melisma
English
Alternative forms
- melism
Etymology
From Ancient Greek μέλισμα (mélisma, “song”), from μελίζω (melízō, “(I) sing, modulate; (I) celebrate in song”), from μέλος (mélos, “song, tune, melody; limb, part; member”).
Pronunciation
- (UK, US) IPA(key): /məˈlɪzmə/
Noun
melisma (countable and uncountable, plural melismas or melismata)
- (music, countable) A passage of several notes sung to one syllable of text.
- 1985, Anthony Burgess, Kingdom of the Wicked:
- A choir sang one of the Lamentations of Jeremiah. The mournful melisma accompanied the slow procession to the palace built by Herod the Great, at present untenanted.
- 2007, Michael Chabon, Gentlemen of the Road, Sceptre 2008, p. 38:
- At the top of the hill in the archway of the main house, an eyeless old man sat on a bucket, scratching at a two-stringed gourd, warbling weird melismas on a madman's text.
- 1985, Anthony Burgess, Kingdom of the Wicked:
- (music, uncountable) The use of such passages.
- 2010 December 24, David Browne, “Trilling Songbirds Clip Their Wings”, in The New York Times, ISSN 0362-4331:
- A subsequent generation of singers, including Ms. Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé, built their careers around melisma.
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Translations
a passage of several notes sung to one syllable of text
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References
- melisma in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
Anagrams
- lammies
Czech
Noun
melisma n
- (music) melisma
Declension of melisma
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | melisma | melismata |
| genitive | melismatu | melismat |
| dative | melismatu | melismatům |
| accusative | melisma | melismata |
| vocative | melisma | melismata |
| locative | melismatu | melismatech |
| instrumental | melismatem | melismaty |
Derived terms
- melismatický
- melismaticky
- melismatika
Further reading
- melisma in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
- melisma in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
Portuguese
Noun
melisma m (plural melismas)
- (music) melisma (a passage of several notes sung to one syllable of text)
Spanish
Noun
melisma m (plural melismas)
- melisma
Further reading
- “melisma”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014