Definition of tessitura in English:
tessitura
nounˌtɛsɪˈtjʊərəˌtesəˈto͝orə
Music The range within which most notes of a vocal part fall.
the tessitura of the part is much more comfortable for a countertenor than for a soprano
Example sentencesExamples
- To the Marx songs, the tessitura of which is ideally suited to her edgy soprano, she brings incomparable authority and ravishing vocalism.
- Inevitably she has to sing the role rather lightly, given its high tessitura.
- Above all, Nilon's voice is a touching and tender one, open-vowelled, never overstated, full of warmth and well abreast of high and low tessitura alike.
- Prior to her appearances in London she had specialised in singing male roles, because of her remarkably low tessitura.
- Here, Upshaw sings the later soprano version, and is occasionally taxed by its challengingly high tessitura.
Origin
Italian, literally 'texture', from Latin textura (see texture).