contralto

/kənˈtræltəʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /kənˈtræltəʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /kən-ˈtral-(ˌ)tō/ (ame, mw)

contralto — noun

  • contraltosingular
  • contraltosplural

1. a singer whose voice falls in the lowest usual range for women; also, that low s

1.名詞B2
釋義

a singer whose voice falls in the lowest usual range for women; also, that low singing voice itself

例句

Apinya sang the contralto solo at the winter concert last night.

contralto solo — named voice part in performance

The choir needed another contralto to strengthen the lowest harmony line.

contralto in a choir section

同義詞
  • alto

    often used more loosely for a choir part and is less exact than contralto as a voice classification

  • mezzo-soprano

    a female voice type above contralto, with a higher and lighter comfortable range

反義詞
  • soprano

    the highest common female voice, opposite of contralto in pitch range

用法筆記

In choir talk, alto often names the part being sung, while contralto names the singer's natural voice type. The word is used mainly in classical, choral, and voice-training contexts; in everyday conversation, people often just say low female voice instead.

常見錯誤

❌Mina is the alto of the opera company, so she must be a contralto.
✅Mina sings alto in the choir, but her natural voice may or may not be contralto.
💡'alto' often names a part, while 'contralto' is a specific voice type.