Bocca chiusa

As Printed on a Score

Printed over a vocal part, usually as a bocca chiusa, where the singers hum with closed lips; the notes carry no text, or a hummed consonant such as m is written under them. It lasts until words return.

Also spelled: a bocca chiusa

How Composers Use It

Humming gives a soft, veiled, distant choral sound; Puccini’s Humming Chorus in Madama Butterfly is the classic case. It carries little volume, so keep the accompaniment light. Say whether you want m or n if the colour matters, and remember that humming is weak at the top and bottom of a voice.