(It.).
A term first used in the 19th century to describe a voice with affinities to both the mezzo-soprano and the contralto. Singers to whom it has been applied include Maria Malibran and Rosine Stoltz. The term is little used today, but it could usefully be applied to the voices of such mezzo-sopranos as Marilyn Horne or Cecilia Bartoli to distinguish them from the lighter and higher Mezzo-soprano.
See also Contralto.
ELLEN T. HARRIS