In music, SSAA is an initialism referring to a choir composed of two distinct
Soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
(S) sections and two distinct
Alto
The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...
(A) sections. In an SSAA choir, First Sopranos sing the highest musical line, followed by Second Sopranos, First Altos, and Second Altos on the lowest line. First sopranos typically have the melody, with second sopranos and altos in harmonies.
Women's choirs frequently sing a mixture of
SSA and SSAA songs, and in order to create optimal balance, voices may be divided differently in an SSAA arrangement. Some
mezzo-sopranos
A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C to the A two oc ...
will sing the First Alto line. SSA is the more common arrangement by volume of music available.
See also
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Choir
A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
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Boys' choir
A boys' choir is a one made up of boys who have yet to begin (or are just in the early stages of) puberty and so retain their high-pitched childhood voice. Members are known as trebles ("boy sopranos") or meanes ("boy altos"), depending on their ...
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Girls' choir
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Women's choir
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SATB
In music, SATB is a scoring of compositions for choirs or consorts of instruments consisting of four voice types: soprano, alto, tenor and bass.
Choral music
Four-part harmony using soprano, alto, tenor and bass is a common scoring in classic ...
References
Choirs
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