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Glite Dictionary
vox angelica

vox angelica

9.9
An organ stop that makes a soft, trembling sound like a human voice
  • noun
  • /vɒks ænˈdʒɛlɪkə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : vox angélica
  • The organist selected the vox angelica stop to add a gentle, ethereal quality to the music.

Examples

  • Many church organs include a vox angelica for pieces requiring a delicate, voice-like effect.

  • Can you hear the vox angelica in that piece?

  • Her favorite part of the recital was when the vox angelica created a soft, trembling melody.

  • The organist selected the vox angelica stop for a soothing melody.

  • Her favorite part of the recital was when the vox angelica created a soft, trembling melody.

  • Many church organs include a vox angelica for pieces requiring a delicate, voice-like effect.

  • The organist selected the vox angelica stop to add a gentle, ethereal quality to the music.

Surface Forms

vox angelica singular
vox angelicae plural

Morphology

vox + angelica

This is a Latin-derived technical term for a specific organ stop; knowing 'vox' (voice) and 'angelica' (given here as a plant, and superficially similar to 'angelic') does not allow a B1 learner to infer the specialized sense ‘organ stop producing a gentle, voice-like tremolo’. The phrase is domain-specific and its intended meaning (a particular organ registration/effect) is not transparently compositional from the provided constituent meanings, so it would be unpredictable to learners.

Etymology

Vox angelica comes from the Latin words vox ('voice') and angelica ('angel-like'), and it names a part of the organ built to sound like angels singing. So when an organist uses the vox angelica, it makes a soft, trembling, 'voice-like' sound, which is why the name means a gentle 'voice of angels'.