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18 Jul 20 - 11:48 AM (#4064768) Subject: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos From: keberoxu 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? |
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18 Jul 20 - 06:23 PM (#4064829) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos From: cnd 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 |
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19 Jul 20 - 12:43 PM (#4064930) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos From: Stilly River Sage 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. |
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19 Jul 20 - 07:34 PM (#4064997) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos From: Jack Campin 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. |
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19 Jul 20 - 08:41 PM (#4065008) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos From: Steve Shaw 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. |
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19 Jul 20 - 08:56 PM (#4065009) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more From: Stilly River Sage The Holst one is magical, I agree. |
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20 Jul 20 - 06:38 PM (#4065165) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more From: keberoxu 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) |
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20 Jul 20 - 07:05 PM (#4065167) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more From: Donuel I like this vocalise because of its simplicity, predictibility and brevity. |
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20 Jul 20 - 07:15 PM (#4065168) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more From: Donuel Here is a 'vocalise-cantina' for guitar you may have heard |
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20 Jul 20 - 08:25 PM (#4065179) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more From: Donuel 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. |
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20 Jul 20 - 09:27 PM (#4065193) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more From: keberoxu 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) |
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20 Jul 20 - 10:02 PM (#4065196) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more From: keberoxu 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 |
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23 Jul 20 - 08:42 AM (#4065558) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more From: Jack Campin 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). |
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23 Jul 20 - 10:26 AM (#4065567) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more From: Steve Shaw There's a beautiful wordless chorus in Part Two of Ravel's Daphnis and Chloé. |
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23 Jul 20 - 10:31 AM (#4065568) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more From: Steve Shaw 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. |
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24 Jul 20 - 12:51 AM (#4065633) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more From: JennieG 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. |
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25 Jul 20 - 08:21 PM (#4065848) Subject: RE: Vocalises: Rachmaninoff, Villa-Lobos, & more From: keberoxu 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. |