ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Melismatic

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Melismatic is an adjective meaning (music) Of, relating to, or being a melisma; the style of singing several notes to one syllable of text.

Meaning

(music) Of, relating to, or being a melisma; the style of singing several notes to one syllable of text.

Example Sentences

The melismatic content of this chant lies at the extreme of what is typical for responsories, usually considered among the most melismatic chant types.
Because slower metrical types are more melismatic and ornamented than primary-meter, their melodic-passages in both xipi and erhuang are more melismatic and complex than those of primary-meter.
1998, Barbara Newman, Introduction, Barbara Newman (translator), Hildegard von Bingen, Symphonia: A Critical Edition of the Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum, Cornell University Press, 2nd Edition, page 28, In general, the more melismatic a piece, the more solemn, elaborate, and difficult it is, and the more the text is dominated by the music.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include organum, melodic, melogenic, melopoetic, melic, countermelodic.

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Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

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