The Dotage of Conceits

The Dotage of Conceits is a devotional form of music directed toward the worship of Smor Peelderange the Irksome Smokes originating in The Chronic Barbarity. The form guides musicians during improvised performances. One to six singers recite nonsensical words and sounds while the music is played on a numusm and one to six nunxang. The musical voices cover melody, harmony and rhythm. The melody has phrases of varied length throughout the form. Only one pitch is ever played at a time. It is performed using the zuxaz scale. Throughout, when possible, performers are to play rapid runs and modulate frequently.

• Each singer always does the main melody and should be forceful. The voice ranges from the middle register to the high register.
• The numusm always provides the rhythm and should be fiery.
• Each nunxang always does harmony and should be fiery.
• The Dotage of Conceits has the following structure: a passage and another one to two lengthy passages possibly all repeated.
• The first simple passage is moderately paced, and it is to be very loud. Each of the singers' voices ranges from the middle register to the high register and each of the nunxang ranges from the sweet middle register to the raucous high register. The passage is performed in the doram rhythm. The passage should be performed using legato.
• Each of the second simple passages slows and broadens, and it is to be loud. Each of the singers' voices ranges from the middle register to the high register and each of the nunxang ranges from the heavy low register to the sweet middle register. Each passage is performed in free rhythm. Each passage should be performed using glides.
• Scales are constructed from fifteen notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1-xx-x-x-x-x-xxx-x-xx-xxO, 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. Every note is named. The names are nadu (spoken na), daxst (da), uturo (ut), masul (ma), axslor (ax), bagurod (ba), sastospu (sa), assna (as), xuzestra (xu), roxstat (ro), tekug (te), odo (od), obungasnu (ob), strob (stro) and kestraruga (ke).
• The zuxaz heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 2nd, the 6th, the 7th, the 8th, the 11th and the 12th.
• The doram rhythm is made from two patterns: the obst and the omuslone. The patterns are to be played over the same period of time, concluding together regardless of beat number.
• The obst rhythm is a single line with twenty-seven beats divided into four bars in a 7-9-5-6 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x - - x x - x | - x x`- x x - x x | - x - x - | - x - x x - |
• where ` marks a beat as early, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The omuslone rhythm is a single line with four beats. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x - - - |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.

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