| 释义 |
‖ melisma Mus.|mɪˈlɪzmə|
Pl. melismata, melismas.
[Gr. µέλισµα song, air, melody.]
(See quot. 1880.) Also, in singing, the prolongation of one syllable over a number of notes.
[1611T. Ravenscroft (title) Melismata; Musical Phansies fitting the Court, Citie, and Countrey Humours.] 1880W. S. Rockstro in Grove Dict. Mus. II. 248/2 Melisma. Any kind of Air, or Melody, as opposed to Recitative, or other music of a purely declamatory character. Thus, Mendelssohn employs the term in order to distinguish the Mediation and Ending of a Gregorian Tone from the Dominant, or Reciting Note. Other writers sometimes use it (less correctly) in the sense of Fioritura, or even Cadenza. 1881Mrs. Wodehouse ibid. III. 618/2 These melodic melismas also allow the voice great scope in the so-called ‘kehrreim’ or refrain. 1938Oxf. Compan. Mus. 557/1 The melisma is a feature of eighteenth-century vocal music, often used merely for display purposes but also descriptively and for emotional expression (Handel, ‘Rejoice greatly’ and ‘Thou shalt break them’ in Messiah; Bach in such words as ‘wept’ and ‘scourged’ in his Passions). 1957Times 22 Oct. 3/1 Some of the tunes were of considerable interest, varying from oriental melismata to a modal melody like an English folksong. 1959Listener 8 Jan. 80/2 The opening cantabile theme..continuously flows into more ornate melismata. Ibid. 15 Jan. 145/2 Little arabesques and melismas. 1962A. Huxley Island xiv. 242 Long-drawn, almost bird-like melismata on a single vowel sound. 1963Times 27 Dec. 4/7 The melismas with altered vowels (‘I saw her yesterday-ee-ay’) which have not quite become mannered. 1965Observer 5 Sept. 24/8, I enjoy the graceful vocal melisma of the improvisations. 1971Daily Tel. 25 June 10/4 The melismata of Boulez' ‘Pli selon Pli’ are wearing well. 1972E. T. Sithole in T. Kochman Rappin' & Stylin' Out 70 The black man..appreciates the rhythm of his speech and retains it in his songs by avoiding the melisma (many notes to one syllable of a word), as most of the Negro spirituals illustrate.
Hence meˌlisˈmatic a., ornate or florid in melody; also melisˈmatics n. pl., the art of florid or ornate vocalization. (Cent. Dict.).
1909C. H. H. Parry J. S. Bach 99 A recitative for soprano with a beautiful melismatic close. 1936Jrnl. Theol. Stud. XXXVII. 165 Does that mean that these sequences were originally intended to be sung as they stand, and that afterwards the melismatic form was combined with the syllabic? 1971Daily Tel. 6 May 14/6 The English performances..entirely lacked the minute melismatic ornaments..that gave the Greek singers' performances their idiomatic character. 1972Times 29 May 5/4 The sopranos, soaring effortlessly through melismatic phrases like ‘music’, ‘praise’ and ‘rejoice’. |