Suede Sing
Vocal range

Cesária Évora

Contralto · Folk · Jazz · Cape Verde · prominent since 1988

Cited range
D3A#4
Octaves
1.7
Semitones
20
Voice type
Contralto
D3A#4C3C4C5

What is Cesária Évora’s vocal range?

Cesária Évora's vocal range is commonly cited as D3 to A#4 (Bb4) — about 1.7 octaves, or 20 semitones, and is usually classified as contralto.

Smoky low contralto sung softly close to the mic; conversational, unhurried, vibrato minimal. That cited span is wider than 2% of the 357 voices in this library.

Signature song
Sodade

Reading the numbers

  • The ceiling is modest for a contralto — no other contralto here stops lower.
  • Only 2 of the 30 contraltos here work a narrower cited span.
  • The span is 12 semitones short of the library median (32 semitones) — a compact working range.
  • 1 other voice here carries the identical cited range — at the resolution these figures are quoted in, those voices are indistinguishable on the chart.
  • Ranked by bottom note, it is the 242nd lowest of the 357 voices here; by top note, the 321st highest.

Commonly cited figures, not lab measurements — extreme notes are one-off recorded moments, not the singer’s everyday range.

You vs Cesária Évora

Take the free 2-minute range test — your mic finds your lowest and highest notes, then this page shows exactly how your voice lines up with Cesária Évora’s.