Con*tral"to (? or &?;), n. [It., fr. contra + alto. See Alto.] (Mus.) (a) The part sung by the highest male or lowest female voices; the alto or counter tenor. (b) the voice or singer performing this part; as, her voice is a contralto; she is a contralto.

&fist; The usual range of the contralto voice is from G, below middle C, to the C above that; though exceptionally it embraces two octaves.

Con*tral"to (? or &?;), a. (Mus.) Of or pertaining to a contralto, or to the part in music called contralto; as, a contralto voice.

• (music) the lowest female voice or voice part, higher than tenor and lower than soprano. The terms contralto and alto refer to a similar musical pitch, but among singers, the term contralto is reserved for female singers; the equivalent male form is counter-tenor. Originally the contratenor altus was a high countermelody sung against the tenor or main melody.