The Butterfly of Meadows
The Butterfly of Meadows is a form of music used to commemorate important events originally devised by the human Thimeth Tiredclashes. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. Three singers recite nonsensical words and sounds while the music is played on a ospram and three hixur. The musical voices bring melody, counterpoint and rhythm. The entire performance should be delicate. The melody has mid-length phrases, while the counterpoint has short phrases throughout the form. It is performed without preference for a scale and in free rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to play arpeggios.
- Each singer always uses grace notes.
- The Butterfly of Meadows has a well-defined multi-passage structure: a lengthy theme, a bridge-passage and one to two series of variations on the theme possibly all repeated.
- The theme is voiced by the melody of the singers reciting nonsensical words and sounds and the counterpoint of the ospram. The passage is slow, and it is to become louder and louder. Each of the singers' voices ranges from the low register to the middle register and the ospram stays in the slicing low register. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage.
- The bridge-passage is voiced by the melody of the ospram. The passage is extremely fast, and it is to be soft. The ospram covers its entire range from the slicing low register to the crisp high register. Only one pitch is ever played at a time in this passage.
- Each of the series of variations is voiced by the melody of the singers reciting nonsensical words and sounds, the counterpoint of the ospram and the rhythm of the hixur. Each passage gradually slows as it comes to an end, and it is to become louder and louder. Each of the singers' voices covers its entire range and the ospram covers its entire range from the slicing low register to the crisp high register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals.
Events