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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. |
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"alto." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alto." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-alto.html "alto." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-alto.html |
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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.
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"alto." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alto." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-alto.html "alto." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-alto.html |
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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 . |
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"alto." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alto." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-alto.html "alto." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-alto.html |
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alto
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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "alto." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "alto." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-alto.html MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "alto." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-alto.html |
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alto
alto highest male voice, counter-tenor. XVII. — It. alto high — L. altus.
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T. F. HOAD. "alto." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "alto." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-alto.html T. F. HOAD. "alto." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-alto.html |
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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
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Cite this article
"alto." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alto." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-alto.html "alto." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-alto.html |
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