Divisi

Divisi, abbreviated div., is Italian for ‘divided’. As a performance direction it indicates that a section of an orchestra (typically a string section) should divide into multiple parts, with different players playing different notes. Without divisi, all members of a section play the same line; with divisi, they split.

The direction allows composers to write rich harmony for a single section. A passage marked ‘violins divisi a 2’ tells the violin section to split into two groups, each playing one of two written notes. ‘Divisi a 4’ splits into four parts. The notation typically shows the divisi parts on the staff with the players assigned by seating position.

Divisi is essential to Romantic and modern orchestral writing. Strauss, Mahler, and Wagner all use divisi extensively to create thick, harmonically rich string textures. The opposite is ‘unisono’ — all section players on the same note.

Italian, plural past participle of dividere (‘to divide’), from Latin dividere.

Know your assigned part. The seating arrangement determines which divisi line you play; don’t shift between parts. Match dynamics and articulation with your colleagues on the same line.