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vocal music

vocal music

1 2.9
Music that people sing with or without instruments
  • noun
  • /ˈvoʊkəl ˈmjuːzɪk/
translation icon : música vocal
  • The concert featured various styles of vocal music, showcasing talented singers from around the world.
  • teach vocal music
  • vocal music class
  • vocal music program

Examples

  • A vocal music group gave up their tour and instead donated money for a new piano and instruments.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The art form in which Mouride women truly excel is vocal music, both in neighborhood circles and on national and international scenes.

    Academic text (2002)
  • "I have high regard for his results, particularly in the area of vocal music."

    Academic text (1997)
  • Instrumental or vocal music classes are often more successful when they are larger.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Most Americans have become musical spectators, and mass participation in music, especially vocal music, has become a thing of the past.

    Academic text (1992)
  • A recent national survey of vocal music educators reveals that some teachers use a combination of approaches within the same classroom.

    Academic text (2006)
  • American opera director Peter Sellars characterizes vocal music as "the ultimate gesture of getting out of yourself."

    Academic text (2014)
  • Shirley W. Wilson taught vocal music at J. P. Vincent Elementary School in Bloomfield, Connecticut.

    Academic text (2003)
  • In Renaissance vocal music, whether a note is repeated or tied sometimes depends on the text; furthermore, durations are conserved from the template.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Music—particularly vocal music—offers ample opportunities to find relationships with historical events, diverse cultures, and the humanities in general.

    Academic text (2004)

Synonyms

singing
vsvocal music
251 1.0

To make music with your voice

refers to musical works performed by voices rather than the act of making sound
vocal
vsvocal music
68 4.3

A part of a song that is sung by a person

is the broader category covering music performed by voices rather than one piece

Antonyms

Music with no singing, played on a piano or guitar

How Vocal

a cappella
3 5.7
choral
13 5.5
vocal music
1 2.9
song
1.0

Surface Forms

vocal music singular
vocal musics plural

Morphology

vocal + music

The meaning 'music that is sung' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'vocal' (relating to the singing voice) with 'music' (organized sound/performance). This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows standard adjective+noun formation, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Vocal music comes from a simple picture: vocal means 'voice' and music means sound with a tune, so vocal music is music made by the human voice. That's why it means songs or pieces that are 'sung', not just played on instruments.