A voice type is a name for how high or low a person sings. Choirs use four: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Opera uses six, and it adds a few special ones. Children’s voices have their own name, treble. This page explains each one and gives a piece for hearing it.
The four choir voices
| Voice | How high | Who sings it |
|---|---|---|
| Soprano | The highest part | Women, girls, and boys whose voices have not changed |
| Alto | The lower of the two high parts | Women, girls, boys whose voices have not changed, and some men |
| Tenor | The higher of the two low parts | Men and older boys |
| Bass | The lowest part | Men and older boys |
Choir music is often labeled SATB, for the first letter of each part. A piece for high voices only may be labeled SSA: two soprano parts and one alto part.
Children’s voices
Before the teenage years, boys and girls sing in the same high range. These are treble voices.
In a children’s choir, “soprano” and “alto” are the names of the parts on the page. They are not fixed labels for the singers. A child may sing soprano this year and alto the next. Read children’s choirs: how they work and how to join one.
The six opera voices
Opera sorts solo singers with more care, since each role is written for one kind of voice.
| Voice | What it is | A role to know |
|---|---|---|
| Soprano | Highest female voice | Pamina in The Magic Flute |
| Mezzo-soprano | Lower female voice | Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, a boy played by a woman |
| Contralto | Lowest female voice, and a rare one | The alto solos in Handel’s Messiah, in some performances |
| Tenor | Highest common male voice | Tamino in The Magic Flute |
| Baritone | Middle male voice | Papageno in The Magic Flute |
| Bass | Lowest male voice | Sarastro in The Magic Flute |
Two more names come up:
- Countertenor. A man who sings in the alto range.
- Treble. A child with a high, unchanged voice. The three boys in The Magic Flute are often sung by trebles.
Read opera for kids.
Pieces for hearing each voice
- Soprano: the Queen of the Night’s second aria, from Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Her voice jumps to a high F, more than two octaves above middle C.
- Bass: “O Isis und Osiris,” from the same opera. Sarastro sings down to a low F, more than an octave below middle C. Play it straight after the Queen.
- Baritone: Papageno’s bird catcher song, from the same opera. A warm voice in the middle.
- Tenor: “Ev’ry valley shall be exalted,” from Handel’s Messiah. The tune climbs on the word “exalted.”
- Soprano and mezzo-soprano together: the Evening Prayer, from Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. Gretel sings the upper line and Hansel the lower.
- Treble: the solo that opens “Once in Royal David’s City” at the Christmas Eve carol service at King’s College, Cambridge. One boy sings the first verse alone.
- All four choir parts: the Hallelujah Chorus, from Messiah. At the words “And he shall reign,” the parts come in one at a time, from the basses up to the sopranos.
Read The Magic Flute for kids, Hansel and Gretel for kids, and the Hallelujah Chorus explained.
Why voices are high or low
Sound starts at the vocal folds, two small bands in the throat. They vibrate when air passes between them.
- Longer, thicker folds make lower notes.
- Shorter, thinner folds make higher notes.
At puberty, the voice box grows. A boy’s voice drops by about an octave. A girl’s voice drops a little.
When is a voice type settled?
Not in childhood. A teacher names a voice type after the voice has changed, and the voice can keep changing for years after that. A 12-year-old who sings alto in a choir is not “an alto” for life.
Games to play
- High or low? Play the Queen of the Night and then Sarastro. Ask which is higher, and what kind of character each might be.
- Name that voice. Play any song with a solo singer. Ask: is it a high or low voice? A man, a woman, or a child?
- Follow one part. Play the Hallelujah Chorus. At “And he shall reign,” raise a hand each time a new part comes in.
- Find your notes. At a piano, find the lowest note and the highest note your child can sing with ease. Do not push for more.
- Sing a round. “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” in two groups shows how parts fit together.
Words to know
- Range: the span from the lowest note to the highest note a voice can sing.
- Aria: a song for one singer in an opera.
- Chorus: a group of singers, or a piece they sing together.
- Duet: a piece for two singers.
- SATB: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.
For singing lessons, read voice lessons for kids: what age to start. For the instruments, read instruments of the orchestra for kids.
More from this guide
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.