There are lyric, coloratura, and dramatic contraltos. Some will also use the term "middle weight" (ex: www.contraltocorner.com/types-of-contraltos.html ). As far as I know, lyric contraltos will tend to have feminine voices reminiscent of the mezzo-soprano. According to David L. Jones, the main characteristics of the contralto voice are: (1) a full chest register with a dark smokey colour (2) a chest register that moves quite high in pitch, sometimes as far as up to the F-sharp (lowest space on the staff), (3) a head voice that needs a lot of ‘u’ vowel in the pharynx to sustain strength and solidity, (4) a lower tessitura, (5) the desire to only go up and touch a high note occasionally and (6) a short middle range, often involving only about 1 step in range, and (7) a slight weakness in vocal fold approximation at the G or F-sharp in the lower middle register.
What makes you say that? I can sing quit low, but I’m always doubting if a am a contralto, so I’m trying to figure out the difference between a low mezzo and contralto. :)
I agree with the others, she's a mezzo. Her voice had much more color when she went higher. If you want to hear a dramatic contralto, listen to Diana Ankudinova - Can't Help Falling in Love.
No more lying friends Wanting tragic ends Though they do pretend They won't go when I go All those bleeding hearts With sorrows to impart Right here from the start They won't go when I go And I'll go where I've longed To go so long Away from tears Ah, ah, ah, ah, oh, oh, oh Gone from painful cries Away from saddened eyes Along with him I'll bide And they won't go when I go Oh, ah, oh, ah, oh, oh Big men feeling small Weak ones standing tall And I will watch them fall They won't go when I go And I'll go where I've longed To go so long Away from tears Unclean minds mislead the pure The innocent will leave for sure For them there is a resting place People sinning just for fun They will never see the sun For they can never show their faces There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner Who will take more than he will give He'll give, he'll give He ain't hardly gonna give, oh yeah The greed of man will be Far away from me My soul will be free They won't go when I go Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Since my soul conceived All that I believe The kingdom I will see They won't go when I go And I'll go Where I'll go, no one can keep me from my destiny, yeah Перевести на русский
Annie Lennox Is the nearest to contralto, maybe also Karen Carpenter. I don't know anything about Anita Baker and Patsy cline but I think Lalah Hathaway is a mezzo
I dont think shes a contralto. Her ease on the 4th octave makes me believe her first passagio probably isnt on the 4th octave anyway, contraltos start struggling if they dont mix past G4. Her voice is also light
@@glowrain756 I see your point. I'm just thinking that no contralto can be so light and feminine that low. That's why it doesn't even sound that low, her voice is too light. But if I turn out to be wrong, I'm OK with it.
