melisma
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of melisma
First recorded in 1605–15, melisma is from the Greek word mélisma “song, tune”; see melody, -ism
Explanation
Melisma is a musical term used to describe the technique of singing a single text syllable — like "love" — while moving between several different notes in succession. Melisma, often referred to as "riffing," is a common technique in rhythm and blues. You'll hear it in other types of music, too, including pop, opera, and gospel music. Melisma is often used to showcase a singer's agility and range, or to add flair to a song. You'll sometimes hear singers using melisma on words like "brave" and "free" when singing the U.S. national anthem. The opposite of melisma is syllabic singing, where each syllable of a word gets just one note — think "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He asked permission to try it out in front of the London audience, before drifting into a wordless, intimate melisma.
From BBC • Aug. 14, 2024
As an example, he cites her vocal melisma on the flamenco track, “Bulerías” — “nobody else in pop can touch that,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2022
Beyoncé’s proficiencies include the art of publicity, and her messaging is as precise as her melisma.
From The New Yorker • Apr. 18, 2019
Her use of melisma was impeccably tasteful — always just enough, never too much.
From Washington Post • Aug. 16, 2018
The closing words of each Psalm are chanted more 171 slowly and impressively, a long "triad" being substituted for the "melisma," sung piano.
From Letters of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy from Italy and Switzerland by Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
