Voice type C). In the lower and upper extremes some contralto voices can sing from D3 (the D below middle C) to B5 (the second B-flat above), one whole step short of the soprano "high C". Contralto tessitura: The contralto voice has the lowest tessitura of the female voices. Contralto subtypes: Contraltos are often broken down into three subcategories: coloratura contralto, lyric contralto, and dramatic contralto. A soprano sfogato is a contralto who has an extended high range reaching the soprano "high C". Countertenor range: The countertenor is the highest male voice. Many countertenor singers perform roles originally written for a castrato
Voice classification in non-classical music in opera classification systems many other factors are considered. Indeed, tessitura (where the voice feels most comfortable singing) and vocal timbre (the innate quality of sound to the voice) are more important factors than vocal range within opera categorization. Within opera there are several systems in use including the German Fach system, the Italian opera tradition, and French opera tradition. All of these approaches to voice classification use some of the same terminology which sometimes causes people to confuse them with each other. In the operatic systems there are six basic voice types and then several sub-types within each type.