By the numbers
Vocal ranges in art songs
Short answer
The median vocal line in 1,458 OpenScore Lieder songs runs from C♯4 up to F♯5, a span of 17 semitones (an octave and a fourth); the middle 80% of vocal lines span 12 to 20 semitones. Only 10.1% of songs keep their first vocal line within one octave (12 semitones or less), and 70% fit within 17 semitones. Voice type is named in only 285 of the 1,684 vocal lines, so the table by voice type rests on a small part of the corpus.
- C♯4 – F♯5the median song's lowest and highest vocal note
- 10.1%of songs stay within one octave (first vocal line)
- 285of 1,684 vocal lines name a voice type (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass)
Dataset: the vocal lines of 1,458 OpenScore Lieder songs (1,684 lines with at least 5 sung notes); pitch is the sounding pitch written in the score. These are the notes a song asks for, not the range of any singer, and the songs are mostly 19th-century art songs, not pop or opera.
The range by voice type
Where a part is named, sopranos are asked for D4 to F♯5 (median), altos B3 to D5, tenors E3 to G4 and basses G2 to D4. Lines with no voice-type name, which are most of the corpus, have the same medians as the soprano group: D4 to F♯5.
Pitch axis in scientific pitch notation (C4 = middle C). The bar spans the median lowest and the median highest note across the lines of that kind.
- Soprano91 lines D4 – F♯5
- Alto or contralto63 lines B3 – D5
- Tenor63 lines E3 – G4
- Baritone8 lines (very few) C3 – F4
- Bass60 lines G2 – D4
- Not labelled (“Voice”, “Singstimme”…)1,399 lines D4 – F♯5
- All vocal lines1,684 lines C♯4 – F♯5
Same numbers as a table
| Row | Lines | Lowest note: median (middle 80%) | Highest note: median (middle 80%) | Span in semitones: median (middle 80%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soprano | 91 | D4 (B3–F4) | F♯5 (D5–A5) | 16 (12–19) |
| Alto or contralto | 63 | B3 (A♭3–D4) | D5 (B♭4–F5) | 15 (10–19) |
| Tenor | 63 | E3 (C♯3–G3) | G4 (F4–A4) | 14 (11–18.8) |
| Baritone | 8 | C3 (A2–C♯3) | F4 (F4–F♯4) | 17.5 (16.1–19.9) |
| Bass | 60 | G2 (F2–B2) | D4 (B3–E♭4) | 18 (14–21) |
| Not labelled (“Voice”, “Singstimme”…) | 1,399 | D4 (B♭3–F4) | F♯5 (E♭5–A5) | 17 (12–20) |
| All vocal lines | 1,684 | C♯4 (A♭3–F4) | F♯5 (C5–A5) | 17 (12–20) |
The highest and lowest notes
The commonest peak is G5 (307 songs) and the commonest lowest note D4 (252 songs).
How wide is a song's melody?
10.1% of the songs have a first vocal line of 12 semitones or less, 3.4% stay under an octave, and the most frequent single span is 17 semitones (315 songs). One song in 91 needs two octaves or more.
How often does a line reach a given note?
For a labelled soprano line the chance of reaching F♯5 is 59% and of reaching A5 13%; for a tenor line, G4 is reached by 68% and A4 by 13%.
Among the lines named for a voice type, the share whose highest note is at least the pitch shown.
| Voice type | Lines | Share of lines whose highest note reaches at least… |
|---|---|---|
| Soprano | 91 | E5 82% · F♯5 59% · G5 49% · A5 13% |
| Alto or contralto | 63 | C5 83% · D5 56% · E♭5 37% · E5 21% |
| Tenor | 63 | F4 94% · G4 68% · A♭4 30% · A4 13% |
| Bass | 60 | B♭3 93% · C4 78% · D4 57% · E♭4 25% |
Does the key signature change the range?
Hardly: the mean lowest note stays between 60.3 and 62.4 (MIDI numbers) and the mean highest note between 77.2 and 78.8 across the signatures. Songs with more sharps or flats do not, on average, ask for a higher or lower range.
MIDI numbers: 60 = middle C, so 61 is C♯4 and 78 is F♯5. Signatures with fewer than 8 songs are left out.
| Key signature | Songs | Median lowest – highest note | Mean lowest (MIDI) | Mean highest (MIDI) | Mean span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 flats | 27 | C♯4 – G5 | 61 | 78.8 | 17.8 |
| 5 flats | 56 | C♯4 – F♯5 | 60.3 | 77.3 | 17 |
| 4 flats | 128 | E♭4 – F♯5 | 61.6 | 77.8 | 16.1 |
| 3 flats | 171 | C4 – F5 | 60.6 | 77.2 | 16.6 |
| 2 flats | 133 | D4 – G5 | 61.9 | 77.7 | 15.8 |
| 1 flat | 181 | C4 – F5 | 61.1 | 77.4 | 16.2 |
| no sharps or flats | 184 | C♯4 – G5 | 61.5 | 78.2 | 16.7 |
| 1 sharp | 175 | D4 – G5 | 61.9 | 78 | 16 |
| 2 sharps | 136 | D4 – F♯5 | 61.2 | 77.5 | 16.3 |
| 3 sharps | 100 | E4 – F♯5 | 62.4 | 78.1 | 15.7 |
| 4 sharps | 106 | E♭4 – F♯5 | 61.8 | 78.3 | 16.5 |
| 5 sharps | 44 | C♯4 – F♯5 | 61.2 | 78 | 16.8 |
| 6 sharps | 14 | C♯4 – F♯5 | 62.4 | 78.5 | 16.1 |
Hear the ranges
The median lowest and highest notes of each group, as plain tones.
Hear the ranges
Two notes: the lowest, then the highest. Synthesised in your browser (no recording of a voice).
- Soprano line, median lowest to median highestD4 → F♯591 lines
- Alto or contralto line, median lowest to median highestB3 → D563 lines
- Tenor line, median lowest to median highestE3 → G463 lines
- Bass line, median lowest to median highestG2 → D460 lines
- All vocal lines, median lowest to median highestC♯4 → F♯51,684 lines
Songs at both ends
A few real songs, so the numbers can be checked against a score.
Real songs at the narrow and wide ends
Range of the first vocal line, read from the score. Chosen by a fixed rule: composers with a page on this site first, then the composers best represented in the corpus, one song per composer.
Within one octave (147 songs)
- Agnes Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)from 8 Lieder und Gesänge, Op.59G4 – G5 (12 semitones)
- Bootgesang, D.835 Franz Schubert (1797–1828)from Op.52G3 – G4 (12 semitones)
- Les lavandières Augusta Mary Anne Holmès (1847–1903)from 20 MélodiesG4 – E♭5 (8 semitones)
- Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen Robert Schumann (1810–1856)from Dichterliebe, Op.48F4 – D5 (9 semitones)
- "Wie des Mondes Abbild" Robert Franz (1815–1892)from 6 Gesänge, Op.6F♯4 – F5 (11 semitones)
Reaching A5 or higher (172 songs)
- Am Sonntag Morgen Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)from 5 Lieder, Op.49E4 – A5
- Auf dem Flusse Franz Schubert (1797–1828)from Winterreise, D.911B♭3 – A5
- Au bois dormant Augusta Mary Anne Holmès (1847–1903)from Paysages d'amourE4 – A5
- Lieder der Braut I (Mutter! Mutter!) Robert Schumann (1810–1856)from Myrthen, Op.25D4 – A5
- Die Wolken Josephine Lang (1815–1880)from 6 Lieder, Op.25B♭3 – B♭5
Exactly two octaves (11 songs)
- Le retour du paladin Augusta Mary Anne Holmès (1847–1903)from Mélodies pour Piano et Chant (Chansons populaires)A3 – A5
- Es leuchtet meine Liebe Robert Schumann (1810–1856)from 5 Lieder und Gesänge, Op.127G3 – G5
- Die Wolken Josephine Lang (1815–1880)from 6 Lieder, Op.25B♭3 – B♭5
- Sur la plage Cécile Chaminade (1857–1944)G3 – G5
What the textbooks say about each voice
The ranges Wikipedia gives for each voice type, for comparison with what real songs ask for. Where they differ (choral against operatic range, for example), the article says so.
From Wikipedia
Vocal range
Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech-language pathology, particularly in relation to the study of tonal languages and certain types of vocal disorders, although it has little practical application in terms of speech.
Source: Wikipedia, “Vocal range” — CC BY-SA 4.0 — text excerpted; see the article for the full text and authors. Revision of 2026-07-01.
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 Hz to A5 in choral music, or to soprano C (C6) or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which often encompasses the melody. The soprano voice type is generally divided into the coloratura, soubrette, lyric, spinto, and dramatic soprano.
Source: Wikipedia, “Soprano” — CC BY-SA 4.0 — text excerpted; see the article for the full text and authors. Revision of 2026-05-07.
Mezzo-soprano
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 octaves above (i.e. A3–A5 in scientific pitch notation, where middle C = C4; 220–880 Hz). In the lower and upper extremes, some mezzo-sopranos may extend down to the F below middle C (F3, 175 Hz) and as high as "high C" (C6, 1047 Hz). The mezzo-soprano voice type is generally divided into coloratura, lyric, and dramatic.
Source: Wikipedia, “Mezzo-soprano” — CC BY-SA 4.0 — text excerpted; see the article for the full text and authors. Revision of 2026-03-04.
Contralto
A contralto (sometimes alto) is a classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice types.
The contralto voice type is fairly rare. A contralto's range is similar to that of a mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor – typically from the F below middle C (F3 in scientific pitch notation) to the second F above middle C (F5), although, at the extremes, some voices can reach the D below middle C (D3) or the second B♭ above middle C (B♭5). The contralto voice type includes coloratura, lyric, and dramatic contraltos.
Source: Wikipedia, “Contralto” — CC BY-SA 4.0 — text excerpted; see the article for the full text and authors. Revision of 2026-06-24.
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest-voice type. Composers typically write music for the tenor in the range from the second B below middle C, to the G above middle C (i.e. B2 to G4) in choral music – and from the second B-flat below middle C, to the C above middle C (B♭2 to C5) in operatic music – but the range can extend at either end. Subtypes of the tenor include the leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor and tenor buffo (also known as the spieltenor).
Source: Wikipedia, “Tenor” — CC BY-SA 4.0 — text excerpted; see the article for the full text and authors. Revision of 2026-06-22.
Baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the Greek βαρύτονος (barýtonos), meaning "low sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C (i.e. F2–F4) in choral music, and from the second G below middle C to the G above middle C (G2 to G4) in operatic music, but the range can extend at either end. Subtypes of baritone include the baryton-Martin baritone (light baritone), lyric baritone, Kavalierbariton, Verdi baritone, dramatic baritone, baryton-noble baritone, and the bass-baritone.
Source: Wikipedia, “Baritone” — CC BY-SA 4.0 — text excerpted; see the article for the full text and authors. Revision of 2026-07-02.
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of classical male singing voice and has the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a vocal range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C (i.e., E2–E4). Its tessitura, or comfortable range, is normally defined by the outermost lines of the bass clef. Categories of bass voices vary according to national style and classification system.
Source: Wikipedia, “Bass (voice type)” — CC BY-SA 4.0 — text excerpted; see the article for the full text and authors. Revision of 2026-06-18.
How this was counted
- Vocal lines. Every part of a MusicXML score with at least 5 notes that carry sung lyrics counts as a vocal line: 1,684 lines in 1,458 songs. Pitch is the sounding pitch (transposition applied); grace notes, cue notes and the continuation of tied notes are not counted.
- Per-song figures. The histograms, span bands and key-signature table use the first vocal line of each song (one line per song, 1,458 songs); the voice-type table uses all 1,684 lines.
- Voice type. Taken from the part name only (soprano, alto or contralto, tenor, baritone, bass); parts named just “Voice”, “Singstimme” or “Chant” are not labelled. Wikipedia's mezzo-soprano range is shown for reference but there are too few mezzo lines to chart.
- Medians and the middle 80%. The middle 80% runs from the 10th to the 90th percentile.
- Check. Distributions add up to 1,458 songs; the span histogram recomputed from the individual scores equals the dataset file; in a spot check of 40 scores against the raw XML the lowest and highest notes matched in 40 of them.
Data used
- OpenScore Lieder Corpus — 1,462 art songs (mostly 19th-century European) transcribed to MusicXML by volunteers; key signatures, time signatures, tempo words, metronome marks, vocal lines and melodies are read directly from the files. CC0 1.0
What these numbers cannot tell you
- A range in a score is what the song asks for, not what any singer can sing, and the songs may be transposed for different voices; see the box at the top.
- Only 285 of 1,684 lines name a voice type, so the voice-type results are weak evidence; the baritone group has 8 lines.
- The corpus is volunteer-transcribed art songs, mostly 19th-century. It is not a sample of opera, musical theatre, folk or pop singing, where ranges differ.
- Rare extreme notes (one stray high note) are included in lowest/highest figures; a two-octave span can come from a single passage.
Checks run each time this page is rebuilt (34)
- spot check recorded in corpus-verification-v1.json: 40 scores re-read from the raw XML, all 40 ranges identical
- note names (C4 = 60, C♯4 = 61 ...) agree with the dataset file for all 64 pitches
- voice-type groups add up to 1,684 vocal lines
- 285 lines carry a voice-type name in the part title
- highest-, lowest- and span-note histograms each add up to 1,458 songs
- the score scan has the same 1,458 songs
- the span histogram recomputed from the individual scores equals the dataset file
- the median voice line runs C♯4 to F♯5, 17 semitones
- median lowest notes are ordered soprano > alto > tenor > bass
- median highest notes are ordered soprano > alto > tenor > bass
- unlabelled lines have the same median lowest and highest notes as the soprano group
- 17 semitones is the most frequent span
- the commonest peak note is G5 and the commonest lowest note is D4
- C4 is the second commonest lowest note
- the span bands add up to 1,458 songs
- Soprano: reach curve covers E5
- Soprano: reach curve covers F♯5
- Soprano: reach curve covers G5
- Soprano: reach curve covers A5
- Alto / Contralto: reach curve covers C5
- Alto / Contralto: reach curve covers D5
- Alto / Contralto: reach curve covers E♭5
- Alto / Contralto: reach curve covers E5
- Tenor: reach curve covers F4
- Tenor: reach curve covers G4
- Tenor: reach curve covers A♭4
- Tenor: reach curve covers A4
- Bass: reach curve covers B♭3
- Bass: reach curve covers C4
- Bass: reach curve covers D4
- Bass: reach curve covers E♭4
- more than half of soprano lines reach F♯5, fewer than half reach A5
- mean lowest and highest notes vary by less than 3 semitones across key signatures
- example list: 147 songs within an octave, as the histogram says
Data: OpenScore Lieder Corpus (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (excerpts) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Computed for this site on 2026-10-03; the numbers are counts or shares from the datasets named above, not estimates for music in general. Licences and credits for everything used on this site are on the credits page.