The Couple of Laces
The Couple of Laces is a form of music used during marches and military engagements originally devised by the elf Fewetha Ravenwire. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. A chanter recites nonsensical words and sounds while the music is played on a icithi. The musical voices are joined in melody. The melody has long phrases throughout the form. It is performed without preference for a scale and in the aveya rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to locally improvise, alternate tension and repose and play staccato.
- The chanter always does the main melody and should perform sweetly.
- The icithi always does the main melody and should stress the rhythm.
- The Couple of Laces has a well-defined multi-passage structure: a theme, a lengthy bridge-passage and a series of variations on the theme.
- The theme is at a hurried pace, and it is to be moderately loud. The chanter's voice stays in the middle register and the icithi covers its entire range from the wispy low register to the sparkling high register. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage.
- The bridge-passage is slow, and it is to be in whispered undertones. The chanter's voice ranges from the middle register to the high register and the icithi stays in the sparkling high register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals.
- The series of variations is very fast, and it is to be moderately soft. The chanter's voice covers its entire range and the icithi stays in the sparkling high register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals.
- The aveya rhythm is a single line with eight beats divided into four bars in a 2-2-2-2 pattern. The beats are named mafina (spoken ma) and pama (pa). The beat is stressed as follows:
- | x - | x - | x - | x x |
- where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
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