melisma [mi-liz-muh], noun.
plural, melismata [-muh-tuh]
an ornamental phrase of several notes sung to one syllable of text, found everywhere from Indian classical music and Gregorian chant to the song of the Orthodox Jewish cantor and the Islamic muezzin, dirty blues, and American Idol-style crooning
Continuing Education:
"In Search of the Lost Melisma" and excellent video-essay on the origins of melismatic song by Jack Rusher, published on awesome epistemology blog Rhetorical Device.
"How 'American Idol' Uses (And Abuses Melisma)", by Michael Katzif, NPR.
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