Dictionary.com

vocalise

1
[ voh-kuh-leez ]
/ ˌvoʊ kəˈliz /

noun

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.
any such singing exercise or vocalized melody.

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Compare doo-wop, melisma, scat singing, solfeggio.

Origin of vocalise

1
1870–75; <French vocalise, apparently noun derivative of vocaliser to vocalize, with -ise taken as a noun suffix (see -ise2)

Words nearby vocalise

vocal fold, vocal folds, vocal fremitus, vocal fry, vocalic, vocalise, vocalism, vocalist, vocalize, vocal ligament, Vocal Memnon

Definition for vocalise (2 of 2)

vocalise2
[ voh-kuh-lahyz ]
/ ˈvoʊ kəˌlaɪz /

verb (used with or without object), vo·cal·ised, vo·cal·is·ing.

Chiefly British. vocalize.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for vocalise

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

    The Psychology of Singing|David C. Taylor

  • There are, I am aware, certain races who are unable to vocalise certain sounds and accordingly modify them.

    Archaic England|Harold Bayley

British Dictionary definitions for vocalise

vocalise
/ (ˌvəʊkəˈliːz) /

noun

a musical passage sung upon one vowel as an exercise to develop flexibility and control of pitch and tone; solfeggio
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012