male alto
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of male alto
First recorded in 1875–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Monteverdi, Bach, Handel, and especially Henry Purcell, himself a countertenor, composed a wealth of lute songs, folk ballads, cantatas, hymns, operas, madrigals and carols for the male alto.
From Time Magazine Archive
To further befuddle historians, Handel was continually juggling arias to fit whatever boy soprano, male alto or countertenor happened along.
From Time Magazine Archive
Gluck's only concession to current fashion: the use of a male alto for the name part.*
From Time Magazine Archive
By the end of the 19th century the voice type had all but vanished; on the rare occasions when baroque operas were staged, the male alto roles were typically taken over by women in drag.
From Time Magazine Archive
The dilemma is that in parish churches, especially in country places, the adult male alto is not to be had, and the choice is between boy altos, and no altos at all.
From The Boy's Voice A Book of Practical Information on The Training of Boys' Voices For Church Choirs, &c. by Curwen, John Spencer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
