Mitch Friedfield writes:

>What is it called when the music takes the shape of what's in the lyrics?
>
>Maybe I'd better try to describe it.  Take the Messiah.  In "Glory to God
>in the Highest," the word "high" is on the highest note.

Two more examples from Beethoven's Missa Solemnis:

"Et resurrexit tertia die secundam scripturas" is sung by the tenors at the
top of their range, and then "Et ascendit" is sung to an ascending scale.

len.