The Walnut of Choirs

The Walnut of Choirs is a form of music used for entertainment originating in The President of Sanctifying. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. The music is played on one to three dig, three id and a ziati. The musical voices cover melody, harmony and rhythm. The entire performance should feel mysterious, and it is to be moderately loud. The melody has mid-length phrases throughout the form. Chords, seldom-used, are sparse -- intervals and single pitches are favored. It is performed in the akoi rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to glide from note to note and add fills.

• Each dig always does harmony.
• Each id always provides the rhythm.
• The ziati always does the main melody.
• The Walnut of Choirs has a well-defined multi-passage structure: a lengthy introduction, a first theme, an exposition of the first theme, a bridge-passage, a second theme, an exposition of the second theme and a lengthy synthesis of previous passages.
• The introduction slows and broadens. Each of the dig is confined to the resonant top register. The passage is performed using the opoq scale.
• The first theme slows and broadens. Each of the dig covers its entire range from the crisp low register to the resonant top register. The passage is performed using the ituq scale.
• The first exposition accelerates as it proceeds. Each of the dig ranges from the crisp middle register to the resonant top register. The passage is performed using the dotip scale.
• The bridge-passage is consistently slowing. Each of the dig ranges from the dull high register to the resonant top register. The passage is performed without preference for a scale.
• The second theme is at a hurried pace. Each of the dig ranges from the low register to the middle register. The passage is performed using the toipe scale.
• The second exposition accelerates as it proceeds. Each of the dig ranges from the low register to the middle register. The passage is performed using the kiqo scale.
• The synthesis is extremely fast. Each of the dig ranges from the low register to the middle register. The passage is performed using the kotoq scale.
• Scales are constructed from twenty-four notes spaced evenly throughout the octave. The tonic note is fixed only at the time of performance.
• The opoq heptatonic scale is thought of as two disjoint chords spanning two perfect fourths. These chords are named kopi and ahdid.
• The kopi tetrachord is the 1st, the 6th, the 7th and the 11th degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
• The ahdid tetrachord is the 15th, the 18th, the 22nd and the 25th (completing the octave) degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
• The ituq heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 3rd, the 7th, the 10th, the 12th, the 16th and the 20th.
• The dotip hexatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 4th, the 8th, the 13th, the 18th and the 21st.
• The toipe pentatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 6th, the 10th, the 15th and the 22nd.
• The kiqo heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 4th, the 8th, the 11th, the 14th, the 15th and the 18th.
• The kotoq heptatonic scale is thought of as two disjoint chords spanning two perfect fourths. These chords are named if and toki.
• The if tetrachord is the 1st, the 5th, the 7th and the 11th degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
• The toki tetrachord is the 15th, the 19th, the 21st and the 25th (completing the octave) degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
• The akoi rhythm is a single line with four beats divided into two bars in a 2-2 pattern. The beats are named op (spoken op) and fiepo (fie). The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x x`| - x |
• where ` marks a beat as early, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.

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