A
spinto soprano (also
lirico-spinto, spinto lyric soprano or "pushed lyric") is a type of
operatic soprano voice that has the limpidity and easy high notes of a
lyric soprano, yet can be "pushed" on to achieve dramatic climaxes without strain. This type of voice may possess a somewhat darker
timbre, too, than the average lyric soprano. It generally uses
squillo to "slice" through the sound of a full orchestra, rather than singing over the orchestra like a true
dramatic soprano.