Melisma
Melisma (Greek: μέλισμα, mélisma, lit. 'song'; from μέλος, melos, 'song, melody', plural: melismata) is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic, as opposed to syllabic, in which each syllable of text is matched to a single note. An informal term for melisma is a vocal run.[2] The term roulade is also sometimes used interchangeably with melisma.[3][4]
History
The examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (November 2022) |
General
The term melisma may be used to describe music of any genre, including baroque singing, opera, and later gospel. Within the tradition of Religious Jewish music, melisma is still commonly used in the chanting of Torah, readings from the Prophets, and in the body of a service.[5]
Today, melisma is commonly used in
Prevalence in western popular music
The use of melisma is a common feature of artists such as
As late as 2007, melismatic singers such as
Examples
The traditional French carol tune to which the hymn "Angels We Have Heard on High" is usually sung (and "Angels from the Realms of Glory" in Great Britain), contains one of the most well known melismatic sequences in Christian hymn music. Twice in its refrain, the o of the word Gloria is held through 16 different notes.
George Frideric Handel's Messiah contains numerous examples of melisma, as in the following excerpt from the chorus "For Unto Us a Child Is Born" (Part I, No. 12). The soprano and alto lines engage in a 57-note melisma on the word born.
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-8264-6322-7.
- National Public Radio. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ISBN 9781111793449.
- ISBN 9781404706750.
- ISBN 978-0-486-27147-7.[page needed]
- ^ a b Browne, David (December 26, 2010). "Trilling Songbirds Clip Their Wings". The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ a b Everitt, Lauren (February 15, 2012). "Whitney Houston and the art of melisma". BBC News. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "'Whoa, Nelly!' review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ "'Vision of Love' sets off melisma trend". The Village Voice. February 4, 2003. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ Frere-Jones, Sasha (April 3, 2006). "On Top: Mariah Carey's record-breaking career". The New Yorker. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ "100 Greatest Singers of All Time: #79. Mariah Carey". Rolling Stone. November 27, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2019.