What is "vox humana"

Vox \Vox\, n. [L. See Voice.] A voice.

Vox humana[L., human voice] (Mus.), a reed stop in an organ, made to imitate the human voice.

n. an organ stop having some resemblance to the human voice

n. an organ reed stop producing tones imitative of the human voice

The Vox Humana ( Latin for "human voice;" also "voz humana" in Spanish, "voix humaine" in French and "voce umana" in Italian, although "voce umana" is also a term for a celeste stop, q.v.) is a short-resonator reed stop on the pipe organ, so named because of its supposed resemblance to the human voice. As a rule, the stop is used with a tremulant, which undulates the wind supply, causing a vibrato effect. The vox humana is intended to evoke the impression of a singing choir or soloist, though the success of this intent depends as much upon the acoustics of the room in which the organ speaks as it does the voicing of the pipes. It is almost invariably at 8′ pitch, though on theater organs it is not uncommon to encounter a chorus of vox humana stops at 8′ and 4′ pitch, with the addition of a 16′ acting as a pedal stop.

The vox humana is one of the oldest reeds in organ building, based on its appearance in very early instruments. It is common on French classical organs in the 17th and 18th centuries, where it was used as a solo voice. The vox humana also appears on German and Dutch organs of the period, though not as frequently as in France. French organs in the 19th and 20th centuries almost invariably featured a voix humaine in the Récit (the most commonly enclosed division of the French romantic organ), though by this time the literature had evolved and it was used to play rich, harmonic chordal progressions. Many American organs built in the romantic style include a vox humana in order to facilitate the playing of this literature.

Vox humana stops in very old organs had a fairly wide variety of designs and tonal qualities. It was during the nineteenth century that the design became fairly standardized. Today, most builders construct vox humana pipes in approximately the same way, though the scaling will vary between builders and according to the tonal style in which the organ is designed. The actual sound of the pipe is dependent upon the voicer, with an open "O" or a long "E" sound probably being the most common result.

The best construction and installation of a Vox Humana stop on the romantic/symphonic organ - rarely seen due to cost - includes the following two features:

• The Vox Humana stop should be enclosed in a wooden box, by itself, WITHIN the Swell box (a "box within a box" arrangement); note that the "inner box" (the one holding just the Vox Humana pipes) may be permanently enclosed or it may have shades/shutters that can be set open or closed by a control on the console. In a neo-Baroque style instrument, the Vox Humana would likely not be enclosed.
• The Vox Humana stop should have its own tremulant, separate from and considerably faster than, the swell division's main tremulant.

Vox Humana is the sixth studio album by Christian alternative rock band Daniel Amos, released on Refuge Records in 1984. It is the third album in their ¡Alarma! Chronicles album cycle.

Vox Humana is the fifth solo album released by soft rock singer Kenny Loggins. Released in 1985, it was Loggins' first album released after his involvement with the hit soundtrack to the motion picture Footloose, the year prior. The title is from a Latin phrase meaning "human voice."

Among those who make cameo appearances are members of DeBarge, The Pointer Sisters, Philip Bailey, Mr. Mister's Richard Page, Steve George and other artists.

"Vox Humana" is a Kenny Loggins song from his 1985 album, Vox Humana. It was released as the leading single from the album, and peaked at No. 26 on Billboard Hot 100. This song represents Loggins' musical experiment with synthpop and R&B swing, by working with The Pointer Sisters on composition and vocals. This is also one of the first songs produced by Loggins himself. Sheila E. also makes a guest appearance on the drums and percussions of the song.

The vox humana is a reed stop on the pipe organ.

Vox Humana may also refer to:

• Vox Humana (Alfred Wolfsohn album)
• Vox Humana (Daniel Amos album)
• Vox Humana (Kenny Loggins album)
  • "Vox Humana" (song)
• Voice of the People – VOX humana, a political party in Sweden