melisma

noun2

1. •
   A passage of several notes sung to one syllable of text.

   • A choir sang one of the Lamentations of Jeremiah. The mournful melisma accompanied the slow procession to the palace built by Herod the Great, at present untenanted. — 1985
2. •
   The use of such passages.

   • A subsequent generation of singers, including Ms. Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé, built their careers around melisma. — 2010