The Pistillate Seeds

The Pistillate Seeds is a form of music used during marches and military engagements originating in The Practical Atrocity. 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. The entire performance should be made with skill and is at a free tempo. The melody has short phrases throughout the form. Only one pitch is ever played at a time. It is performed in free rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to alternate tension and repose and play legato.

• Each chanter always does the main melody and is to be in whispered undertones.
• The Pistillate Seeds has a well-defined multi-passage structure: a brief passage, a bridge-passage, a finale and a coda.
• In the simple passage, each of the chanters' voices ranges from the middle register to the high register. The passage is performed using the nadu scale.
• In the bridge-passage, each of the chanters' voices covers its entire range. The passage is performed using the daxst scale.
• In the finale, each of the chanters' voices ranges from the middle register to the high register. The passage is performed using the ozzok scale.
• In the coda, each of the chanters' voices ranges from the low register to the middle register. The passage is performed using the zuxaz scale.
• Scales are constructed from sixteen notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1-xx-x-x-x-xxxx-x-x-xxxxO, 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. Every note is named. The names are axslor (spoken ax), bagurod (ba), sastospu (sa), assna (as), xuzestra (xu), roxstat (ro), tekug (te), odo (od), obungasnu (ob), strob (stro), kestraruga (ke), dot (do), obst (obst), omuslone (om), gul (gu) and xedludutoka (xe).
• The nadu heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 3rd, the 6th, the 7th, the 8th, the 11th and the 13th.
• The daxst heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 3rd, the 5th, the 6th, the 8th, the 10th and the 14th.
• The ozzok pentatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 4th, the 6th, the 10th and the 15th.
• The zuxaz pentatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 4th, the 7th, the 10th and the 14th.

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