A report on Choir and Alto

Evensong rehearsal in the quire of York Minster, showing carved choirstalls
Alto vocal range, F3 to F5, notated on the treble staff (left) and on piano keyboard in green with the yellow key marking middle C
Egyptian Alexandria Jewish choir of Rabbin Moshe Cohen at Samuel Menashe synagogue, Alexandria, Egypt
The boychoir Cantores Minores in the Helsinki Cathedral in 2013
Lambrook School choir in the 1960s, a typical boys' school choir of the time
One possible layout
Choir in front of the orchestra
Relief, now in Athens, showing Dionysus with actresses (possibly from The Bacchae) carrying masks and drums
Church singing, Tacuinum Sanitatis Casanatensis (14th century)
Luca della Robbia's Cantoria, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence
Baroque cantata with one voice per part

In 4-part voice leading alto is the second highest part, sung in choruses by either low women's or high men's voices.

- Alto

Adult mixed choir (with male and female voices). This is perhaps the most common and dominant type, usually consisting of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices, often abbreviated as SATB. Often one or more voices is divided into two, e.g., SSAATTBB, where each voice is divided into two parts, and SATBSATB, where the choir is divided into two semi-independent four-part choirs. Occasionally baritone voice is also used (e.g., SATBarB), often sung by the higher basses. In smaller choirs with fewer men, SAB, or Soprano, Alto, and Baritone arrangements allow the few men to share the role of both the tenor and bass in a single part.

- Choir
Evensong rehearsal in the quire of York Minster, showing carved choirstalls

3 related topics with Alpha

Overall
The general vocal range of an adult female soprano is C4–C6 (highlighted), with notes unreachable by an average Treble marked in red (B5–C6).

Boy soprano

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Young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range, a range that is often still called the treble voice range (in North America too) when talking about children.

Young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range, a range that is often still called the treble voice range (in North America too) when talking about children.

The general vocal range of an adult female soprano is C4–C6 (highlighted), with notes unreachable by an average Treble marked in red (B5–C6).

The term "treble" derives from the Latin triplum, used in 13th and 14th century motets to indicate the third and highest range, which was sung above the tenor part (which carried the tune) and the alto part.

Early breaking of boys' voices due to puberty becoming earlier in recent times is causing a serious problem for choirmasters.

Soprano vocal range (C4–C6) notated on the treble staff and on piano keyboard in green with dot marking middle C

Soprano

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Type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types.

Type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types.

Soprano vocal range (C4–C6) notated on the treble staff and on piano keyboard in green with dot marking middle C

The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880 Hz in choral music, or to "soprano C" (C6, two octaves above middle C) = 1046 Hz or higher in operatic music.

In SATB four-part mixed chorus, the soprano is the highest vocal range, above the alto, tenor, and bass.

Vocal fold, scheme

Falsetto

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Vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave.

Vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave.

Vocal fold, scheme
Glottal cycle, falsetto

The falsetto register is used by male countertenors to sing in the alto and occasionally the soprano range and was the standard before women sang in choirs.