The Beloved Glosses

The Beloved Glosses is a form of music used to commemorate important events originally devised by the elf Fira Scarivy. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. One to three speakers recite nonsensical words and sounds while the music is played on one to two thefira and a foli. The music is melody and rhythm without harmony. The melody has phrases of varied length throughout the form. It is performed without preference for a scale. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to use mordents and alternate tension and repose.

• Each speaker always should stress the rhythm.
• Each thefira always provides the rhythm and should be passionate.
• The foli always does the main melody and should be passionate.
• The Beloved Glosses has a well-defined multi-passage structure: a verse and a chorus all repeated two times, a bridge-passage, a chorus and a verse and a coda.
• The first verse is moderately fast, and it is to be moderately loud. The foli stays in the flat high register. Chords are packed close together in dense clusters in this passage. The passage is performed in the lolama rhythm.
• The first chorus accelerates as it proceeds, and it is to be moderately loud. The foli stays in the heavy low register. This passage is richly layered with full chords making use of the available range. The passage is performed in the pama rhythm.
• The bridge-passage is at a free tempo, and it is to become louder and louder. The foli ranges from the heavy low register to the even middle register. This passage is richly layered with full chords making use of the available range. The passage is performed in the masa rhythm.
• The second chorus is at a walking pace, and it is to be moderately loud. The foli stays in the heavy low register. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage. The passage is performed in the etini rhythm.
• The second verse is at a hurried pace, and it is to be very loud. The foli covers its entire range from the heavy low register to the flat high register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage is performed in the itho rhythm.
• The coda moves more quickly than the last passage, and it is to become softer and softer. The foli ranges from the heavy low register to the even middle register. Chords are packed close together in dense clusters in this passage. The passage is performed in the licesi rhythm.
• 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 lolama rhythm is made from two patterns: the ele (considered the primary) and the pama. As stated above, they are to be played in polymeter.
• The ele 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 pama rhythm is a single line with four beats. The beats are named mathuva (spoken ma), bulifo (bu), ada (ad) and icithi (ic). The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x - x x |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The masa 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 etini rhythm is a single line with four beats divided into two bars in a 2-2 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x - | - x |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The itho rhythm is made from two patterns: the etini (considered the primary) and the ile. As stated above, they are to be played in polymeter.
• The ile rhythm is a single line with twenty-eight beats divided into seven bars in a 4-4-4-4-4-4-4 pattern. The beats are named atha (spoken ath), alo (al), aveya (av) and mafina (ma). The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - - x - | x x x - | x x x x | x - x x | x x x x | x x - x | x - - - |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The licesi rhythm is made from two patterns: the pama (considered the primary) and the etini.

Events

• In midautumn of 172, The Beloved Glosses was created by the elf Fira Scarivy in Tealpanthers