Mitch Friedfeld wrote: >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. 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). IIRC, it was called "the doctrine of the affections," or something like that. Handel, of course, was only carrying on a tradition that other Baroque composers going back to Monteverdi (the Second Practice and all that) used, and I'm almost certain others farther back in the past did it as well. >This is the first time in history that Costello and Handel have been >mentioned in the same sentence. You have certainly forgotten about that old B movie, "Abbott and Costello Meet George Frederick Handel".....? Bill H.