The Azure Droplet

The Azure Droplet is a form of music used during marches and military engagements originating in The Fortunate Confederacy. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. A speaker recites any composition of The Mysterious Deep while the music is played on a theni and a ucaf. The music is melody and rhythm without harmony. It is performed using the kasmko scale and in the onod rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to syncopate.

• The speaker always is to be moderately soft.
• The theni always is to be very loud.
• The ucaf always does the main melody and is to be moderately loud.
• The Azure Droplet has a well-defined multi-passage structure: an introduction, a first theme, an exposition of the first theme, a second theme, an exposition of the second theme, a bridge-passage and a synthesis of previous passages.
• The introduction is voiced by the melody of the ucaf, the rhythm of the theni and the speaker. The passage should be broad and is very slow. The passage has long phrases in the melody. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage.
• The first theme is voiced by the melody of the ucaf, the rhythm of the theni and the speaker. The passage should be stately and slows and broadens. The passage has short phrases in the melody. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals.
• The first exposition is voiced by the melody of the ucaf, the rhythm of the theni and the speaker. The passage should feel heroic and is moderately fast. The passage has phrases of varied length in the melody. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage.
• The second theme is voiced by the melody of the ucaf, the rhythm of the theni and the speaker. The passage should be made expressively and is consistently slowing. The passage has long phrases in the melody. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage. The passage should be composed and performed using glides.
• The second exposition is voiced by the melody of the ucaf, the rhythm of the theni and the speaker. The passage should be fiery and is at a free tempo. The passage has long phrases in the melody. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage. The passage should be composed and performed using glides and frequent modulation.
• The bridge-passage is voiced by the melody of the ucaf and the speaker. The passage should feel playful and is twice the tempo of the last passage. The passage has short phrases in the melody. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage should be composed and performed using frequent modulation.
• The synthesis is voiced by the melody of the ucaf and the speaker. The passage should be triumphant and resumes the original tempo. The passage has long phrases in the melody. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage should be composed and performed using trills.
• Scales are constructed from twenty-one notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1xxx-xxx-xxxxxxx-xxxxxxxO, where 1 is the tonic, O marks the octave and x marks other notes. The tonic note is fixed only at the time of performance.
• The kasmko pentatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 5th, the 10th, the 16th and the 19th.
• The rhythm system is fundamentally polyrhythmic. There are always multiple rhythm lines, and each of their bars is played over the same period of time, regardless of the number of beats. The rhythm lines are thought of as one, without a primary-subordinate relationship, though individual lines can be named.
• The onod rhythm is made from two patterns: the idla and the tunem. As stated above, they are to be played in polyrhythm.
• The idla rhythm is a single line with twenty-three beats divided into two bars in a 11-12 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x - x x x - x'x`x x x | - - - - - x`- - x x - - |
• where ` marks a beat as early, ' marks a beat as late, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The tunem rhythm is a single line with twenty-nine beats divided into three bars in a 9-10-10 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - - - - - x'- - - | - x x x x'- x - - x | x x x x x'- x x x x |
• where ' marks a beat as late, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.

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