The Mauve Silkinesses
The Mauve Silkinesses is a form of music used for entertainment originally devised by the human Nek Esteemsinges. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. A chanter recites any composition of The Saffron Azure Aquamarine. The entire performance is at a free tempo, and it is to fade into silence. The melody has short phrases throughout the form. Only one pitch is ever played at a time. It is performed in the kaslal rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to play rapid runs and alternate tension and repose.
- The chanter always does the main melody and should be passionate.
- The Mauve Silkinesses has a well-defined multi-passage structure: an introduction, a theme and one to two series of variations on the theme possibly all repeated, a bridge-passage, a finale and a coda.
- In the introduction, the chanter's voice stays in the low register. The passage is performed using the icmon scale.
- In the theme, the chanter's voice ranges from the low register to the middle register. The passage is performed using the stalcon scale.
- In each of the series of variations, the chanter's voice ranges from the middle register to the high register. Each passage is performed using the ozi scale.
- In the bridge-passage, the chanter's voice ranges from the middle register to the high register. The passage is performed using the nithros scale.
- In the finale, the chanter's voice ranges from the middle register to the high register. The passage is performed using the ozi scale.
- In the coda, the chanter's voice stays in the high register. The passage is performed without preference for a scale.
- Scales are constructed from twenty-four notes spaced evenly throughout the octave. The tonic note is fixed only at the time of performance. Every note is named. The names are nek (spoken ne), lastta (la), cish (ci), ani (an), shato (sha), almef (al), onod (on), osp (osp), arin (ar), umo (um), rostfen (ro), hiner (hi), ohe (oh), nazweng (na), tod (to), zomuth (zo), bepa (be), noloc (no), kes (ke), suku (su), musda (mu), uzu (uz), onaf (on) and agthreb (ag).
- The icmon pentatonic scale is thought of as two disjoint chords spanning two perfect fourths. These chords are named ilpi and idla.
- The ilpi trichord is the 1st, the 3rd and the 11th degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
- The idla trichord is the 15th, the 22nd and the 25th (completing the octave) degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
- The stalcon heptatonic scale is thought of as two disjoint chords spanning two perfect fourths. These chords are named kasmko and othag.
- The kasmko tetrachord is the 1st, the 6th, the 7th and the 11th degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
- The othag tetrachord is the 15th, the 18th, the 20th and the 25th (completing the octave) degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
- The ozi heptatonic scale is thought of as two disjoint chords spanning two perfect fourths. These chords are named thad and tunem.
- The thad tetrachord is the 1st, the 3rd, the 8th and the 11th degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
- The tunem tetrachord is the 15th, the 21st, the 22nd and the 25th (completing the octave) degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
- The nithros pentatonic scale is thought of as two disjoint chords spanning two perfect fourths. These chords are named agtha and dik.
- The agtha trichord is the 1st, the 7th and the 11th degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
- The dik trichord is the 15th, the 21st and the 25th (completing the octave) degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
- The kaslal rhythm is a single line with twenty-one beats divided into three bars in a 7-7-7 pattern. The beats are named seggu (spoken se), tikbo (ti), apu (ap), sluste (slu), itlud (it), eman (em) and oth (oth). The beat is stressed as follows:
- | - - x - ! x x | - x - X x - - | - - x x - - - |
- where ! marks the primary accent, X marks an accented beat, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
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