melismatic
Many notes, one syllable
Melismatic describes singing in which a single syllable is stretched across multiple notes, the voice moving fluidly through a melodic passage rather than hitting one note per syllable.
The style is central to gospel, R&B, and opera: Her melismatic runs turned a simple hymn into something transcendent.
The opposite approach, one note per syllable, is syllabic.
Elaborate vocal ornamentation
- rouladeFilled roll, savory or sweet
- vibratoOscillating pitch effect
- glissandoRapid pitch sweep
- legatoUnbroken musical phrasing
aria · recitative · soprano · mezzo-soprano · contralto · countertenor · tenor · baritone
Named for Pope Gregory
- chantRepetitive rhythmic phrase
- psalmodySacred vocal music practice
- hymnodySacred song tradition
- liturgyFormal worship structure
sacred · polyphony · plainchant · antiphon · alleluia · mass · vespers · requiem
Decorated or exaggerated
- floridExcessively ornate or ruddy
- elaborateComplex and detailed
- intricateElaborately detailed, many parts
- baroqueExcessively ornate or elaborate
arabesque · ornamental · decorative · filigree · rococo · gilded · luxuriant · virtuosic
coloratura
Elaborate vocal ornamentation
legato · aria · recitative · soprano · mezzo-soprano · contralto · countertenor · tenor · baritone · bass
gregorian
Named for Pope Gregory
liturgy · sacred · polyphony · plainchant · antiphon · alleluia · mass · vespers · requiem · motet
embellished
Decorated or exaggerated
- floridExcessively ornate or ruddy
- elaborateComplex and detailed
- intricateElaborately detailed, many parts
baroque · arabesque · ornamental · decorative · filigree · rococo · gilded · luxuriant · virtuosic · showy
undulating
Moving in waves
- serpentineCurving in repeated bends
- sinuousCurving in flowing turns
- windingCurving repeatedly, sinuous
meandering · fluid · rippling · cascading · lyrical · supple · wavelike · curving
melismaticplain
Basic and unremarkable
unadorned · unornamented · simple · austere · unembellished