The Peduncular Nuts

The Peduncular Nuts is a form of music used during marches and military engagements originating in The Harp-Seal of Shying. 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 ovisaga. The musical voices are joined in melody. The entire performance should be made sweetly. The melody has phrases of varied length throughout the form. It is performed using the oyifolewe scale and in free rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to play rapid runs and play arpeggios.

• The ovisaga always does the main melody.
• The Peduncular Nuts has a well-defined multi-passage structure: a lengthy introduction and a verse and a chorus all repeated up to two times.
• The introduction is consistently slowing, and it is to become louder and louder. This passage is richly layered with full chords making use of the available range. The passage should be composed and performed using grace notes.
• The verse is at a walking pace, and it is to become louder and louder. This passage is richly layered with full chords making use of the available range.
• The chorus is consistently slowing, and it is to start loud then be immediately soft. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage. The passage should be composed and performed using grace notes.
• Scales are constructed from fourteen notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1-x-xx-x-x-x-xxx-x-x-x-xO, 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 hexatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 2nd, the 6th, the 7th, the 9th and the 13th.

Events