partitura
nounCEFR B1
What does “partitura” mean in English?
sheet music or musical score — the printed notation of a musical composition used by performers; leer la partitura; contrast: tocar de memoria
sheet music or musical score — the printed notation of a musical composition used by performers; leer la partitura; contrast: tocar de memoria (play without sheet music)
Example sentences
La pianista tocó toda la sonata de memoria porque había estudiado la partitura durante meses hasta que se la sabía de pe a pa.
The pianist played the entire sonata from memory because she had studied the score for months until she knew it inside out.
El director de la orquesta señalaba los compases de la partitura mientras los músicos ensayaban la sinfonía por primera vez.
The orchestra conductor pointed to the bars on the score while the musicians rehearsed the symphony for the first time.
Aprender a leer una partitura lleva tiempo, pero una vez que lo consigues puedes tocar música de cualquier época y estilo.
Learning to read sheet music takes time, but once you manage it you can play music from any period and style.
How to use it
Partitura is a feminine noun (la partitura, las partituras) meaning sheet music or a musical score — the printed notation of a musical composition. It has no direct English cognate. Key collocations: leer la partitura (to read music / sheet music), estudiar la partitura, tocar de memoria (without sheet music), interpretar una partitura. At B1 it appears in discussions of musical practice, performance, and education. The word also covers a full orchestral score in formal musical contexts, though at B1 the everyday sheet-music sense is primary.
Common mistake
Partitura has no common English cognate — it must be learned directly. Leer una partitura means 'to read sheet music' (not 'to read a score' in the journalistic sense). Playing 'from memory' is tocar de memoria — without needing the partitura. The phrase solfeo (sight-singing/sight-reading) is a related music-education term that B1 learners may encounter.