altissimo

American  

[al-tis-uh-moh, ahl-tees-see-maw] / ælˈtɪs əˌmoʊ, ɑlˈtis siˌmɔ /

adjective

1. very high.

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noun

1. in altissimo, in the second octave above the treble staff.

altissimo British  

/ ælˈtɪsɪˌməʊ /

adjective

1. (of music) very high in pitch

2. of or relating to the octave commencing on the G lying an octave above the treble clef

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noun

1. in the octave commencing an octave above the treble clef

Etymology

Origin of altissimo

1810–20; < Italian: literally, highest, equivalent to alt ( o ) high + -issimo superlative suffix

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

altissimo

Ms. Aldana has a dry but limpid sound on tenor and an expressive command that stretches into an altissimo register.

From New York Times ● Mar. 9, 2016

There were free-improvised solos, altissimo saxophone squeals and loud, surging sections, but nothing became chaotic; a sense of space and order subsumed everything else.

From New York Times ● May 22, 2013

After her accidental discovery of C in altissimo, Soprano Sack perfected her coloratura.

From Time Magazine Archive

A young lady who forces her voice into altissimo, and a young gentleman who forces his mind into a receptacle for a chaos of crudities, are pretty much on a par.

From Gryll Grange by Peacock, Thomas Love

Here her voice soon became a great attraction owing to its extraordinary purity, force, and compass, which extended to G in altissimo.

From Garcia the Centenarian And His Times Being a Memoir of Manuel Garcia's Life and Labours for the Advancement of Music and Science by Mackinlay, M. (Malcolm) Sterling