The Fruitless Song

The Fruitless Song is a form of music used to commemorate important events originating in The Sightless Procedure. The form guides musicians during improvised performances. A singer recites nonsensical words and sounds while the music is played on a qob and a ax. The musical voices cover melody, harmony and rhythm. The entire performance is to start loud then be immediately soft. The melody has phrases of varied length throughout the form. The music repeats for as long as necessary. It is performed using the kiqo scale and in free rhythm. Throughout, when possible, performers are to alternate tension and repose.

• The ax always provides the rhythm.
• The Fruitless Song has the following structure: a lengthy introduction and three to four unrelated passages.
• The introduction is voiced by the melody of the singer reciting any composition of The Abbey of Versions, the harmony of the qob and the rhythm of the ax. The passage should be made with feeling and accelerates as it proceeds. The singer's voice covers its entire range. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage.
• Each of the simple passages is voiced by the melody of the qob, the harmony of the singer reciting nonsensical words and sounds and the rhythm of the ax. Each passage should be bright and accelerates as it proceeds. The singer's voice ranges from the middle register to the high register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals.
• Scales are constructed from twelve notes spaced evenly throughout the octave. The tonic note is fixed only at the time of performance.
• The kiqo heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 2nd, the 3rd, the 4th, the 5th, the 6th and the 7th.

Events