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

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 arrangements highlighted Ms. Svigals’s virtuosic flair against a three-part tutti section that sometimes sounded like a mash-up of Vivaldi and Bartok.

From New York Times • Jun. 22, 2015

And this one is tutti frutti - that's nice for the summer.

From BBC • Jul. 5, 2013

So much for the infamous quill-heroes of the London Times, the Herald, and tutti quanti.

From Diary from March 4, 1861, to November 12, 1862 by De Gurowski, Adam G., count