The Lavender Songs

The Lavender Songs is a form of music used to commemorate important events originating in The Wild Seasons. The form guides musicians during improvised performances. The music is played on two thiliri. The melody has long phrases throughout the form. It is performed using the atho scale and in free rhythm. Throughout, when possible, performers are to alternate tension and repose.

• Each thiliri always does the main melody and should be passionate.
• The Lavender Songs has a well-defined multi-passage structure: a first theme, an exposition of the first theme, a second theme, an exposition of the second theme, a synthesis of previous passages, a bridge-passage and a lengthy finale.
• The first theme is very fast, and it is to be soft. Each of the thiliri ranges from the muddy middle register to the shrill high register. Chords are packed close together in dense clusters in this passage.
• The first exposition gradually slows as it comes to an end, and it is to be moderately soft. Each of the thiliri ranges from the watery low register to the muddy middle register. This passage typically has some sparse chords.
• The second theme is extremely fast, and it is to be very loud. Each of the thiliri covers its entire range from the watery low register to the shrill high register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals.
• The second exposition accelerates as it proceeds, and it is to be very soft. Each of the thiliri stays in the shrill high register. This passage typically has some sparse chords.
• The synthesis is slow, and it is to become louder and louder. Each of the thiliri covers its entire range from the watery low register to the shrill high register. This passage is richly layered with full chords making use of the available range.
• The bridge-passage slows and broadens, and it is to become softer and softer. Each of the thiliri covers its entire range from the watery low register to the shrill high register. This passage typically has some sparse chords.
• The finale gradually slows as it comes to an end, and it is to be loud. Each of the thiliri ranges from the watery low register to the muddy middle register. Chords are packed close together in dense clusters in this passage.
• Scales are constructed from twenty-four notes spaced evenly throughout the octave. The tonic note is fixed only at the time of performance.
• The atho heptatonic scale is thought of as two disjoint chords spanning a tritone and a perfect fourth. These chords are named ifife and aweme.
• The ifife tetrachord is the 1st, the 6th, the 12th and the 13th degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
• The aweme tetrachord is the 15th, the 16th, the 24th and the 25th (completing the octave) degrees of the quartertone octave scale.

Events