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There are many different voice types<\/a><\/strong> in classical music, and the contralto is a rich and colourful voice within the female range. But what exactly is a contralto \u2013\u00a0and what is its range? We’ll explain all you need to know here. <\/p> The contralto is the lowest female voice type<\/a>, <\/strong>pitched<\/strong><\/a> between the mezzo-soprano and male tenor ranges and composers have often given contralto roles something of a matronly attitude. <\/strong><\/p> Erda, in Wagner\u2019s Rheingold<\/i><\/a><\/strong>, for example, advises Wotan to relinquish the cursed ring and Mrs Cripps, from Gilbert and Sullivan\u2019s HMS Pinafore<\/i>, foresees the captain\u2019s fall to seaman status.<\/p> Today, however, dramatic mezzos often take the place of the contralto in such roles as Maddalena in Verdi\u2019s Rigoletto<\/i><\/a><\/strong> and Mamma Lucia in Mascagni\u2019s Cavalleria rusticana<\/i><\/a><\/strong>.<\/p> And gone forever are contraltos in Baroque opera, thanks to the rise of the ever more flexible countertenor. <\/p> Despite the disappearance of contraltos from Baroque operas, a handful of modern singers \u2013 including Hilary Summers and Nathalie Stutzmann \u2013 are following in one of the world’s greatest contraltos<\/a><\/strong> Kathleen Ferrier<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s footsteps and steadfastly calling themselves contraltos.<\/p> Another famous contralto was Marian Anderson <\/a><\/strong>(pictured), who was not only a famous singer who performed at JFK’s inauguration but also a political campaigner and key player in the Civil Rights Movement<\/p>What is a contralto?<\/h2>
Who are the famous contraltos?<\/h2>