The Kernel of Bayberries

The Kernel of Bayberries is a form of music used to commemorate important events originating in The Chromite of Loyalty. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. A speaker recites nonsensical words and sounds while the music is played on a sarot. The musical voices are joined in melody. The entire performance is to become louder and louder. The melody has long phrases throughout the form. The music repeats for as long as necessary. It is performed using the febamus scale and in the tethan rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to use mordents, locally improvise and alternate tension and repose. From beginning to end, when improvising or composing, artists should often include a rising melody pattern with sharpened fifth degree as well as grace notes and arpeggios, always include a falling melody pattern with rapid runs and staccato, often include a falling-rising melody pattern with trills, staccato and legato and often include a rising-falling melody pattern with rapid runs, arpeggios and legato.

• The speaker always should perform expressively.
• The sarot always does the main melody and should perform expressively.
• The Kernel of Bayberries 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 and a synthesis of previous passages.
• The first theme is fast. The sarot stays in the harsh low register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals.
• The first exposition gradually slows as it comes to an end. The sarot stays in the harsh low register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals.
• The second theme is at a walking pace. The sarot covers its entire range from the harsh low register to the shrill high register. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage. The passage should be composed and performed using trills.
• The second exposition is slow. The sarot covers its entire range from the harsh low register to the shrill high register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals.
• The synthesis is fast. The sarot covers its entire range from the harsh low register to the shrill high register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage should be composed and performed using trills.
• Scales are constructed from eighteen notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1xxxx-x-x-x-xxxxxx-x-xxxO, 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 febamus heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 3rd, the 5th, the 8th, the 10th, the 11th and the 13th.
• The tethan rhythm is made from two patterns: the afonan (considered the primary) and the vazast.
• The afonan 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 vazast rhythm is a single line with two beats. The beats are named mudesod (spoken mu) and liloran (li). The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x - |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.

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