The Festive Tulips

The Festive Tulips is a form of music used during marches and military engagements originally devised by the elf Nidela Coupletames. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. The music is played on a iki, a ela, a lethathi and one to five ece. The music is melody and rhythm without harmony. The entire performance should be made expressively. It is performed using the warere scale. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to make trills.

• The iki always does the main melody.
• The ela always provides the rhythm.
• The lethathi always does the main melody.
• Each ece always provides the rhythm.
• The Festive Tulips has a well-defined multi-passage structure: a first theme, a lengthy exposition of the first theme, a lengthy second theme, an exposition of the second theme, a bridge-passage and a synthesis of previous passages.
• The first theme is moderately fast, and it is to be very loud. The iki stays in the heavy high register, the lethathi covers its entire range from the rippling low register to the muddy high register and the ela stays in the floating low register. The passage has short phrases in the melody. This passage is richly layered with full chords making use of the available range. The passage is performed in the fela rhythm.
• The first exposition is at a hurried pace, and it is to be very loud. The iki stays in the heavy high register, the lethathi covers its entire range from the rippling low register to the muddy high register and the ela ranges from the floating middle register to the rich high register. The passage has mid-length phrases in the melody. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage. The passage is performed in the upe rhythm.
• The second theme gradually slows as it comes to an end, and it is to become louder and louder. The iki ranges from the strident middle register to the heavy high register, the lethathi stays in the muddy high register and the ela stays in the floating low register. The passage has long phrases in the melody. This passage is richly layered with full chords making use of the available range. The passage is performed in the cenopu rhythm.
• The second exposition is fast, and it is to start loud then be immediately soft. The iki ranges from the buzzy low register to the strident middle register, the lethathi stays in the rippling low register and the ela covers its entire range from the floating low register to the rich high register. The passage has phrases of varied length in the melody. Chords are packed close together in dense clusters in this passage. The passage is performed in free rhythm. The passage should be composed and performed using staccato.
• The bridge-passage is extremely fast, and it is to be very soft. The iki ranges from the strident middle register to the heavy high register, the lethathi stays in the rippling low register and the ela stays in the floating middle register. The passage has phrases of varied length in the melody. This passage is richly layered with full chords making use of the available range. The passage is performed in the yaniye rhythm. The passage should be composed and performed using fills.
• The synthesis is moderately fast, and it is to be loud. The iki stays in the heavy high register, the lethathi covers its entire range from the rippling low register to the muddy high register and the ela ranges from the low register to the middle register. The passage has mid-length phrases in the melody. This passage typically has some sparse chords. The passage is performed in the emu rhythm. The passage should be composed and performed using staccato.
• Scales are constructed from seventeen notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1-xxxx-x-x-x-xxx-xxxx-xxO, where 1 is the tonic, O marks the octave and x marks other notes. The tonic note is fixed only at the time of performance.
• The warere hexatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 4th, the 8th, the 10th, the 13th and the 16th.
• The rhythm system is fundamentally polyrhythmic. There are always multiple rhythm lines, and each of their bars is played over the same period of time, regardless of the number of beats. The rhythm lines are thought of as one, without a primary-subordinate relationship, though individual lines can be named.
• The rhythm system is fundamentally polymetric. There are always multiple rhythm lines, and the beats are always played together, even if one rhythm line completes (and then repeats) before the other is finished. The rhythm lines are thought of as one, without a primary-subordinate relationship, though individual lines can be named.
• The fela rhythm is a single line with two beats. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - x |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The upe rhythm is made from two patterns: the atho (considered the primary) and the dinade. As stated above, they are to be played in polyrhythm.
• The atho rhythm is a single line with twelve beats divided into four bars in a 3-3-3-3 pattern. 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.
• The dinade rhythm is a single line with two beats. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x x |
• where x is a beat and | indicates a bar.
• The cenopu rhythm is made from three patterns: the fena (considered the primary), the yaniye and the fela. As stated above, they are to be played in polyrhythm.
• The fena rhythm is a single line with eight beats divided into two bars in a 4-4 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - x - - | x x - - |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The yaniye rhythm is a single line with four beats. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - - - x |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The emu rhythm is made from two patterns: the aweme (considered the primary) and the otoga. As stated above, they are to be played in polyrhythm.
• The aweme rhythm is a single line with four beats. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x X x x |
• where X marks an accented beat, x is a beat and | indicates a bar.
• The otoga rhythm is a single line with thirty-two beats divided into eight bars in a 4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - x - - | - x - - | x x - - | x x X - | - - - x | - x - x | - - - x | x x X x |
• where X marks an accented beat, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.

Events

• In late winter of 149, The Festive Tulips was created by the elf Nidela Coupletames in Authorblossomed