The Lavender Aquamarine

The Lavender Aquamarine is a form of music used to commemorate important events originating in The Humid Volcano. 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 two to four rithzam, a nil and a alek. The musical voices cover melody, harmony and rhythm. The entire performance should feel mysterious. The melody has long phrases throughout the form. It is performed using the nicol scale and in free rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to locally improvise and play legato.

• The chanter always does the main melody.
• Each rithzam always provides the rhythm.
• The nil always does harmony.
• The alek always does harmony.
• The Lavender Aquamarine has a well-defined multi-passage structure: three to four unrelated passages, a lengthy bridge-passage and a lengthy finale.
• Each of the simple passages gradually slows as it comes to an end, and it is to start loud then be immediately soft. The chanter's voice covers its entire range, the nil stays in the piercing high register and each of the rithzam ranges from the muddy low register to the quavering middle register. This passage is richly layered with full chords making use of the available range. Each passage should often include a falling melody pattern with mordents, trills and staccato.
• The bridge-passage slows and broadens, and it is to be moderately loud. The chanter's voice ranges from the low register to the middle register, the nil covers its entire range from the buzzy low register to the piercing high register and each of the rithzam ranges from the quavering middle register to the raucous high register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage should sometimes include a falling-rising melody pattern with sharpened third degree on the rise as well as trills, rapid runs, arpeggios and staccato and often include a rising melody pattern.
• The finale is extremely fast, and it is to be very loud. The chanter's voice ranges from the low register to the middle register, the nil stays in the buzzy low register and each of the rithzam ranges from the quavering middle register to the raucous high register. This passage is richly layered with full chords making use of the available range. The passage should sometimes include a rising melody pattern with trills and rapid runs, always include a rising-falling melody pattern with mordents and trills, often include a falling-rising melody pattern with flattened third degree on the rise as well as glides, trills and staccato and always include a falling melody pattern with staccato.
• Scales are constructed from nineteen notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1xx-xxxx-xx-xxx-xxx-xxxxO, 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 nicol hexatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 2nd, the 7th, the 10th, the 14th and the 16th.

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