The Silkiness of Lace

The Silkiness of Lace is a form of music used during marches and military engagements originating in The Gullies of Boarding. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. The music is played on a feferi and two thawa. The musical voices bring melody and counterpoint. The melody and counterpoint both have short phrases throughout the form. It is performed using the yaniye scale. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to use mordents and play legato.

• The feferi always does the main melody and should be graceful.
• Each thawa always does the counterpoint melody and should perform with feeling.
• The Silkiness of Lace has a well-defined multi-passage structure: a brief first theme, a lengthy exposition of the first theme, a second theme, an exposition of the second theme and a synthesis of previous passages.
• The first theme is moderately paced, and it is to be in whispered undertones. The feferi covers its entire range from the raucous low register to the buzzy high register and each of the thawa ranges from the watery middle register to the raspy high register. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage. The passage is performed in the cida rhythm.
• The first exposition gradually slows as it comes to an end, and it is to be very soft. The feferi ranges from the strident middle register to the buzzy high register and each of the thawa ranges from the heavy low register to the watery middle register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage is performed in the cameda rhythm.
• The second theme is half the tempo of the last passage, and it is to be very soft. The feferi ranges from the raucous low register to the strident middle register and each of the thawa ranges from the heavy low register to the watery middle register. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage. The passage is performed in the cenopu rhythm.
• The second exposition is moderately fast, and it is to be very soft. The feferi stays in the raucous low register and each of the thawa ranges from the heavy low register to the watery middle register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage is performed in the ile rhythm.
• The synthesis accelerates as it proceeds, and it is to become softer and softer. The feferi stays in the raucous low register and each of the thawa ranges from the watery middle register to the raspy high register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage is performed in the arile rhythm.
• Scales are constructed from twenty-four 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 otoga (spoken ot) and dinade (di).
• The yaniye heptatonic scale is thought of as two disjoint chords spanning two perfect fourths. These chords are named adi and fela.
• The adi tetrachord is the 1st, the 5th, the 6th and the 11th degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
• The fela tetrachord is the 15th, the 17th, the 22nd and the 25th (completing the octave) degrees of the quartertone 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 cida rhythm is made from two patterns: the cenopu (considered the primary) and the etini. As stated above, they are to be played in polymeter.
• The cenopu rhythm is a single line with sixteen beats divided into four bars in a 4-4-4-4 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x - - x | - - - x | - - x x | x - - - |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The etini rhythm is a single line with four beats divided into two bars in a 2-2 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x - | - x |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The cameda rhythm is made from two patterns: the ele (considered the primary) and the timafi. As stated above, they are to be played in polymeter.
• The ele rhythm is a single line with two beats. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x x |
• where x is a beat and | indicates a bar.
• The timafi rhythm is a single line with sixteen beats divided into four bars in a 4-4-4-4 pattern. The beats are named emu (spoken em), upe (up), amama (am) and thafatha (tha). The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x x x x | - x x x | x x x - | - - - x |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The ile rhythm is a single line with twenty-eight beats divided into seven bars in a 4-4-4-4-4-4-4 pattern. The beats are named atha (spoken ath), alo (al), aveya (av) and mafina (ma). 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 - - - |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The arile rhythm is a single line with thirty-two beats divided into eight bars in a 4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4 pattern. The beats are named opa (spoken op), eli (el), mifava (mi) and nanotha (na). The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - 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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