soprano (from It. sopra, ‘above’).
1. The highest register of female (or artificial male) v. A boy sop. is known as a treble. Normal female range is from middle C upwards for 2 octaves. The male sop. was a castrato, used in opera and church mus. in 17th and 18th cents. In the opera house, many sub-divisions of the term soprano exist, e.g. dramatic, lyric, coloratura, soubrette, character, etc.

2. Sop. clef is obsolete clef, with middle C on bottom line of staff.

3. The term is also used for high instr. register, e.g. soprano cornet, soprano sax. (See also sopranino.)

See also mezzo-soprano.

so·pran·o / səˈpranō/ • n. (pl. -pran·os) the highest of the four standard singing voices: a piece composed for soprano, flute, and continuo | [as adj.] a good soprano voice. ∎  a female or boy singer with such a voice. ∎  a part written for such a voice. ∎  [usu. as adj.] an instrument of a high or the highest pitch in its family: a soprano saxophone.

soprano Highest singing range of the human voice. The normal range may be given as two octaves upwards from middle C, although exceptional voices may reach notes considerably higher. Sopranos have always been important in opera, with various types of soprano (dramatic, lyric, or coloratura) taking different types of roles.

soprano XVIII. — It., f. sopra above
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