The Wreath of Lemons

The Wreath of Lemons is a form of music used during marches and military engagements originating in The Chromite of Loyalty. The form guides musicians during improvised performances. The music is played on a icavelal, a ngtad and two to six stirut. The musical voices cover melody, harmony and rhythm. The entire performance accelerates as it proceeds. The melody has short phrases throughout the form. The music is broadly layered with chords spanning the range. It is performed in free rhythm. Throughout, when possible, performers are to play rapid runs.

• The icavelal always does the main melody and should be bright.
• The ngtad always should be merry. The voice stays in the strident low register.
• Each stirut always does harmony and should perform with skill.
• The Wreath of Lemons has the following structure: an introduction and a lengthy passage.
• The introduction is voiced by the melody of the icavelal and the harmony of the stirut. The passage is to be very loud. Each of the stirut stays in the raucous middle register. The passage is performed using the vallal scale.
• The simple passage is voiced by the melody of the icavelal, the harmony of the stirut and the rhythm of the ngtad. The passage is to fade into silence. Each of the stirut covers its entire range and the ngtad stays in the strident low register. The passage is performed using the un scale.
• 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 vallal heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 3rd, the 5th, the 7th, the 9th, the 11th and the 12th.
• The un 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 16th and the 17th.

Events