Melisma - Definition and Overview

In music, melisma is the process of singing more than one note while singing a single syllable of the lyrics of a song. The term originated with Gregorian Chants and baroque singing and carried on to gospel. Aretha Franklin is generally considered to be one of the better modern employers of the technique.

Melisma is commonly overused by the singers on television shows such as American Idol and too frequently employed in celebrity performances of "The Star-Spangled Banner" Once a rarity, melisma is common in popular singing in 2005.

External links

• New York Times article, May 18, 2003, "The State of American Singing as Heard on 'I-I-I-I-I-I-Idol'" by Jody Rosen (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/18/arts/television/18ROSE.html?ex=1054333992&ei=1&en=d470349012606c30)
• American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language entry on "melisma" (http://www.bartleby.com/61/69/M0206900.html)
• Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary entry on melisma (http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textm/Melisma.html)

References

• Adapted from the Internet-Encyclopedia article, "Melisma" Internet-Encyclopedia, article "Melisma" (http://www.internet-encyclopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Melisma)