Altos Need Attitude (Sometimes)

 You love to sing. You can belt out a solo tune a la Liza Minelli or Lena Horne & blend with the choir equally well. You passed your sight-reading test with flying colors. You've nailed the entire score - memorized it, even! - long before the required date. Your phrasing is impeccable. You work to engage the audience during each performance.

So why do you sometimes feel like vocal wallpaper?

The straight-up definition of Alto as understood by modern singers might be lower-range women's part, approximately G3 to F5, which includes Mezzo-Soprano and Contralto voices. In my experience, however, the real definition could include any of the following:

•  The drone line in the standard 19th C. harmonization of hymn tunes. D-D-D-E-C-D-F-D. Or some variation thereof.  It's the line that makes you think of the composer or arranger, "Why did he hate us so much?"
• Backdrop for flashy vocal pyrotechnics by Soprano, Tenor or Bass soloists. 
• Choral bridesmaids. It's  like a variation on the old bridesmaid joke - Q:  Why are bridesmaids' dresses often so ugly?  A: To help create the illusion of a beautiful bride. In other words, making everyone else look good.
• The section in which the overworked volunteer church choir director places any woman who can read music, no matter her vocal range or color.

And so forth. In a sense, Alto isn't simply a vocal range or choral part, it's often a way of singing, performing or even being. In all my large-choir experiences, starting in high school, I was part of the group that was most often encouraged to blend in, make the melody line sound good, and not be too noticeable. Maybe it wasn't an accident that in my high school choir the geeky, shy, brainy or loner girls were altos.

But if we Altos stick with singing long enough, somewhere along the line many of us get tired of remaining quietly in the background. When you know that your musicianship and skill levels are on par with your choir's usual Soprano or Tenor soloists but you never get a chance to shine, you may have trouble staying motivated.

I hope to offer a better picture here. This blog will feature profiles of well-known singers, both in the classical and popular worlds, who could be considered Altos. I'll be hunting down music that's friendly to us A-ladies. I'll seek out tips on ways to find or create opportunities for solo or small group work, either within a larger chorus or on your own. And I'll post links to recordings and videos. Along the way, I hope you'll decide that you're an Alto with Attitude and you're ready to take a share of the spotlight.

About me: My dad was a choir director (not his day job) and I've sung in choirs large and small since I was 7 & in Sunday School. I've been an Alto, Sop. II and a "floater." Throughout this musical odyssey I've joined fellow choristers in singing most of the standards, including the B-Minor Mass, Messiah, various requiems, and Carmina Burana. For 7 years I played and sung in an SCA-affiliated early (Medieval & Renaissance) music group. For the last 12 years I've been fortunate to sing with a local madrigal group of 10-16 singers.

Here are several renderings of Alto's Lament:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HABEHXu40fw 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnlyWGLq-Yc 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSoR4zpWeyk 

And here's a link to the lyrics.