The Choir of Pomegranites

The Choir of Pomegranites is a devotional form of music originating in The Splattered Orcas. The form guides musicians during improvised performances. The music is played on a cathe. Only one pitch is ever played at a time. It is performed in the ebecari rhythm. Throughout, when possible, performers are to use mordents and modulate frequently.

• The cathe always does the main melody and should be fiery.
• The Choir of Pomegranites has a well-defined multi-passage structure: a lengthy theme, an exposition of the theme, a bridge-passage, a lengthy recapitulation of the theme and a finale.
• The theme slows and broadens, and it is to be soft. The passage has long phrases in the melody. The passage is performed using the oyifolewe scale.
• The exposition is half the tempo of the last passage, and it is to start loud then be immediately soft. The passage has phrases of varied length in the melody. The passage is performed using the izela scale.
• The bridge-passage accelerates as it proceeds, and it is to be moderately soft. The passage has mid-length phrases in the melody. The passage is performed using the ipila scale.
• The recapitulation is moderately fast, and it is to be in whispered undertones. The passage has long phrases in the melody. The passage is performed using the everinopefa scale.
• The finale is moderately fast, and it is to be soft. The passage has short phrases in the melody. The passage is performed using the oyifolewe scale.
• Scales are constructed from seventeen notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1-xx-xx-x-x-xxx-xx-xxxxxO, 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 oyifolewe heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 3rd, the 4th, the 6th, the 9th, the 10th and the 13th.
• The izela hexatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 4th, the 6th, the 10th, the 13th and the 16th.
• The ipila pentatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 6th, the 9th, the 13th and the 17th.
• The everinopefa pentatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 3rd, the 9th, the 14th and the 17th.
• The ebecari rhythm is a single line with twenty-nine beats divided into five bars in a 5-6-4-6-8 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - - x x - | - x - - - - | x - x - | x X x - - x | - X - x x x x x |
• where X marks an accented beat, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.

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