The Flutes of Wonder

The Flutes of Wonder is a form of music used for entertainment originally devised by the elf Cana Delightbeaks. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. The music is played on a icithi, a mirise and a ilare. The musical voices join in melody and counterpoint, harmony and rhythm. The entire performance should be melancholic, and it is to be in whispered undertones. The melody and counterpoint both have short phrases throughout the form. It is performed using the warere scale and in the arile rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to alternate tension and repose and modulate frequently.

• The Flutes of Wonder has a well-defined multi-passage structure: an introduction, a chorus and a verse all repeated one to two times, a lengthy bridge-passage, a verse and a brief chorus and a finale.
• The introduction is voiced by the melody of the mirise and the rhythm of the ilare. The passage slows and broadens. The mirise stays in the strident low register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals.
• The first chorus is voiced by the melody of the icithi. The passage gradually slows as it comes to an end. 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 passage should be composed and performed using trills.
• The first verse is voiced by the melody of the mirise and the melody of the ilare. The passage is at a free tempo. The mirise covers its entire range from the strident low register to the shrill high register. This passage features only melodic tones and intervals. The passage should be composed and performed using trills.
• The bridge-passage is voiced by the melody of the mirise. The passage is slow. The mirise covers its entire range from the strident low register to the shrill high register. This passage is richly layered with full chords making use of the available range.
• The second verse is voiced by the melody of the icithi, the melody of the mirise and the rhythm of the ilare. The passage is at a hurried pace. The icithi stays in the rippling middle register and the mirise covers its entire range from the strident low register to the shrill high register. Chords are packed close together in dense clusters in this passage.
• The second chorus is voiced by the melody of the mirise, the counterpoint of the icithi and the harmony of the ilare. The passage is slower than the last passage. The mirise covers its entire range from the strident low register to the shrill high register and the icithi stays in the rippling middle register. Chords are packed close together in dense clusters in this passage. The passage should be composed and performed using trills.
• The finale is voiced by the melody of the icithi, the melody of the ilare and the harmony of the mirise. The passage is consistently slowing. The icithi stays in the wispy low register and the mirise covers its entire range from the strident low register to the shrill high register. This passage typically has some sparse chords.
• Scales are constructed from twenty-four notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxO, 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. After a scale is constructed, notes are named according to degree. The names are fathinu (spoken fa), thili (thi), fomire (fo), fela (fe), aweme (aw) and yaniye (ya).
• The warere hexatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 4th, the 8th, the 13th, the 16th and the 23rd.
• The arile rhythm is made from two patterns: the mathuva (considered the primary) and the emu. The patterns are to be played in the same beat, allowing one to repeat before the other is concluded.
• The mathuva rhythm is a single line with thirty-one beats divided into five bars in a 3-5-4-11-8 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x x - | - - - - x | - x - x | x x x - - X x'- x - 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 emu 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.

Events

• In early winter of 152, The Flutes of Wonder was created by the elf Cana Delightbeaks in Waxysnakes