The Fanfare of Bands

The Fanfare of Bands is a form of music used to commemorate important events originating in The Longing Country. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. The music is played on two goni and one to three lermu. The music is melody and rhythm without harmony. The melody has short phrases throughout the form. It is performed using the mushast scale. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to use grace notes, add fills and alternate tension and repose.

• Each goni always provides the rhythm and should bring a sense of motion.
• Each lermu always does the main melody and should feel mournful.
• The Fanfare of Bands has the following structure: a brief introduction and a passage.
• The introduction gradually slows as it comes to an end, and it is to be soft. Each of the lermu stays in the fluid high register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage is performed in the bushcirne rhythm.
• The simple passage accelerates as it proceeds, and it is to be very loud. Each of the lermu stays in the dark low register. Chords are packed close together in dense clusters in this passage. The passage is performed in the aheda rhythm.
• Scales are constructed from nineteen notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1-xx-xxxxxxx-xxx-xxx-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. Preferred notes in the fundamental scale are named. The names are oxuskor (spoken ox, 2nd), ohug (oh, 7th) and equanamsespe (eq, 14th).
• The mushast heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 4th, the 6th, the 9th, the 11th, the 15th and the 19th.
• The bushcirne rhythm is made from two patterns: the ofing and the aheda. The patterns are to be played over the same period of time, concluding together regardless of beat number.
• The ofing rhythm is a single line with thirty-two beats divided into four bars in a 8-8-8-8 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x x x - - X - - | - - x x x`- ! x | - x - x - - - X | - - X x - x x - |
• where ! marks the primary accent, X marks an accented beat, ` marks a beat as early, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The aheda rhythm is a single line with three beats. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x - x |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.

Events