tessitura

[ tes-i-toor-uh; Italian tes-see-too-rah ]

noun,plural tes·si·tu·ras, tes·si·tu·re [tes-i-toor-ey; Italian tes-see-too-re]. /ˌtɛs ɪˈtʊər eɪ; Italian ˌtɛs siˈtu rɛ/.
  1. the general pitch level or average range of a vocal or instrumental part in a musical composition: an uncomfortably high tessitura.

Origin of tessitura

1
1890–95; <Italian: literally, texture <Latin textūra;see texture

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for tessitura

tessitura

/ (ˌtɛsɪˈtʊərə) /


nounmusic
  1. the general pitch level of a piece of vocal music: an uncomfortably high tessitura

  2. the compass or range of a voice

Origin of tessitura

1
Italian: texture, from Latin textura; see texture

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012