The mezzo-soprano range in notes and hertz
| Lowest note | A3 · 220.0 Hz |
|---|---|
| Highest note | A5 · 880.0 Hz |
| Span | 24 semitones · 2 octaves |
| Middle C (C4) is | 3 semitones above the bottom, 21 below the top |
Notes are in scientific pitch notation, where C4 is middle C, and the frequencies are at A4 = 440 Hz. Press the keys above to hear any of them, then check your own pitch against the voice tuner.
Where the mezzo-soprano sits
Below it is the alto (F3 – F5), starting 4 semitones lower; the two share 20 of their 24 semitones. Above it is the soprano (C4 – C6), 3 semitones higher, with 21 semitones in common. That overlap is the reason a range on its own cannot say which of two neighbouring types a voice is.
Music written for the mezzo-soprano
“Mezzo” is Italian for “half”. Opera gives the mezzo its seductresses, rivals and — in the “trouser roles” — its teenage boys: Bizet’s Carmen, Dalila in Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila, Amneris in Verdi’s Aida, and Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. Rossini wrote Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia and the title role of La Cenerentola for an agile low female voice — parts sung today by the coloratura mezzo.
The mezzo’s range is close to the soprano’s; what differs is where the voice is at its richest, which is lower — around and just above middle C, where a soprano’s voice is still warming into its range.
The mezzo-soprano in a choir
There is no mezzo line in standard four-part writing, so mezzos divide by comfort: those with an easy top sing second soprano, the rest sing alto — and make up most of a typical alto section.
Is this your range? The vocal range test listens for your lowest and highest notes and shows how they compare with the typical mezzo-soprano range.
Take the vocal range testSongs in a typical mezzo-soprano range
A voice can sing a tune in any key, so the useful question is which key. These are the keys that put each tune in the middle of the typical mezzo-soprano range, with room to spare above and below — worked out from the melodies in our public-domain song library. Other keys fit too; this is the one with the most headroom at both ends.
| Song | Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amazing Grace | A♭ major (4 semitones lower than written) | D♯4 – D♯5 |
| Auld Lang Syne | G major (5 semitones lower than written) | D4 – E5 |
| Happy Birthday | A♭ major (4 semitones lower than written) | D♯4 – D♯5 |
| Ode to Joy | F major (5 semitones higher than written) | F4 – C5 |
| Silent Night | C major (as written) | C4 – F5 |
| Twinkle Twinkle Little Star | E major (4 semitones higher than written) | E4 – C♯5 |
| Joy to the World | E♭ major (3 semitones higher than written) | D♯4 – D♯5 |
| O Holy Night | D♭ major (1 semitone higher than written) | C♯4 – F5 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the mezzo-soprano vocal range?
The typical mezzo-soprano range runs from A3 to A5 — 2 octaves, or 220.0 Hz to 880.0 Hz at standard concert pitch. It is a description of where most mezzo-soprano voices lie rather than a requirement: individual singers reach notes above and below it.
Am I a mezzo-soprano or a soprano?
The typical ranges are three semitones apart, and plenty of mezzos can sing a soprano’s top notes. The difference is tessitura: a soprano can stay near the top of the stave for a whole piece without tiring, while a mezzo’s strongest, most comfortable notes sit a third or so lower. A range test cannot hear that — a teacher can.
Is mezzo-soprano the most common female voice?
Yes, in the sense that most women’s voices sit in the middle rather than at either extreme, just as most men’s are baritones. Many singers who call themselves altos or sopranos because of the part they sing in a choir are mezzos.
How do I know if I am a mezzo-soprano?
Start by measuring your range: if it sits around A3 – A5, mezzo-soprano is a reasonable first guess. But range alone does not decide it — the neighbouring types share most of the same notes. What settles it is where your voice is strongest and most comfortable (its tessitura), its timbre, and where it changes register, and those are judged by a teacher listening, not by a test.
The other voice types
- Bass Vocal Range — E2 – E4
- Baritone Vocal Range — A2 – A4
- Tenor Vocal Range — C3 – C5
- Alto Vocal Range — F3 – F5
- Soprano Vocal Range — C4 – C6
- All six on one chart