Solfege

This is the formal name of the classic musical scale for vocalists: “do ra me…” etc. This was the thing Julie Andrews was singing about in The Sound of Music.

It’s pronounced how it looks: “SOUL-fege” (soft “g” sound at the end).

It’s actually a plural form – the singular (“do,” for example) is “solfa.” And that comes from two of the syllables used: “sol” and “fa”.

There is a vocal teaching technique called “Tonic sol-fa,” and also a Midwestern acapella musical group with the same name.

Why I Looked It Up

“Solfege” was in an answer group in the NY Times game, Connections. The group title was, “Associated with Scales.”