto
•ditto • in flagrante delicto • mistletoe
•pinto, Shinto
•tiptoe
•Callisto, fritto misto
•cogito • Felixstowe • Sillitoe
|
|
|
Cite this article
"alto." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alto." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-alto.html "alto." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-alto.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
