The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: altus), refers to the second highest part of a contrapuntal musical texture and is also applied to its associated vocal range, especially in choral music. More rarely it describes the highest male solo voice type (usually designated countertenor), and it is also the root word of contralto, the lowest standard female voice type. When designating instruments, "alto" likewise can refer either to the corresponding vocal range (alto flute & alto trombone, respectively the lowest and highest common instruments of their families) or to musical role (treble or alto recorder and alto clarinet, with ranges of F4-F6 and G2-B♭5).

Etymology[link]

In choral music for mixed voices, "alto" describes the lowest part commonly sung by women. The explanation for the anomaly of this name is to be found not in the use of adult falsettists in choirs of men and boys but further back in innovations in composition during the mid-15th century. Before this time it was usual to write a melodic cantus or superius against a tenor (from Latin tenere, to hold) or 'held' part, to which might be added a contratenor, which was in counterpoint with (in other words, against = contra) the tenor. The composers of Ockeghem's generation wrote two contratenor parts and designated them as contratenor altus and contratenor bassus; they were respectively higher and lower than the tenor part. From these derive both the modern terms "alto" (and contralto) and "bass".

Description[link]

The alto range in choral music is approximately from G3 (the G below middle C) to F5 (the F in the second octave above middle C). In common usage, alto is used to describe the voice type that typically sings this part, though this is not strictly correct: alto, like the other three standard modern choral voice classifications (soprano, tenor and bass) was originally intended to describe a part within a homophonic or polyphonic texture, rather than an individual voice type;^[1] neither are the terms alto and contralto interchangeable or synonymous, though they are often treated as such. Although some women who sing alto in a choir are contraltos, many would be more accurately called mezzo-sopranos (a voice of somewhat higher range and different timbre), and many male countertenors (this latter term is a source of considerable controversy, some authorities preferring the usage of the term "male alto" for those countertenors who use a predominantly falsetto voice production). The contralto voice is a matter of vocal timbre and tessitura as well as range, and a classically-trained solo contralto would usually have a range greater than that of a normal choral alto part in both the upper and lower ranges. However, the vocal tessitura of a classically trained contralto would still make these singers more comfortable singing in the lower part of the voice. A choral non-solo contralto may also have a low range down to D3 (thus perhaps finding it easier to sing the choral tenor part), but some would have difficulty singing above E5. In a choral context mezzo-sopranos and contraltos might sing the alto part, together with countertenors, thus having three vocal timbres (and two means of vocal production) singing the same notes.^[2]

Alto is rarely used to describe a solo voice, though there is a multitude of terms in common usage in various languages and in different cultures for solo singers in this range. Examples include contralto, countertenor, haute-contre, and tenor altino among others.

The term "alto" is also used to designate a specific kind of musical clef. See alto clef.

See also[link]

• Fach, the German system for classifying voices
• Voice classification in non-classical music

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Appelman, D. Ralph (1986). The Science of Vocal Pedagogy: Theory and Application. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-20378-6. 
• Boldrey, Richard (1994). Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias. Caldwell Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-877761-64-5. 
• Coffin, Berton (1960). Coloratura, Lyric and Dramatic Soprano, Vol. 1. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.. ISBN 978-0-8108-0188-2. 
• Peckham, Anne (2005). Vocal Workouts for the Contemporary Singer. Berklee Press Publications. ISBN 978-0-87639-047-4. 
• Smith, Brenda (2005). Choral Pedagogy. Plural Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-1-59756-043-6. 
• Stark, James (2003). Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-8614-3. 

Cássia Eller
Background information
Birth name	Cássia Rejane Eller
Born	(1962-12-10)December 10, 1962 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died	December 29, 2001(2001-12-29) (aged 39) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Genres	Rock, alternative rock, punk rock, grunge, blues rock, MPB
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1990–2001

Cássia Rejane Eller (December 10, 1962 – December 29, 2001) was a Brazilian musician. She performed a fusion of rock and MPB.

Biography[link]

After spending most of her adolescence in Brasília, Eller dropped out of high school and returned to her birthplace of Rio de Janeiro, where she began a career as a recording artist. In 1990, she became an underground favorite with the release of her self-titled debut album, which contained the song "Rubens," an ambiguous love song that was censored by the authorities.^[1] Her follow-up release, 1992's E.C.T., has been called "a battle cry for sexual freedom."^[1]

Eller gave birth to a son, Francisco "Chicão" Eller, in 1993. That same year, she went public with her long-term relationship with Maria Eugênia Vieira Martins. She explained that she came out so that her son could grow up without hearing rumors about his mother.^[1] As one of Brazil's most prominent lesbian artists, Eller was sometimes called the "South American Melissa Etheridge."^[1]

In addition to her deep and husky singing voice, Eller became known for her brash public image, as she occasionally wore a mohawk and bared her breasts on television shows. She posed nude for the artwork of her breakout release, 1999's Com Você... Meu Mundo Ficaria Completo.^[1] The album went gold and earned Eller a Latin Grammy Award nomination for Best Brazilian Rock Album. She received another Latin Grammy Award nomination for her cover of "O Segundo Sol," originally by Nando Reis. The song was included on her 2001 album Acustico MTV, a live recording for MTV Brasil similar to MTV Unplugged, which was also certified gold.^[1]

Eller died at the age of 39 on December 29, 2001. She was admitted to a Rio de Janeiro hospital in a disoriented and agitated state, during which she suffered a series of heart attacks; a police investigation concluded that these were due to a heart condition rather than drug use.^[2] Custody of Eller's young son, Francisco, was assumed by her partner of 14 years, Eugênia, after an almost one-year legal battle against the child's grandfather, Altair Eller.^[3]

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Cássia Eller (1990)
• O Marginal (1992)
• Cássia Eller (1994)
• Veneno AntiMonotonia (1997)
• Com Você... Meu Mundo Ficaria Completo (1999)
• Dez de Dezembro (2002)

Live albums

• Cássia Eller ao Vivo (1996)
• Veneno Vivo (1998)
• Cássia Rock Eller (2000)
• Acústico MTV (2001)

Compilation albums

• Minha História (1997)
• Música Urbana (1997)
• Millennium (1998)
• Série Gold (2002)
• Participação Especial (2002)
• Perfil (2003)
• A Arte de Cássia Eller (2004)
• I Love MPB (2004)
• Novo Millennium (2005)
• Raridades (2008)

DVDs

• Com Você... Meu Mundo Ficaria Completo (2000)
• Acústico MTV (2001)
• Álbum MTV (2003)
• Cássia Eller ao Vivo no Rock in Rio (2006)

References[link]

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Jerry Rivera
Background information
Birth name	Geraldo Rivera Rodríguez
Born	(1973-07-31) July 31, 1973 (age 38) Humacao, Puerto Rico
Genres	Salsa, Latin pop
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Sony Discos (1989-2005), EMI Latin (2007), Venemusic (2011-present)
Website	http://www.jerryrivera.com/

Jerry Rivera (born July 31, 1973), is a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award-nominated Puerto Rican salsa singer.

Early years[link]

Rivera, born Geraldo Rivera Rodríguez in Humacao, Puerto Rico on the eastern coast of Puerto Rico, moved with his family as a baby to Levittown, near the town of Toa Baja, where he received his primary and secondary education. His entire family consists of musicians, including tropical recording artists Edwin Rivera and younger sister Saned. Two other brothers, Ito and Jose, are professional instrumental musicians.^[1] His parents, also musicians, inspired him to become a musician and as a child he would often accompany his mother Dominga, a singer, and father Edwin, a guitarist and director of Los Barones Trio, during their shows.

In 1986, when he was 13 years old, he accompanied his father who was performing at a hotel in Isla Verde, San Juan. Frankie Ruiz, who was a guest at the hotel, appeared and sang a couple of songs with them and had his picture taken alongside Rivera. In 2003, this picture was used by Rivera to make the album cover for his tribute Canto a mi Idolo... Frankie Ruiz ('I sing to my Idol... Frankie Ruiz'), who had died in 1998.^[2]

Singing career[link]

In 1988, Tommy Olivencia heard Rivera sing alongside his father and recommended that he sing solo. When Rivera was 14, his father made a demo and presented it to the CBS music department. They signed Rivera.^[3]

Rivera began to be known as "El Bebé de la Salsa" (the baby of salsa) after recording his first album, Empezando A Vivir, . This project generated the hit, De La Cabeza A Los Pies ("Head Over Heels"). His second album, Abriendo Puertas ('Opening Doors'), produced the hit songs Esa Niña ('That Girl'), Dime ('Tell Me'), Nada Sin Ti ('Nothing Without You'), and Como un Milagro ('Like a Miracle') became number one hits first in Puerto Rico, then among the Hispanic populations in the United States and finally across Latin America.

His third album, Cuenta Conmigo ('Count on Me'), won three Platinum Record awards in the United States, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Colombia. It became the most-sold salsa album in history, a record previously held by Willie Colón,^[4] and held the number-one spot in the Latin American Billboards for three consecutive months. Its hit songs included the Cuenta Conmigo, Me Estoy Enamorando ('I'm Falling in Love') and Casi Un Hechizo (Neary A Charm). The number one hit for the album was Amores Como El Nuestro (Love like ours) which is considered to be the best song by Rivera. Rivera was awarded two Premio Lo Nuestro Awards for "Singer of the Year" and "Album of the Year" and Sony Records presented him with three Crystal Awards.^[3]

The introduction of Amores Como El Nuestro was sampled by Haitian-rapper Wyclef Jean in his 2004 song "Dance Like This" from the soundtrack of Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights which would later become the worldwide number-one 2006 hit "Hips Don't Lie" by Wyclef and Colombian-singer Shakira. However, in the case of Shakira, she was accused of plagiarism since she made the recording without Riveras consent.^[5] The introduction of "Amores Como El Nuestro" can be heard on MTV's animated series Daria episode "Fair Enough' of its second season.

In 1993, he released Cara de Niño ('Baby Face') with ¿Qué Hay De Malo? ('What's Wrong About This?'), Cara de Niño, No Hieras Mi Vida as being major hits of the year. In 1994, as his popularity was rising, he released his first compilation album, Lo Nuevo y lo Mejor (The New and the Best), and contained the single hit Me Estoy Enloqueciendo Por Ti ('I'm Going Crazy For You'). The following year, "Magia" was released with the self-titled album and Ahora Estoy Solo (Now That I'm Alone) In 1996, Rivera released "Fresco" and Una y Mil Veces (One Thousand and One Times) and Lloraré (I Will Cry) were the album hits. Ya No Soy El Niño Aquel was released in 1997. In 1999, Rivera recorded De Otra Manera ('Another Way'), his first attempt at ballad music, which featured the bolero Ese (Him). Jerry sang the song with his father at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan.^[3]

In 2000, Rivera recorded Para Siempre ('Forever'). This was his last album on Sony Latin records.^[3] In 2001, he released his self-titled album Jerry Rivera and the year after, he recorded Vuela Muy Alto (Fly High) which brought him a new fanbase all over Latin-America and the U.S., with the title track hit the top spot and the top 10 in many charts along with Herida Mortal (Mortal Wound). The following year he returned to his salsa roots and released Cantando A Mi Idolo... Frankie Ruiz ('Singing To My Idol... Frankie Ruiz'), a tribute album to one of his idol Frankie Ruiz. The album ganer him a Latin Grammy nomination, made up for the poor sales of his previous ballad albums, and his major album hit was Ruiz's Mi Libertad featuring Voltio.

Rivera played a small role in the movie I Like It Like That and appeared as himself in a Latin American soap opera titled Mi destino eres tu ('You are my destiny') which aired on Univision in the US during November 2005. Rivera has also appeared in various Banco Popular de Puerto Rico productions, including Al Compas de un Sentimiento (dedicated to the late Puerto Rican composer Pedro Flores) and Con la musica por Dentro. The same year, he released Ay Mi Vida (Oh My Life) which had received mixed reviews.^[3] In 2007, he released Caribe Gardel, a tribute to Argentine singer, Carlos Gardel with Gardel's Cuesta Abajo (Downhill) being one the major salsa hits of the year. In 2011, he released El Amor Existe, with Solo Pienso En Ti being one of the major salsa hits of 2011.

Rivera has performed in Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras, Panama, the United States, Spain, Ecuador, Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Sweden, France, and Japan.

In 2011 he was one of the four judges for Idol Puerto Rico. (The Puerto Rican Version of American Idol).

Discography[link]

External audio
	You may listen to Jerry Rivera's Cuenta Conmigo here.

Albums[link]

• Empezando a Vivir ('Beginning to Live') (Released: 1989) Sony Music
• Abriendo Puertas ('Opening Doors') (Released: 1990)
• Cuenta Conmigo ('Count On Me') (Released: 1992)
• Cara de Niño ('Baby Face') (Released: 1993)
• Jerry Rivera: Lo Nuevo y Lo Mejor ('Jerry Rivera: The New and the Best') (1994)
• Magia ('Magic') (Released: 1995)
• Fresco ('Fresh') (Released: 1996)
• Ya No Soy El Niño Aquel ('I'm Not That Child Anymore') (Released: 1997)
• De Otra Manera ('In Other Ways') (Released: 1998)
• Oro Salsero ('Salsa Gold') (Released: 2000)
• Historia 1 ('History 1') (Released: 2000)
• Para Siempre ('Forever') (Released: 2000)
• Rivera ('Rivera') (Released: 2001) 'also available in box set' BMG
• No Me Olvidarás ('You Won't Forget Me') (Released: 2001)
• Vuela Muy Alto ('Fly Very High') (Released: 2002)
• Cantando A Mi Ídolo... Frankie Ruiz ('Singing To My Idol... Frankie Ruiz') (Released: 2003)
• Ay Mi Vida ('Oh My Life') (Released: 2005) Sony BMG
• Caribe Gardel (Released: 2007) EMI Music
• El Amor Existe ('Love Exists') (Released: 2011) VeneMusic

Singles[link]

See also[link]

	Puerto Rico portal
	Biography portal

• List of famous Puerto Ricans

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jerry Rivera

• Jerry Rivera at the Music of Puerto Rico website
• Jerry Rivera's Official Website

Vinicio Capossela

Vinicio Capossela (born 14 December 1965) is an Italian singer-songwriter. His style is strongly influenced by US singer and songwriter Tom Waits (Capossela repeatedly recorded his songs with the help of Waits' guitarist, Marc Ribot), though it also draws from the traditions of Italian folk music (especially those of Irpinia, the part of Campania where his family moved from in the 1950s). Capossela's lyrics are highly original and are often inspired by literary sources such as John Fante, Geoffrey Chaucer, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and others.

Capossela was born in Hannover (Germany) from Italian parents, moved very early to Emilia Romagna. He has lived in Milan since 1987.

Discography[link]

• All'una e trentacinque circa - 1990
• Modì - 1991
• Camera a sud - 1994
• Il ballo di San Vito - 1996
• Liveinvolvo - 1998 - (Live Album)
• Canzoni a manovella - 2000
• L'indispensabile - 2003
• Ovunque proteggi - 2006
• Nel niente sotto il sole - Grand tour 2006 - 2007 - (Live Album)
• Da solo - 2008 - (ITA Platinum 90,000+)
• Solo Show Alive - 2009 - (Live Album)
• The Story-Faced Man - 2010
• La nave sta arrivando - 2011 - (EP)
• Marinai, profeti e balene - 2011

Bibliography[link]

Books by Vinicio Capossela[link]

• Vinicio Capossela, Non si muore tutte le mattine, ISBN 88-07-01647-8, Feltrinelli, Milan (2004)
• Vinicio Capossela, Vincenzo Costantino Cinaski, In clandestinità, ISBN 978-88-07-01785-8, Feltrinelli, Milan (2009)

Books about Vinicio Capossela[link]

• Elisabetta Cucco, Vinicio Capossela. Rabdomante senza requie, ISBN 88-86784-31-7, Auditorium, Milan (2005)
• Vincenzo Mollica, Niente canzoni d'amore + DVD Parole e canzoni, ISBN 88-06-18668-X, Einaudi, Turin (2006)
• Massimo Padalino, Il ballo di San Vinicio, ISBN 978-88-6231-083-3, Arcana (2009)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vinicio Capossela

• Official Site