Tessitura
In music, tessitura (Italian: [tessiˈtuːra], pl. tessiture, "texture"; English: /tɛsɪˈtjuːrə/) is the most acceptable and comfortable vocal range for a given singer (or, less frequently, musical instrument). It is the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding (or characteristic) timbre. This broad definition is often interpreted to refer specifically to the pitch range that most frequently occurs within a given part of a musical piece. Hence, in musical notation, tessitura is the ambitus, or a narrower part of it, in which that particular vocal (or less often instrumental) part lies—whether high or low, etc.
However, the tessitura of a part or voice is not decided by the extremes of its range, but rather by the share of this total range which is most used. Hence, it is referred to as the "heart" of a range.[1] For example, throughout the entirety of Wagner's Ring, the music written for the tenor role of Siegfried ranges from C♯3 to C5, but the tessitura is described as high because the phrases are most often in the range of C4 to A4.
Furthermore, the tessitura concept addresses not merely a range of pitches but also the arrangement of those pitches. The particular
The extension to the more particular "weaving" of a voice has led to a commixture of tessitura and
See also
References
- ISBN 9780203494110.
- ^ Titze, Ingo (September 2008). "Voice Research and Technology: Quantifying Tessitura in a Song". Journal of Singing. 65: 59–61.
Further reading
- Harris, Lee Davis (December 1996). A Study of Intensity Control in Males with Developing Voices: Implications for Pitch Range and Tessitura (doctoral thesis). University of North Texas.
- Moore, Randall S. (1991). "Comparison of Children's and Adults' Vocal Ranges and Preferred Tessituras in Singing Familiar Songs". JSTOR 40318417.
- Von Hippel, Paul (2000). "Redefining Pitch Proximity: Tessitura and Mobility as Constraints on Melodic Intervals". Music Perception. 17 (3): 315–327. S2CID 121897755.
- Von Hippel, Paul; Huron, David (2000). "Why Do Skips Precede Reversals? The Effect of Tessitura on Melodic Structure". JSTOR 40285901.