tutti

American  

[too-tee, toot-tee] / ˈtu ti, ˈtut ti /

adjective

1. all; all the voices or instruments together.

2. intended for or performed by all (or most of ) the voices or instruments together, as a passage or movement in concert music (opposed to solo).

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noun

tuttis plural

1. a tutti passage or movement.

2. the tonal product or effect of a tutti performance.

tutti British  

/ ˈtʊtɪ /

adjective

1. music to be performed by the whole orchestra, choir, etc Compare soli

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tuttis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tutti

1715–25; < Italian, plural of tutto all

Explanation

The musical instruction tutti means "all together." It's used when all the performers in an orchestra, choir, or ensemble should play the marked passage simultaneously. Tutti is Italian for "all." It usually comes up in a piece of music after a passage where just one or a few of the voices or instruments have been playing, while the others were silent. Then, where it says tutti, the whole choir or orchestra begins singing or playing, so all the different parts are heard in full harmony. This usually means the music is louder, too. It can create a very effective contrast!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tutti tuttis

Kubica, 40, who drove a long final stint, said over team radio: "It's been a long 24 hours but an enjoyable one - grazie mille, grazie a tutti."

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2025

But repeating his new mantra about the church as a place of welcome, he said “tutti, tutti, tutti” must be allowed in: Everyone, everyone, everyone.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 4, 2023

For example, the masculine form "tutti" is routinely used for "everyone", rather than the feminine "tutte".

From Reuters ● Mar. 20, 2023

The lone call of the magic horn that sounds at its outset trails off into a misty landscape, a trickling brook, a waking dawn and the blunt-force thwack of a cold-water tutti.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 18, 2022

They have, indeed, a majesty and nobility all their own, and the lowest use to which they can be put is to furnish a flaring and noisy harmony in an orchestral tutti.

From How to Listen to Music, 7th ed. Hints and Suggestions to Untaught Lovers of the Art by Krehbiel, Henry Edward

Orchestral tuttis had clarity and body from top to bottom.

From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2024

It consisted of a few strings, with a few wind instruments to increase the volume of the tuttis.

From Haydn by Runciman, John F.

They were bent upon a surfeit of music; tuttis, finales, choruses must be performed.

From Hyperion by Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth