Meaning & use
Melismas
Last updated
Passages of music in which a single syllable of text is sung across several different notes.
See it in a sentence
The singer's melismas stretched one syllable across an entire octave of notes.
Gospel music is famous for its dramatic melismas.
A note on using this word
The technique is common in gospel, R&B, and Middle Eastern vocal traditions, and traces back to Gregorian chant.
Words with a similar meaning
runsvocal ornamentation
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