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melisma (mi-LIZ-muh) - n., an ornamental phrase of a single syllable sung over several notes.
As done in plainchant, but also in blues, pop romantic ballads, et cet. Can also mean melodic adornment in general. Dictionaries online disagree over when it was borrowed from Greek mélisma, song, tune (the origin of melody), with claims ranging from around 1610 to around 1880. Since none of these give an actual citation, the question needs to be remanded to a good dictionary.
---L.
As done in plainchant, but also in blues, pop romantic ballads, et cet. Can also mean melodic adornment in general. Dictionaries online disagree over when it was borrowed from Greek mélisma, song, tune (the origin of melody), with claims ranging from around 1610 to around 1880. Since none of these give an actual citation, the question needs to be remanded to a good dictionary.
---L.
