The Wonders of Lace
The Wonders of Lace is a form of music used during marches and military engagements originally devised by the elf Are Queenpack. The form guides musicians during improvised performances. The music is played on a otoga, a irede and a refa. The music is melody and rhythm without harmony. The entire performance is to be in whispered undertones. It is performed using the adi scale and in free rhythm. Throughout, when possible, performers are to glide from note to note, make trills and play rapid runs.
- The otoga always should be delicate.
- The irede always does the main melody and should perform with a light touch.
- The refa always should feel tender.
- The Wonders of Lace has a well-defined multi-passage structure: three unrelated passages, a bridge-passage and a lengthy finale.
- Each of the simple passages is voiced by the melody of the otoga, the melody of the irede and the melody of the refa. Each passage is very slow. The otoga ranges from the quavering middle register to the dark high register and the irede covers its entire range from the quavering low register to the sparkling high register. Each passage has long phrases in the melody. Chords are packed close together in dense clusters in this passage.
- The bridge-passage is voiced by the melody of the irede and the rhythm of the otoga. The passage accelerates as it proceeds. The irede covers its entire range from the quavering low register to the sparkling high register and the otoga stays in the dark high register. The passage has phrases of varied length in the melody. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage.
- The finale is voiced by the melody of the irede and the melody of the refa. The passage is at a walking pace. The irede ranges from the muddy middle register to the sparkling high register. The passage has short phrases in the melody. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage.
- Scales are constructed from fifteen notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1-x-x-x-xx-x-xxxx-xx-x-xO, where 1 is the tonic, O marks the octave and x marks other notes. The tonic note is a fixed tone passed from teacher to student.
- The adi heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 2nd, the 6th, the 7th, the 9th, the 11th and the 14th.
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