The Desserts of Style

The Desserts of Style is a form of music used for entertainment originating in The Lilac of Praise. The form guides musicians during improvised performances. The music is played on a imama. It is performed using the datome scale. Throughout, when possible, performers are to play legato.

• The imama always does the main melody and should be melancholic.
• The Desserts of Style has a well-defined multi-passage structure: an introduction, a lengthy verse and a chorus all repeated one to two times, a bridge-passage, a brief verse and a chorus, a bridge-passage and a finale.
• The introduction slows and broadens, and it is to become softer and softer. The imama stays in the strident middle register. The passage has mid-length phrases in the melody. This passage typically has some sparse chords. The passage is performed in the efeye rhythm.
• The first verse gradually slows as it comes to an end, and it is to be moderately loud. The imama covers its entire range from the rippling low register to the muddy high register. The passage has phrases of varied length in the melody. This passage typically has some sparse chords. The passage is performed in free rhythm.
• The first chorus is at a hurried pace, and it is to become softer and softer. The imama ranges from the rippling low register to the strident middle register. The passage has short phrases in the melody. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage is performed in the cameda rhythm.
• The first bridge-passage is extremely fast, and it is to be in whispered undertones. The imama stays in the muddy high register. The passage has mid-length phrases in the melody. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage is performed in the upe rhythm.
• The second verse is moderately paced, and it is to become louder and louder. The imama ranges from the rippling low register to the strident middle register. The passage has short phrases in the melody. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage is performed in the itho rhythm.
• The second chorus slows and broadens, and it is to fade into silence. The imama stays in the muddy high register. The passage has long phrases in the melody. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage is performed in the camaba rhythm.
• The second bridge-passage is very slow, and it is to be very loud. The imama covers its entire range from the rippling low register to the muddy high register. The passage has phrases of varied length in the melody. This passage is richly layered with full chords making use of the available range. The passage is performed in free rhythm.
• The finale slows and broadens, and it is to start loud then be immediately soft. The imama ranges from the strident middle register to the muddy high register. The passage has long phrases in the melody. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage. The passage is performed in the pama rhythm.
• Scales are constructed from twelve notes spaced evenly throughout the octave. The tonic note is a fixed tone passed from teacher to student. After a scale is constructed, the root note of chords are named. The names are imeri (spoken im) and thuna (thu).
• The datome scale is thought of as joined chords spanning a perfect fifth and a perfect fourth. These chords are named fathinu and fomire.
• The fathinu trichord is the 1st, the 5th and the 8th degrees of the semitone octave scale.
• The fomire trichord is the 8th, the 12th and the 13th (completing the octave) degrees of the semitone octave scale.
• 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 efeye rhythm is made from two patterns: the mathuva (considered the primary) and the mamo. As stated above, they are to be played in polymeter.
• The mathuva rhythm is a single line with four beats divided into two bars in a 2-2 pattern. The beats are named bulifo (spoken bu) and ada (ad). The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - x | x - |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The mamo 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 cameda rhythm is made from two patterns: the arazi (considered the primary) and the mathuva. As stated above, they are to be played in polymeter.
• The arazi rhythm is a single line with sixteen beats divided into two bars in a 8-8 pattern. The beats are named fidale (spoken fi), tarathe (ta), cuthefi (cu), cede (ce), otoga (ot), dinade (di), ele (el) and timafi (ti). The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x X x x x - - x | - - - - - x - - |
• where X marks an accented beat, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The upe rhythm is a single line with eight beats. The beats are named amama (spoken am), thafatha (tha), etini (et), ile (il), atha (ath), alo (al), aveya (av) and mafina (ma). The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - - x X x - - x |
• where X marks an accented beat, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The itho rhythm is made from two patterns: the upe and the pama. As stated above, they are to be played in polymeter.
• The pama rhythm is a single line with sixteen beats divided into two bars in a 8-8 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - - - - - x - - | - - x x x X x x |
• where X marks an accented beat, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The camaba rhythm is made from two patterns: the oma (considered the primary) and the mathuva. As stated above, they are to be played in polymeter.
• The oma 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.

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