# Songs without words?



## Irusia (Oct 20, 2021)

Can you recommend me some songs without any lyrics? In the recommended songs list there's already Rachmaninoff's vocalise, what others do you know?

Some time ago I found this wordless song:




The description to the video says the composer is Yevhen Stankevych, and as far as I understand, the music is taken from a soundtrack.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

There are several, including another famous one by Villa-Lobos. Wiki lists the following:

Notable examples

Gabriel Fauré: Vocalise-étude (1906)
Maurice Ravel: Vocalise-étude en forme de habanera, M.51, for voice and piano (1907)
Igor Stravinsky: Pastorale for soprano (1907)
Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 3, Op. 27: second movement (1911)
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14, for soprano (1912)
Nikolai Medtner: Sonata-Vocalise, Op. 41, No. 1 (1922) and Suite-Vocalise, Op. 41, No. 2 (1927)
Heitor Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5: first movement (1938)
Reinhold Glière: Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra, Op. 82 (1943)
John Corigliano: Vocalise, for soprano, electronics and orchestra (1999)
Gilad Hochman: Night Winds, vocalise for soprano and piano (2015)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocal_warm-up#Vocalise


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## Irusia (Oct 20, 2021)

Thank you, I'll check them out.

Edit: Nikolai Medtner's Sonata-Vocalise has lyrics, I just checked.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

If you are open to non classical music, there's a gorgeous tune written by Ellington (or Strayhorn, I think it's more likely written by Strayhorn) called On a turquoise cloud


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Irusia said:


> Nikolai Medtner's Sonata-Vocalise has lyrics, I just checked.


I don't know the piece, but after the first few minutes with lyrics, it's about 10 minutes vocalise.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Doesn’t song mean words set to music?


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)




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## ansfelden (Jan 11, 2022)

Mendelssohn Lied(er) ohne Worte, Auf Flügeln des Gesanges


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## FrankE (Jan 13, 2021)

Я о́чень рад, ведь я, наконе́ц, возвраща́юсь домо́й


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## Monsalvat (11 mo ago)

Others have mentioned this in passing but for me this album is the (almost) definitive answer to your question and I would not want to overlook it:








Felix Mendelssohn: _Lieder ohne Worte_
Daniel Barenboim, piano (1973)


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

FrankE said:


> Я о́чень рад, ведь я, наконе́ц, возвраща́юсь домо́й


I'm very happy because I'm finally coming home
Translation better understandable.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

My favorite singer Rebeka made a vocalised version of Albinoni's Adagio, but it is more like I know it exists, because such things do not interest me much.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

In my view, pianist Rena Kyriakou understands & brings out the undeniable strong influence of Robert & Clara Schumann on Mendelssohn's "Song Without Words" better than most pianists, including Daniel Barenboim. She also varies her piano touch a lot more than he does:


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Josquin13 said:


> In my view, pianist Rena Kyriakou understands & brings out the undeniable strong influence of Robert & Clara Schumann on Mendelssohn's "Song Without Words" better than most pianists, including Daniel Barenboim. She also varies her piano touch a lot more than he does:


Good find.


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