vocalise

¹ American  

[voh-kuh-leez] / ˌvoʊ kəˈliz /

noun

1. a musical composition consisting of the singing of melody with vowel sounds or nonsense syllables rather than text, as for special effect in classical compositions, in polyphonic jazz singing by special groups, or in virtuoso vocal exercises.

2. any such singing exercise or vocalized melody.

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vocalise ² American  

[voh-kuh-lahyz] / ˈvoʊ kəˌlaɪz /

verb (used with or without object)

vocalised, vocalising

1. Chiefly British. vocalize.

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vocalise British  

/ ˌvəʊkəˈliːz /

noun

1. a musical passage sung upon one vowel as an exercise to develop flexibility and control of pitch and tone; solfeggio

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Etymology

Origin of vocalise

1870–75; < French vocalise, apparently noun derivative of vocaliser to vocalize, with -ise taken as a noun suffix ( see -ise ²)

Example Sentences

Louise and Andy Davies, from Brecon, sought help when their three-year-old son Ethan became frustrated when he could not vocalise what he wanted to say.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2022

The term vocalise refers to a song without words.

From New York Times • Nov. 12, 2021

Both feature women in their early 20s, who found themselves in circumstances they didn’t want, but felt unable to fully vocalise that they had reached their comfort limits.

From The Guardian • Jan. 17, 2018

Those composers include some from Luther’s time and some from our time, and instrumental chorale preludes appear in Swingle Singers-like vocalise, without the insistent perkiness.

From New York Times • Dec. 13, 2017

These are followed by a vocalise or two, and a couple of songs or arias, which fill out the thirty minutes.

From The Psychology of Singing A Rational Method of Voice Culture Based on a Scientific Analysis of All Systems, Ancient and Modern by Taylor, David C. (David Clark)