Mitch Friedfeld <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>.... Take the Messiah. In "Glory to God in the Highest," the word "high"
>is on the highest note. When the bass sings "The Nations Shake," he is
>very melismatic, shaking. Outside of classical music, Elvis Costello in
>"Alison" stops the music at the word "Stop" (IIRC). ... What's that
>device called?
The technique is called "text painting." Other examples are readily found
in Haydn's "Creation."
Jonathan Knapp