Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more

Subject: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 11:48 AM

No links in this opening post,
and hopefully future posts to this thread will have links
to recordings/performances of this music.

An existing thread name-checked the Rachmaninoff Vocalise,
one of that composer's more popular works
and often played with an instrument and accompaniment,
rather than a wordless voice, as the composer intended.

The equally well-known Villa-Lobos work, short as it is,
is a little more complicated. It is
No. 5 from his Bachianas Brasileiras.
The piece begins, and ends, with the wordless vocalise.
There is a middle section, however,
with melody AND words for the soprano voice.

Anybody know of vocalise pieces by other composers?

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos
From: cnd
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 06:23 PM

The Humming Chorus from Madam Butterfly is a vocalise piece, by Puccini

Another Soviet compatriot of Rachmaninoff, Reinhold Glière, composed Concerto for Coloratura Soprano in the vocalise style. This one's impressive to see performed, as it's a whole 11-minute concerto.

Ravel's Vocalise Etude en forme de habanera is also one.

Holst's "Neptune" from the Planets Suite also had some wordless choral parts, but they're not as prominent as I think you're looking for; same for Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King."

You can, of course, always look to the modern classical composers. While I'm not always a fan of what they do, they're certainly pushing the boundaries of music. Newer examples include Aeiou by Roomful of Teeth and Circlesong One by Bobby McFerrin, among others.

I assume you're also familiar with the style of sprechstimme, which was popular for modernist composers in France and Germany around the start of the 20th century. It's related to what you're looking for but not the same

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jul 20 - 12:43 PM

Actually, the Rachmaninoff Vocalise is too often played by instruments (cello or other strings) alone, no voice at all. You have to hunt to find the soprano performing it. That's what I said for the post you first read.

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos
From: Jack Campin
Date: 19 Jul 20 - 07:34 PM

The biggest one would be Stockhausen's "Stimmung" for six voices. It's marvellous.

There are folk versions, like the animal/landscape evocations of Mongolian singing or the "niguns" of Hasidic Jews.

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Jul 20 - 08:41 PM

There's the beautiful Waltz Of The Snowflakes at the end of the first act of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. Then there's the wordless chorus in Neptune, in Holst's "The Planets." Gorgeous lyricism in both.

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jul 20 - 08:56 PM

The Holst one is magical, I agree.

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Jul 20 - 06:38 PM

Rachmaninoff had a particular singer in mind when he
composed his Vocalise, but it was before recordings.

Villa-Lobos is another matter; he came later,
he had a world-famous Brazilian soprano in mind,
and he conducted the first studio recording of his
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 "Cantilena,"
(the first of two movements in this piece).

Bidu Sayao sings the soprano part,
and the solo cello is played by Leonard Rose.

Bachianas "Cantilena" (1945)

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more
From: Donuel
Date: 20 Jul 20 - 07:05 PM

I like this vocalise
because of its simplicity, predictibility and brevity.

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more
From: Donuel
Date: 20 Jul 20 - 07:15 PM

Here is a 'vocalise-cantina' for guitar you may have heard

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more
From: Donuel
Date: 20 Jul 20 - 08:25 PM

Piazolla highly influencd by Bach helped create some of these works for cellos and Soprano. Here are just some excerps:
https://www.cede.com/en/music/?view=detail&aid=16147333


Speaking of Bach he was a riddle master who never explains but lets you figure it out.

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Jul 20 - 09:27 PM

This is an orchestral-arrangement recording of the
Rachmaninoff Vocalise;
its claim to fame is that the conductor of the orchestra
is Sergei Rachmaninoff himself.

Rachmaninoff conducts Rachmaninoff (RCA Red Seal)

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Jul 20 - 10:02 PM

Leontyne Price never recorded the Rachmaninoff Vocalise
in the recording studio, but a live concert performance
was recorded, and preserved in this link.

New Orleans recital, March 8, 1971

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more
From: Jack Campin
Date: 23 Jul 20 - 08:42 AM

Vaughan Williams: finale of the Third Symphony (short one at the start and finish).

Nielsen: Third Symphony, second movement (this one is for two voices).

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 23 Jul 20 - 10:26 AM

There's a beautiful wordless chorus in Part Two of Ravel's Daphnis and Chloé.

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 23 Jul 20 - 10:31 AM

Without wishing to trivialise, there's some rather lovely wordless harmonising in the song Just Not True by Carly Simon. The website notes state that it was provided by Carly and James Taylor. I'll get me coat.

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more
From: JennieG
Date: 24 Jul 20 - 12:51 AM

In a POW camp in Palembang, Sumatra, during WWII a group of women formed a vocal orchestra.......story here

Not sure if it fits the definition of 'vocalise', but it's an inspiring story of the power of music in a drak time.

Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 Jul 20 - 08:21 PM

The film "To End All Wars," about
British prisoners of war interned by the Japanese
in a tropical camp,
includes some beautiful wordless vocalizing
by Moya (Máire) Brennan.