Tessitura? But it's Tessa-tura?

Hello Hello!

Why yes, I am aware that my URL is Tessa-Tura, a terrible pun for the word Tessitura mixed with my first name, Tessa. Some of you may be wondering "What the heck is a tessitura??"
Well, lucky for you this post should clear up all those questions!

The definition of Tessitura is the range in which the voice falls.

Now there are always exceptions to this chart. For an example, any type of coluratura will be able to sing higher than their implied tessitura. 

Alright, so you're probably thinking "Well, if a mezzo sings high, why isn't she just a soprano?"

This is where fach comes into play. Yes FACH. This is the german word for voice typing. This is the section of your range that determines which voice type you are based on where your voice sounds the best.

I will use myself as an example. My vocal teacher has always been boggled by my range due to my ability to sing really high and really low, yet I have a dark and rich tone. Since my voice sounds the best in the B,C,D range, she has assumed that I am a dramatic coluratura mezzo-soprano. Dramatic is based on the colour of your voice (light or dark), coluratura based on my range flexibility and mezzo-soprano based on my fach.

This of course can change as I grow, but for now, this is what I am going with! 

I hope this was able to clear up some confusion! If you have any more questions, comments or concerns r if you would like a follow up post, just let me know in the comment section below!

Until next time,