Editing Mezzo-soprano (section)

== Vocal range ==
[[File:Mezzo-soprano voice range on keyboard.svg|thumb|400px|Mezzo-soprano vocal range (A<sub>3</sub>–A<sub>5</sub>) notated on the [[treble clef|treble]] [[staff (music)|staff]] and on piano keyboard in green with dot marking middle C (C<sub>4</sub>).]]
{| align=right
|<score>{ \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } a4 a''4 }</score>
|}
The [[vocal range]] of the mezzo-sopranos lies between the [[soprano]] and the [[contralto]] [[voice type]]s. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a heavier, darker tone than sopranos. The mezzo-soprano voice resonates in a higher range than that of a contralto. The terms ''[[Louise-Rosalie Lefebvre|Dugazon]]'' and ''[[Célestine Galli-Marié|Galli-Marié]]'' are sometimes used to refer to light mezzo-sopranos, after the names of famous singers. Usually men singing within the female range are called [[countertenor]]s since there is a lighter more breathy tonal (falsetto) quality difference.<ref name=Stark>{{cite book
|title= Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy
|last= Stark
|first= James
|year= 2003
|publisher= University of Toronto Press
|isbn= 978-0-8020-8614-3}}</ref> In current operatic practice, female singers with very low [[tessitura]]s are often included among mezzo-sopranos, because singers in both ranges are able to cover the other, and true operatic contraltos are very rare.<ref name=Appelman />