alto clef

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noun Music.

a sign locating middle C on the third line of the staff.

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Also called viola clef.

Origin of alto clef

First recorded in 1875–80

Words nearby alto clef

altitudinal, Alt key, alt-left, Altman, alto, alto clef, altocumulus, alto flute, altogether, alto horn, altoist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use alto clef in a sentence

When Cosby looked up, he saw that Sonny Stitt, the famed alto sax player, had joined the bandstand.
Why Comedians Still Think Bill Cosby Is a Genius|Mark Whitaker|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She found an out-of-network doctor in Palo Alto who would do the surgery about a month later.
Obamacare Now Pays for Gender Reassignment|Kaiser Health News|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rare is the roman à clef where you think you can identify every single real person in it.
Newsweek Takedown From Beyond the Grave: Michael Hastings’s Fiction Tells the Truth|Christopher Dickey|June 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Eventually Franco took an acting job so his production company could put his salary into Palo Alto.
The Next Great Coppola|Caryn James|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

For this role, Mueller, who earned a Tony nomination for her turn in On a Clear Day, ironed the vibrato out of her Broadway alto.
‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ Review: A Few Discordant Notes, But Damn Great Songs|Daniel Gross|January 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"But you see it was just this way," explained the pleasant little voice—all alto notes again.
Molly Make-Believe|Eleanor Hallowell Abbott
"It's only Molly," explained an undeniably sweet little alto voice.
Molly Make-Believe|Eleanor Hallowell Abbott
For the burial of a rich person (entierro alto) the sum of two hundred dollars is frequently paid.
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests|J. J. von Tschudi
Truth and sincerity staring out upon you perpetually in alto relievo.
Notes & Queries, No. 53. Saturday, November 2, 1850|Various
Voltaire describes his hero “qui tient sous la clef, la vertu de sa femme.”
The Swastika|Thomas Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for alto clef

alto clef

noun

the clef that establishes middle C as being on the third line of the staffAlso called: viola clef See also C clef

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012