Serguéi Rajmaninov · Romanticism
1912
Voice and piano · Moscow
Tonality
No fixed tone. It is interpreted in different tones according to the voice or instrument.
From the atril
The Vocalise is the last of the fourteen songs of op. 34, written in 1912 and revised shortly after. It has a particularity: it has no lyrics. The voice sings all the melody on a single vowel, as an instrument, without words. Rajmaninov dedicated it to the soprano Antonina Nezhdánova, who had asked him why he had no text; he answered that his voice and art would express it better than any word.
The melody, long and melancholic, is unabated on a simple piano accompaniment full of changing harmonies, with an air of orthodox singing and very Russian nostalgia. It is a piece that requires the singer to have absolute control of the breath, the line and the nuances, because it cannot rely on the text to give meaning to the music. Its beauty has made it one of the most arranged works in history: there are versions for violin, cello, flute, clarinet, orchestra, and almost any instrument. Rajmaninov himself prepared an orchestral version. It's a little masterpiece of pure melody.
What to hear
- The melody sung without words.
- The changing harmonies of the piano.
- The cello or violin versions.
