Non-lexical vocables in music
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Non-lexical
Traditional music
Non-lexical vocables are used in
The
The AIM Song has its origins in the Plains; as such, it holds similar characteristics to Blackfoot song. It is intended as an intertribal song, so the use of non-lexical vocables prevents bias to one particular language.
Other traditional musical forms employing non-lexical vocables include:
- Puirt à beul (traditional Scottish and Irish song form that sometimes employs nonsense syllables)
- Nigun in Jewish religious music
- Samichant employing nonsense syllables and few or no lyrics)
- Ululation
Jazz music
Scat singing is a type of voice instrumental music. A scat is vocalized using wordless vocables and syllables (e.g. "bippity-bippity-doo-wop-razzamatazz-skoobie-doobie-shoobity-bee-bop-a-lula-shabazz") as employed by jazz singers. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice. Scatman John (John Paul Larkin) renewed interest in the genre briefly during the mid-1990s.
Vocal improviser
Another method of scat singing is practiced by guitarists who scat along with their guitar solos note for note. Notable practitioners include Theo Katzman, George Benson, Sheldon Reynolds, and Rik Emmett.
Orchestral accompaniment
A non-lexical form of Latin is often used as accompaniment for orchestral movie and video game soundtracks. It utilizes strings of Dog Latin syllables and a deep tone to emulate ominous or grandiose Latin chants.
Vocal percussion
Non-lexical vocables that take on percussive roles:
Musical training
- sight-singing, in which each note is sung to a special syllable (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti).
- Canntaireachd is an ancient Scottish practice of noting music with a combination of definite syllables for ease of recollection and transmission.
- In India, the origin of sargam. In Indian classical music, the notes in order are: sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, and ni.
- Byzantine music also uses syllables derived from a hymn to name notes: starting with A, the notes are pa, vu, ga, di, ke, zo, ni.
- In Japan, the Iroha, an ancient poem, is sometimes used as solfège (i, chi, yo, ra, ya, a, we).
Popular music of the WWII era
The song "
B-A-bay, B-E-bee, B-I-bicky-bi, B-O bo, bicky-bi bo, B-U bu, bicky bi bo bu.
C-A-cay, C-E-cee, C-I-cicky-ci, C-O co, cicky-ci co, C-U cu, cicky ci co cu.
D-A-day, D-E-dee, D-I-dicky-di, D-O do, dicky-di do, D-U du, dicky di do du.
F-A-fay, F-E-fee, F-I-ficky-fi, F-O fo, Ficky-fi fo, F-U fu, ficky fi fo fu.
...
The song "Mairzy Doats" (1943) used blurred lyrics that sound non-lexical:
Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
The lyrics of the bridge provide a clue:
If the words sound queer and funny to your ear, a little bit jumbled and jivey,
Sing "Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy."
"A kid'll eat ivy too, wouldn't you?"
Popular music
Styles of popular music that frequently employ non-lexical vocables include:
- A cappella (singing without instrumental accompaniment, sometimes accompanied by a chorus of nonsense syllables)
- Doo-wop (style of rhythm and blues music that often employs nonsense syllables)
Scatting also makes appearances in newer genres, including
Folderol, a nonsense refrain in songs, is used in genres as diverse as Christmas songs ("Deck the Halls") and naval songs like "Don't Forget Your Old Shipmate".
The European pop genre yé-yé was named after the frequent use of English-derived "Yeah!" as filler. Spanish yeyé signer
Due to the wide-ranging vocal styles used in popular music, occasionally songs have been mistakenly categorized as having non-lexical vocables, when in fact the singers are performing actual lyrics rendered partially (or completely) unintelligible to the ear of some (but not all) listeners. Two famous 1960s examples are "Louie Louie" as recorded by The Kingsmen and "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs.
Examples
Some bands have
Adriano Celentano's 1972 song "Prisencolinensinainciusol" is sung in gibberish that sounds as American English.
Jack Black uses non-lexical vocables whilst singing as Tenacious D.
"Da Da Da" by German group Trio uses the phrase "da da da" throughout the song.
The chorus to the
One of the most famous examples comes from The Beatles' song "Hey Jude", which ends with a long run of "Na na na na na na na". Similarly Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" employs "la, la la la la la" for much of the chorus.
Other notable songs to include non-lexical vocables include
Van Morrison employed scat in his performances.[5]
French singer Antoine Tomé has used vocal percussions and sung several of his songs in an imaginary language since the 1970's.
Examples by popular non-
Russian ska punk band Nogu Svelo! tends to use various non-lexical vocables in their songs. Their popular song "Haru Mamburu" (Russian: Хару Мамбуру) is composed completely from pseudoword vocables without any meaningful text.
Pseudo-Latin is sometimes used in new-age music, especially when it imitates Gregorian chant or other choral church music, e. g. "Ameno" by Era or "Adiemus" by Adiemus.
Disney songs
A signature of some
- "Heigh-Ho" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
- "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from Song of the South (1946)
- "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" from Cinderella (1950)
- "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "Chim Chim Cher-ee" from Mary Poppins (1964)
- "Substitutiary Locomotion" from Bedknobs and Broomsticks(1971), which includes the incantation "Treguna Mekoides and Tracorum Satis Dee"
- "Whistle-Stop" from Robin Hood (1973), which was reused in The Hampsterdance Song (2000)
- "Whoop-de-Dooper Bounce" from The Tigger Movie(2000)
Nonsense lyrics also feature in the following Disney songs:
- "I Wanna Be Like You" from The Jungle Bookfeatures a segment of improvisational nonsense words.
- "Trashing the Camp" from Tarzan also contains a segment of improvisational nonsense words.
- "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat" from The Aristocats, sung by Scatman Crothersas "Scat Cat", contains lengthy scat sequences.
See also
- Idioglossia
- Kakegoe
- Lilting
- Nigun
- Nonsense song – Type of song
References
- ISBN 0-8240-4944-6.
- ^ "Native North Americans in Canada", The Canadian Encyclopedia Historica: Encyclopedia of Music in Canada. Accessed 01/23/07.
- ISBN 0-87338-370-2.
- ^ Crowther & Pinfold 1997, p. 135.
- ISBN 978-0-7432-0120-9.
Further reading
- Chambers, "Non-Lexical Vocables in Scottish Traditional Music", PhD Thesis (1980).
- de Cornulier, Benoît (2005). "Les tralalas ou « syllabes non significatives » illustrés par des chansons vendéennes", published in J.-P. Bertrand, A.-M Despringre et al. (eds.) (2009). Chansons en mémoire – Mémoire en chanson, Hommage à Jérôme Bujeaud (1834-1880). Paris: L’Harmattan. pp. 209–219. ISBN 978-2-296-10747-2. (in French)