Posted by Tom B. on February 26, 2003 at 13:12:20:
In Reply to: Re: Re: For Jay Bertolet/re:Bruckner 4 posted by John Cooper on February 26, 2003 at 12:51:30:
This is not in relation to the specific work (Bruckner 4), but a tessitura is the range most often used [played] in a given work. In other words, it's the predominant register a particular part lies in. For example, the second mvt. of the Vaughan Williams Concerto for Bass Tuba and Orchestra is generally understood to have a high tessitura. On the other hand, a piece like the "Ride" is considered to have a pretty low tessitura.
Hope that helps.