The Oceanic Birds
The Oceanic Birds is a devotional form of music directed toward the worship of Romimi Larkearthen originally devised by the elf Ithithe Duneclench. The form guides musicians during improvised performances. The music is played on a odsnen, a gasnasp and a osmlo. The musical voices bring melody, counterpoint and rhythm. The entire performance is to be soft. The melody and counterpoint both have long phrases throughout the form. It is performed using the usnusp scale. Throughout, when possible, performers are to add fills.
- The odsnen always should perform sweetly.
- The gasnasp always should bring a sense of motion.
- The osmlo always should be melancholic.
- The Oceanic Birds has a well-defined multi-passage structure: a theme, an exposition of the theme and a lengthy recapitulation of the theme.
- The theme is voiced by the melody of the gasnasp, the counterpoint of the osmlo and the rhythm of the odsnen. The passage accelerates as it proceeds. The gasnasp covers its entire range from the watery low register to the strident high register and the osmlo stays in the dark low register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage is performed in the ost rhythm.
- The exposition is voiced by the melody of the osmlo and the rhythm of the gasnasp. The passage gradually slows as it comes to an end. The osmlo stays in the dark high register and the gasnasp stays in the strident high register. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage. The passage is performed in the urdu rhythm.
- The recapitulation is voiced by the melody of the gasnasp, the rhythm of the odsnen and the rhythm of the osmlo. The passage is extremely fast. The gasnasp covers its entire range from the watery low register to the strident high register and the osmlo stays in the dark high register. This passage typically has some sparse chords. The passage is performed in free rhythm.
- Scales are constructed from eighteen notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1xxxx-xx-x-x-xxxxx-x-xxxO, 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. Preferred notes in the fundamental scale are named. The names are ekxox (spoken ek, 4th), asmuk (as, 5th), ok (ok, 11th) and slulasp (slu, 12th).
- The usnusp pentatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 5th, the 10th, the 13th and the 17th.
- 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 ost rhythm is made from two patterns: the slusna and the nuklat. As stated above, they are to be played in polymeter.
- The slusna rhythm is a single line with three beats. The beat is stressed as follows:
- | - - x |
- where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
- The nuklat rhythm is a single line with eight beats. The beat is stressed as follows:
- | x - x x x x x x |
- where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
- The urdu rhythm is made from two patterns: the odu and the sasne. As stated above, they are to be played in polymeter.
- The odu rhythm is a single line with seven beats. The beat is stressed as follows:
- | - - x - x x x |
- where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
- The sasne rhythm is a single line with thirty-two beats divided into six bars in a 6-5-8-6-2-5 pattern. 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 - x - x |
- where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
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