Anyone here know anything about opera? Are the female villains always altos?

[robkelk]

Apparently, opera villainesses are usually altos. Can anybody provide some examples of this, preferably in a format similar to "Alice in Alice and Bob is written for an alto", please?

I'll take examples from musicals (stage or film), too...

[Black Aeronaut]

..... That might be something you should take up with someone who teaches music appreciation in your local community college.

(No worries - these guys are almost to a man huge music nerds. You might actually need to find a reason to break off the conversation.)