The Selenite of Alfalfa

The Selenite of Alfalfa is a devotional form of music directed toward the worship of Wirami the Light-yellow-diamond Green-tourmaline Elbow originating in The Meritorious Bowline. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. Three chanters recite nonsensical words and sounds while the music is played on a izocithe. The musical voices bring melody with harmony. The entire performance should be vigorous and is very fast. The melody has mid-length phrases throughout the form. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to alternate tension and repose and play arpeggios.

• The Selenite of Alfalfa has a well-defined multi-passage structure: an introduction and a theme, a bridge-passage and a series of variations on the theme.
• The introduction is voiced by the melody of the chanters reciting nonsensical words and sounds. The passage is to fade into silence. Each of the chanters' voices ranges from the low register to the middle register. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage. The passage is performed using the ucame scale and in the ocaquica rhythm.
• The theme is voiced by the melody of the izocithe and the harmony of the chanters reciting nonsensical words and sounds. The passage is to be moderately soft. The izocithe covers its entire range from the wispy low register to the sparkling high register and each of the chanters' voices stays in the high register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage is performed using the everinopefa scale and in the seyawi rhythm.
• The bridge-passage is voiced by the melody of the izocithe. The passage is to be very loud. The izocithe ranges from the strident middle register to the sparkling high register. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage. The passage is performed using the ipila scale and in free rhythm.
• The series of variations is voiced by the melody of the izocithe and the harmony of the chanters reciting nonsensical words and sounds. The passage is to be moderately soft. The izocithe stays in the strident middle register and each of the chanters' voices ranges from the low register to the middle register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage is performed using the ipila scale and in the moro rhythm.
• Scales are constructed from twenty-two notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1xxxxxxx-xxx-xxxxxxxxxxxO, 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.
• The ucame 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 14th, the 17th and the 19th.
• The everinopefa pentatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 6th, the 13th, the 16th and the 22nd.
• The ipila pentatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 5th, the 10th, the 17th and the 21st.
• The ocaquica rhythm is made from two patterns: the ithi (considered the primary) and the umamalu. The patterns are to be played over the same period of time, concluding together regardless of beat number.
• The ithi rhythm is a single line with twenty-nine beats divided into three bars in a 13-8-8 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - - x - x - x`x x - x x X | x'x x - X - x - | X'x x x - x x x |
• where X marks an accented beat, ` marks a beat as early, ' marks a beat as late, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The umamalu rhythm is a single line with four beats. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x'- X x |
• where X marks an accented beat, ' marks a beat as late, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The seyawi rhythm is a single line with six beats divided into three bars in a 2-2-2 pattern. The beats are named mila (spoken mi) and ezococa (ez). The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - x`| x - | x`x`|
• where ` marks a beat as early, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The moro rhythm is made from three patterns: the ifiyo (considered the primary), the seyawi and the emayethi. The patterns are to be played over the same period of time, concluding together regardless of beat number.
• The ifiyo rhythm is a single line with two beats. The beats are named izeli (spoken iz) and bone (bo). The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x - |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The emayethi rhythm is a single line with twenty-four beats divided into three bars in a 8-8-8 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x !'x - - - - - | - x - - - x - - | - x - X'- x - - |
• where ! marks the primary accent, X marks an accented beat, ' marks a beat as late, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.

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