The Satin of Saffron

The Satin of Saffron is a form of music used to commemorate important events originating in The Union of Moments. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. A chanter recites nonsensical words and sounds while the music is played on a aquov, a apo and three milub. The musical voices bring melody, counterpoint and rhythm. The entire performance is consistently slowing, and it is to fade into silence. The melody has long phrases, while the counterpoint has short phrases throughout the form. It is performed in free rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to syncopate, add fills, play arpeggios and play staccato.

• The chanter always should be broad. The voice ranges from the middle register to the high register.
• The aquov always should feel calm. The voice stays in the strident low register.
• The apo always does the main melody, should perform sweetly and plays rapid runs.
• Each milub always should be stately. The voice stays in the wispy low register.
• The Satin of Saffron has the following structure: an introduction and three lengthy unrelated passages.
• The introduction is voiced by the melody of the apo, the melody of the milub, the counterpoint of the chanter reciting nonsensical words and sounds and the rhythm of the aquov. The apo stays in the fragile middle register, each of the milub stays in the wispy low register, the chanter's voice ranges from the middle register to the high register and the aquov stays in the strident low register. Chords are packed close together in dense clusters in this passage. The passage is performed using the shato scale.
• Each of the simple passages is voiced by the melody of the apo. The apo stays in the heavy low register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. Each passage is performed using the nek scale.
• Scales are conceived of as two chords built using a division of the perfect fourth interval into eight notes. The tonic note is fixed only at the time of performance.
• As always, the shato heptatonic scale is thought of as two disjoint chords drawn from the fundamental division of the perfect fourth. These chords are named use and ramet.
• The use tetrachord is the 1st, the 4th, the 5th and the 8th degrees of the fundamental perfect fourth division.
• The ramet tetrachord is the 1st, the 6th, the 7th and the 8th degrees of the fundamental perfect fourth division.
• As always, the nek hexatonic scale is thought of as two disjoint chords drawn from the fundamental division of the perfect fourth. These chords are named agtha and woge.
• The agtha trichord is the 1st, the 5th and the 8th degrees of the fundamental perfect fourth division.
• The woge tetrachord is the 1st, the 2nd, the 4th and the 8th degrees of the fundamental perfect fourth division.

Events