I found out a new word today - melismatic

[UnquietDad]

It means - and I didn't even know there was a word to describe this - that really, really, annoying style of singing one syllable over several notes, as employed by Mariah Carey, Alexandra Burke, Melody from the Pussycat Dolls and Beyonce.

Ooh interesting. How does one use it in a sentence?

lol - they've been doing that in music for centuries (singing on syllable over several notes)

Mariah Carey is a touch too melismatic for my taste.

(fab - I shall use it all the time now)

And medieval and renaissance music, where it is perfectly normal and not annoying (unless you hate early music). In fact while I'm at it - a great deal of classical music isn't syllabic. And probably quite a lot of pop too. (But I'm a bit clueless about pop)

And en vogue....

Sorry FAQ x-post!

Melisma in much pop music annoys me intensly but it can be quite beautiful in classical music.

And Purcell of course...

I saw a great phrase used by DaDaDa...- referring to housing market... 'Never catch a falling knife' excellent.

Perfect example of melisma if you need one: Aaron Neville right at the end of "I don't know much" (the duet with Linda Ronstandt).

I Attempt from Lo o oves sickness
To fly yyyy yyyy yy yyy yyyy yy y y y yy yy i in vai ain.

Grade 5 singing many moons ago

If only X factor were still on. Would have a valid reason to drop that in the conversation and impress dh.

Yes, I know it's been around for ages but it seems so-o-o-o-o-o much more anno-y-oyo-oying the way those la-ay-ay-ay-aydeeees do it.

www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/oct/19/popandrock2

I call it 'chin singing', in that they always chin wobble at the same time. Bleurghh.

Glo ooooo ooooo ooooo ria in excelsis deo..

And I-ay-ay-ay-ay will always love you-oo-ooo-oo-oo

ew-ew-ew

But Gregorian chant is wonderfully melismatic.

I think Ding Dong merrily marks the transition between the ages.

great word uqd
she sings a tad too melismatically for my liking..our mariah i mean

Dh spends an awful lot of time trying to get rid of peoples "chin wobble" lol. It's an awful technique.

And yet it is rather splendid when Freddie Mercury does it on "Somebody To-oo-ooh...... Lo-o-o-o-o-o-uur-urr oooo-ve."

The girl on the original cast recording of We Will Rock You is pretty good too.

By conincidence I have just been listening to that!

But her chin doesn't wobble.

Ooh good word!

Funny I was laughing at a great example of that very thing yesterdayMariah aka Katy Brand

But there's a difference, isn't there, between lots of notes in one syllable that are part of the tune, and that awful Leona Lewis [sp?] style of adding lots of extra wobbly notes in to show off your voice.

Great word, though!

Whitney Houston must be queen of this surely?