What does the term "melismatic" refer to in vocal music?

The term "melismatic" specifically refers to the practice of singing multiple notes on a single syllable of text. This technique is often used in various styles of vocal music to add expressiveness and embellishment to a melodic line. By elongating a vowel sound across several pitches, singers can create a more intricate and emotionally rich performance.

In contrast, the other choices represent different concepts in music. For example, the use of single tones only would imply a more straightforward, syllabic style where each syllable corresponds to a single note, which is the opposite of melismatic singing. The notation of melodies through scores focuses on the method of documenting music rather than the vocal technique itself, while the employment of spoken word instead of singing addresses a different form of musical expression altogether. These distinctions highlight the unique nature of melismatic singing in enhancing musical performance.