Orchestration
Reading an Orchestral Score: Layout and a Method for First Reads
An orchestral score stacks every part on one page. This covers the standard order of the families, the brackets and clefs, and a first-read method.
Tutti
Italian for all: a passage where the whole ensemble plays together, as opposed to a soloist or a smaller group.
Also called: tutti passage, full ensemble, all together
Tutti is Italian for all, and in orchestral scores it marks a passage in which the whole ensemble plays, as opposed to a solo or a smaller group. Tutti often follows a solo passage, bringing the full orchestra back in with a loud and clear statement of the theme. In a concerto, the soloist and the orchestra alternate, and each tutti sets the orchestra playing together. The marking appears in parts as tutti, and it tells a section player that the passage is for everyone. In a choir, tutti means all voices singing together. A tutti passage often carries the largest dynamic and the fullest texture, and the balance must still let the melody come through.
Related terms
- DivisiItalian for divided: a section split into two or more parts, each playing a different note, usually marked div.
- DynamicsThe relative loudness of music, shown by markings such as p for soft and f for loud, and by hairpins for gradual change.
- TessituraThe part of a voice or instrument's range where most notes lie and where the performer sounds most comfortable.