(Lat.: ‘high’).
A voice designation that originated in the mid-15th century as an abbreviation of Contratenor altus. In the early 16th century ‘altus’ and ‘contratenor’ were used interchangeably as designations for a voice lying below the superius (or cantus) and overlapping, more or less, with the tenor. As inner voices became more clearly stratified in range ‘altus’ (or ‘alto’) became the more common term, and during the second half of the 16th century ‘contratenor’ fell into disuse on the Continent. In England the terms ‘contra’ and ‘countertenor’ persisted well into the 17th century. Since World War II the term ‘countertenor’ has been revived in England to designate adult male voices in the alto range, but elsewhere the term ‘altus’ is often preferred.
See also Alto (i); Contralto; Haute-contre.
OWEN JANDER