Editing Karl Jenkins (section)

==Musical style==
{{expand section|date=February 2022}}

===Lyrics===
Many of the songs written by Jenkins have specifically written phonetic lyrics, but they are not in any language.<ref name="Roberts">{{cite web |last1=Roberts |first1=Maddy Shaw |title=The meaning behind the lyrics to 'Adiemus' by Karl Jenkins |url=https://www.classicfm.com/composers/jenkins/karl-adiemus-lyrics-language-what-they-mean/ |website=Classic FM |access-date=2022-02-09 |language=en |date=5 May 2021}}</ref> Instead, they are syllables intended to have a musical effect, but not to carry any specific meaning.<ref name="Roberts"/> This [[glossolalia]] is similar to the sounds of "[[scat singing]]", except that this latter artform sometimes emphasises of-the-moment [[Musical improvisation|improvisation]] as well.<ref name="Childed">{{cite web |last1=Childed |first1=Serg |title=The meaningless song lyrics of Adiemus |url=https://musictales.club/article/meaningless-song-lyrics-adiemus |website=MusicTales |access-date=2022-02-09 |date=April 4, 2021}}</ref>

The composer has said the lyrics to his "[[Adiemus (albums)|Adiemus]]" series of songs are in "an invented language", and have no particular meaning.<ref name="Roberts"/> He has observed, "The text was written phonetically with the words viewed as instrumental sound, the idea being to maximise the [[melisma]] by removing the distraction, if one can call it that, of words”.<ref name="Roberts"/> Some listeners compare his lyrics to the [[Latin]] language, but other critics discount such a connection.<ref name="Barone">{{cite web |last1=Barone |first1=Brian |title=An Aural History of "Adiemus" |url=https://medium.com/the-awl/an-aural-history-of-adiemus-89a7727e15e7 |website=The Awl |access-date=2022-02-09 |language=en |date=3 October 2016}}</ref>

Other songs he has written use Biblical or literary texts for the lyrics.