something I learned today - a new word -
Melisma, in music, is the technique of changing the note (pitch) of a single syllable of text while it is being sung. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic, as opposed to syllabic, where each syllable of text is matched to a single note.
Alicia Keys has made a career out of his, as has Mariah Carey. Probably the most famous use of melisma is in the Christmas tune “Angels We Have Heard on High”, on the word Gloria.
very interesting.