Complete Encyclopaedia of Music/A/Alto clef
Alto clef. When the C clef is placed se that the two strokes enclose the middle line, it is called the counter tenor, or viola clef ; and also the alto and contralto. This borrows the two lower lines of the treble for its upper degrees, and the two upper lines of the bass for its lower degrees. The middle line is the added one between the treble and the bass. This clef is used in "Handel's 400 Songs." The nine degrees of the alto clef are,-