Melisma [Example1: plainchant, Alleluia: Nativitas: CD 594.] A melisma is a group of pitches sung to one syllable of text in vocal music. It has the effect of extending, or embellishing, that syllable. A melisma can comprise anything from two notes to forty or more. It can thus last from a fraction of time to ten seconds or longer. Successive text syllables can each carry a melisma, which results in a continuous melisma stretching over those syllables. Melisma serves a variety of purposesemphatic, illustrative, expressive, and formal. At its most basic, melisma adds a lyrical dimension to the treatment of the textit allows the music to have a life of its own, rather than serving the text slavishly. Here first is an example from medieval plainchant. Melismas are heard on the syllables "le," "lu," and "ia":
[Example 2: plainchant Alleluia: Nativitas: CD594.] Listen to the following passage from Britten's War Requiem (1962). It describes life in the trenches during World War I, with the sound of enemy artillery screaming overhead. The words are: The first seven syllables have just one note each. This is called "syllabic style." Then a solo tenor voice launches into ten notes of melisma on the word "wailing":
[Example 3: Britten, War Requiem, mvt. 1, CD3807.]
This melisma does three things simultaneously:
The aria "Casta Diva" from Bellini's opera Norma (1831) demonstrates that melisma is not always restricted to a single word; it is often applied to phrases, sentences, and entire texts. When a melody makes frequent use of melismas, as this one does, the adjective melismatic is used to describe it:
[Example 4: Bellini: Norma, Act I, "Casta Diva": CD1140.] Far from being restricted to classical music, melisma is also found widely in many kinds of popular music. In the following excerpt from "Ray of Light," a song by Madonna, the line "Quicker than a ray of light" is sung twice in syllabic style. The third repetition also begins syllabically, but ends in a nine-note melisma on the word "light":
[Example 5: Madonna, "Ray of Light."] Melisma is not just a Western phenomenon; it is heard in most cultures around the world. Here is an example from Beijing opera: [Fig.7: Beijing Opera.] [Example 6: Beijing Opera: Sun Wukong [The Monkey King], scene 1.]
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