The Euphoric Lark

The Euphoric Lark is a form of music used during marches and military engagements originally devised by the dwarf Alath Vesseldish. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. A chanter recites any composition of The Reticent Wonders while the music is played on a ibes and a bal. The musical voices bring melody with harmony. The entire performance should be made with a light touch, and it is to become softer and softer. The melody has long phrases throughout the form. Pitches are densely packed in clusters as music moves from chord to chord. It is performed using the kulet scale and in free rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to modulate frequently.

• The chanter always does the main melody.
• The ibes always does the main melody.
• The bal always does harmony.
• The Euphoric Lark has a well-defined multi-passage structure: a first theme, an exposition of the first theme, a bridge-passage, a second theme, a lengthy exposition of the second theme and a lengthy synthesis of previous passages.
• The first theme slows and broadens. The chanter's voice ranges from the middle register to the high register and the bal is confined to the piercing low register.
• The first exposition is very fast. The chanter's voice covers its entire range and the bal ranges from the piercing low register to the harsh middle register. The passage should be composed and performed using syllabic phrasing.
• The bridge-passage is slow. The chanter's voice stays in the low register and the bal is confined to the piercing low register.
• The second theme is at a hurried pace. The chanter's voice ranges from the middle register to the high register and the bal ranges from the rugged high register to the floating top register.
• The second exposition is at a walking pace. The chanter's voice stays in the low register and the bal ranges from the harsh middle register to the floating top register.
• The synthesis is extremely fast. The chanter's voice stays in the middle register and the bal ranges from the piercing low register to the harsh middle register.
• Scales are conceived of as two chords built using a division of the perfect fourth interval into eleven notes. The tonic note is fixed only at the time of performance.
• As always, the kulet pentatonic scale is thought of as two disjoint chords drawn from the fundamental division of the perfect fourth. These chords are named gatal and mabdug.
• The gatal trichord is the 1st, the 4th and the 11th degrees of the fundamental perfect fourth division.
• The mabdug trichord is the 1st, the 7th and the 11th degrees of the fundamental perfect fourth division.

Events

• In early winter of 165, The Euphoric Lark was created by the dwarf Alath Vesseldish in Raysplank