Mezzo soprano biography

Type of classical female singing voice

For other uses, see Mezzo soprano (disambiguation).

A mezzo-soprano (Italian:[ˌmɛddzosoˈpraːno], lit. 'half soprano'), or mezzo (MET-soh), is a type of classical female singingvoice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contraltovoice types.

The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above (i.e. A₃–A₅ in scientific pitch notation, where middle C = C₄; 220–880 Hz). In the lower and upper extremes, some mezzo-sopranos may extend down to the F below middle C (F₃, 175 Hz) and as high as "high C" (C₆, 1047 Hz).^[1] The mezzo-soprano voice type is generally divided into the coloratura, lyric, and dramatic.

History

While mezzo-sopranos typically sing secondary roles in operas, notable exceptions include the title role in Bizet's Carmen, Angelina (Cinderella) in Rossini's La Cenerentola, and Rosina in Rossin