Music of Verduria

[bradrn]

As I was reading the Almea+400 intro video post, I was most intrigued to see this:

As I was worrying about the sound, I got a message from Robin Morton, who had composed a piece of Verdurian music. … Robin has some plans for more Almean music, so stay tuned (rimshot).

Now, as someone who has spent quite a bit of time thinking about non-European music, I’d be pretty interested to know: what is the music of Verduria (and the rest of Almea) like? Certainly, I can’t imagine their music would be exactly the same as ours: it’s a separate world, after all, so I’d imagine Verdurian music would be quite different to our European-derived music in its music theory, tunings, scales, metre, instruments etc.

[zompist]

My answer is basically "I dunno", because I don't know much about music. I like it as well as anyone, but I don't know music theory, how composing works, etc. About all I can say is that the intention is that pre-3480 Verdurian music would be closest to classical Western music, and the farther away you go, the more different it should be.

(FWIW, there is a metanarrative justification for the similiarity, as there is with the languages. The interdimensional technology we use to access Almea automatically chooses a world close to ours, rather than (say) an sf world that would be utterly bizarre to us. This is basically how fantasy works anyway...)

But you should be in luck, sooner or later! Sasasha volunteered to think and work on this and fill it out more. The piece he did for the Patreon video is intended to be (correct me if I get this wrong, sasasha) a Verdurian dance influenced by Xurnese music.

[bradrn]

My answer is basically "I dunno", because I don't know much about music. I like it as well as anyone, but I don't know music theory, how composing works, etc. About all I can say is that the intention is that pre-3480 Verdurian music would be closest to classical Western music, and the farther away you go, the more different it should be.

Yep, that sounds like it would be in keeping with the rest of Almea (I remember you saying something similar about Almean languages in the LCK).

But you should be in luck, sooner or later! Sasasha volunteered to think and work on this and fill it out more.

I realise you can’t speak for sasasha, but if he develops this a bit more I would love to see a write-up of this subject!

The piece he did for the Patreon video is intended to be (correct me if I get this wrong, sasasha) a Verdurian dance influenced by Xurnese music.

Sounds interesting… I haven’t gotten around to listening to the video yet, but now I’m looking forward to doing that even more!

[zompist]

I'm not sure if sasasha can see comments on Patreon, so I'll copy this one:

The mention of Robin Morton being a tenor made me expect to hear Verdurian singing!

Now there's a challenge!

[bradrn]

I'm not sure if sasasha can see comments on Patreon, so I'll copy this one:

The mention of Robin Morton being a tenor made me expect to hear Verdurian singing!

Now there's a challenge!

I can see the comments, and I’m not a member, so I would expect sasasha to be able to see them as well.

(Oh, and I expected singing as well!)

[Kuchigakatai]

The mention of Robin Morton being a tenor made me expect to hear Verdurian singing!

Now there's a challenge!

Considering that even Latin enthusiasts extremely rarely manage to make anything original in music (usually they just do covers of famous pop songs, much to my chagrin), it'd be quite something if you managed to do it with Morton in a conlang of yours.

[bradrn]

The mention of Robin Morton being a tenor made me expect to hear Verdurian singing!

Now there's a challenge!

Considering that even Latin enthusiasts extremely rarely manage to make anything original in music (usually they just do covers of famous pop songs, much to my chagrin), it'd be quite something if you managed to do it with Morton in a conlang of yours.

Well, given that Morton has already composed some original Verdurian music (in the video), and I believe zompist has already composed some original Verdurian poetry, it should be fairly easy to put the two together and make some original Verdurian music with original Verdurian lyrics!

[Moose-tache]

Who could forget these great Verdurian songs?

“Iliu Remember Me?”
“Way Down North”
“The Xurnese Xuffle”
“Argh!” (Barakhun National Anthem)
and the musical-comedy classic “My Sweetheart Lives in Belesao!”*

*A sample verse: “When'er I get a visit from my Belesani in-laws,
They treat me like a room for rent and they are all my jinlos!
The treasures in her petty coats are known both near and far,
But as for mine she keeps them in the cayun in a jar!”
Chorus (accompanied by furious stomping and singing along by the audience): "My sweetheart lives in Belesao, and Son I wish she wouldn't!
'Cause now she is a lady who will show you what she shouldn't!
I tried to tell her off but found that I had no recourse!
She rode away with my best friend but left behind the horse!"

[Yalensky]

“The Xurnese Xuffle”

Ah, I see you must speak the Idestri dialect.

[sasasha]

I've had a busy five days since this went up and I don't have the time today to delve in to this as much as I'm keen to, but I just want to say I am listening to all these suggestions! Watch this space

[Pedant]

Honestly if it’s possible I’d like to help. I used to be quite a baritone back in the day, and it’d be helpful to get back into practice.

[sasasha]

Honestly if it’s possible I’d like to help. I used to be quite a baritone back in the day, and it’d be helpful to get back into practice.

Great! I'm sure I (or you!) can think of something baritonal for you to do. Maybe a duet... maybe a song cycle...

(... Zomp, do Verdurians do opera, to your knowledge? 'Opera' in a general sense of narrative theatre with formally composed singing, with paying audiences. (We didn't really get this in Europe until the turn of the 17th century, though the Chinese had arguably been doing it for a thousand years.) Perhaps you want to wait until the timeline of Verdurian music-making is fleshed out a little more to answer, of course. Up to you - I have scoured Virtual Verduria and the Almeopedia but may have missed things, and I don't know if there are certain things you have simply thought more about, music-wise. (Personally I think an opera tradition of some sort would make sense.)) [EDIT: I see that Xurnese has a word for opera.]

It's nice that there's enthusiasm for this. I need to be open that I am short on time this academic year, doing an intensive one year MMus, which is just beginning. I have lots of ideas for this project - i.e. both writing up some background on Almean music, and continuing to compose it - and genuinely want to progress it over the next few months. But if anyone is keen of thought now and has ideas or particular areas of curiosity re what they would expect from Verdurian music or Almean music in general, I'm sure Zomp will welcome discussion, and I will be listening!

[sasasha]

The piece he did for the Patreon video is intended to be (correct me if I get this wrong, sasasha) a Verdurian dance influenced by Xurnese music.

So an appetite whetter here. I'm wanting to pin down a decade in which a craze for a particular type of dance borrowed from Xurno sweeps Eretald. Let's call it the "žažarka řohuepë" (unequal dance)*. (Please note that everything here is just me thinking aloud; please suggest any changes!)

In Xurno, the rhythmic form underlying this dance holds deep significance amongst the Endajué faithful, because it symbolises both reatudo ('movement', aka 'fortune') and the Greater Principle.

How? There are always two alternating sections to this dance-form, with a recapitulation, either slow-fast-slow or the inverse — and technically each dance can go on forever alternating one then the other — this embodies the circular alternations of reatudo.

Typically one of the sections is in 4/4 time (in other words, the music is grouped into measures of four equal beats. To think like an Ereláean musician, imagine each of these measures as 2,2,2,2, where each beat '2' is containing two beat-fraction '1's, eight beat-fractions in total). The other section twists this: now there are 3 equal beat-fractions in the time that there were 2 before (i.e. in Western musical terms, we get triplets). However, we still only allow eight beat-fractions in a measure, and we group them irregularly: 3,3,2. Perceptually we've gone into triple time, but the third beat is shortened. (Alternatively, the 3,3,2 section is presented before the 2,2,2,2 section, with four beat-fractions where there were three.)

The result at each transition between sections is a sensation that a fundamental change has occured, and yet there is still an appreciable relationship in tempo between the two sections. The perception that there is something underlyingly 'equal' or 'regular' about something outwardly 'irregular' (the 3,3,2 pattern) — that deeper patterns, even unity can be assuaged from the appreciation of what at first seems chaotic — is the chief mystery of the rhythmic form, according to the Salons. The lack of a third beat-fraction in the 3,3,2 section is felt as a jolt, and symbolises the appreciation of loss or lack as a part of beauty and wholeness.

In its Xurnese form this dance is thought to have first been danced for the pucigeseč of Bodeusirc, particularly during the play showing the loss of Bozan and its later liberation, though it quickly gained wide popularity and has remained a common form for centuries. To dance it is to grasp the words of Zim:

"Like a dance, the movement of the All is complex, varied in rhythm, and beautiful.
Like a dance, it brings unity and harmony out of separation."

~~~
Of course, all this was a little lost on the Verdurian and Ismaîn court composers of the 34th and 35th centuries. On occasional travels south (well, at least as far as Cerei — though a few made trips into Xurno proper), adventure-seeking composers from Eretald heard a type of music that was consistently keeping the listener on their toes with the regular appearance of irregular rhythms, and found it all rather good to tap one's feet to. Romantic notions of esoteric significance only heightened the appeal. Half amusing, half horrifying the Xurnese Salons, courtly ballrooms across Eretald started to ring with imitation dances, played by ensembles complete with the exotic-sounding isaur itu 'sharp/striking division'* — a pitched percussion section reserved in the most traditional Xurnese music for the depiction of the moment of martydom during the various pucigesešes.

The jaunty 3,3,2 section became such a craze that before long no court dance could be without it in Verduria, Ismahi or Érenat. It was said to produce ecstasy and exhilaration in the dancer and was frowned upon by the conservative-minded even as it swept the continent. Its appearance revolutionised Verdurian dancing, suddenly producing twin fascinations for stark contrast and for the irregular. Practically every beom employed a composer to write a žažarka řohuepë better than their neighbour's, and dance forms with different irregular sections began to proliferate - always contrasted with the predictable 4/4 section, to keep the soul rooted.

In some ways, the žažarka řohuepë fad resembles the spread of the waltz in 18th century Europe. After the craze has died down in courtly circles, the form slips into popular folk music, where it will remain common, until unintentionally helping along the development of jazz-like ensemble dance music in the 36th-37th centuries: since crowds of dancers in informal settings were keen for popular dances to continue, musicians customarily improvised over repetitions to reduce monotony, and improvisation became increasingly common.

The Patreon video features a slow-fast-slow, regular-irregular-regular example, which is the most common variety (you don't get to hear the slow section again, though). You can also hear a slow-fast-slow, irregular-regular-irregular example here, a more ponderous piece by an Ismaîn composer working in Žésifo... The craze certainly led to upward social mobility for the musically-minded. That this piece has a very different mood demonstrates that this was a versatile form capable of suggesting a wide range of emotion to the Verdurian ear.


*Sorry for under-researched grammar, please correct; also, better term welcome!

[zompist]

Neat stuff! I like the references to Endajué.

One grammatical error: you want žažarka řohuepë. An adjective in -e changes to -ë in the feminine.

36C/37C is a pretty good guess for something jazz-like, depending on what culture(s) it originates in. (As a rough guide, ZE 3600 is technologically and socially much like AD 1920. Colonialism was in full swing in the 3500s, so somewhere in there is a good time for non-Ereláean influences to predominate.)

I don't have a word for opera, but I've said that plays (s. ralinë, pl. ralinî) can include music and songs, and one that had everything sung would not at all be unusual. You could use šantula ralinë ‘sung play’ for that, or we could associate it with a place name.

[sasasha]

Neat stuff! I like the references to Endajué.

I like Endajué a lot. I kinda wish it was real.

One grammatical error: you want žažarka řohuepë. An adjective in -e changes to -ë in the feminine.

Thanks! I am updating the linked video and will edit the post.

36C/37C is a pretty good guess for something jazz-like, depending on what culture(s) it originates in. (As a rough guide, ZE 3600 is technologically and socially much like AD 1920. Colonialism was in full swing in the 3500s, so somewhere in there is a good time for non-Ereláean influences to predominate.)

Excellent, that will be fun.

I don't have a word for opera, but I've said that plays (s. ralinë, pl. ralinî) can include music and songs, and one that had everything sung would not at all be unusual. You could use šantula ralinë ‘sung play’ for that, or we could associate it with a place name.

Ok, great. I'll give it some thought.

[bradrn]

Thanks for giving us more details sasasha! I can see you’ve put a lot of thought into this. (Though I have yet to watch the linked video!)

Oh, and as for musical instruments: I play the drums, and I also have a synthesizer and a couple of other instruments, so I’d also be happy to help if I can!

[Moose-tache]

What kind of scales do Eretald and Xurno use? Is there anywhere on Erelae where various pentatonic scales are still current, at least for folk music? I've found it's really easy to give music a regional flair by working out which pentatonic scale it starts out with, even if it eventually adds more notes.

[sasasha]

What kind of scales do Eretald and Xurno use? Is there anywhere on Erelae where various pentatonic scales are still current, at least for folk music? I've found it's really easy to give music a regional flair by working out which pentatonic scale it starts out with, even if it eventually adds more notes.

So far I'm thinking that the Monkhayu and Wede:i independently developed their analogues of Pythagorean temperament, leading to 12-tone scales - though in Eretald it's attributed to the Cuzeians. (There's evidence that these discoveries were made by the Sumerians/Babylonians and the Chinese as well as, you know, Pythagoras). Easterners may have had a hand in cross-fertilising these ideas. Eventually in Cuzei (and Caďinor) a system reminiscent of Europe's church modes grew out of this - it's a logical extrapolation - from which Eretald's scales descend. Other temperament systems have been developed including equal temperament, a fairly recent Verdurian innovation. Hence Eretald's music can sound tonally and harmonically fairly European. Bear in mind though, the church modes can be very 'flavoursome' - much Spanish music sounds 'Spanish' because of its use of the Phrygian mode, for example; so mode-wise there can still be distinct musical cultures within Eretald. (I'm thinking Kebri would suit a Phrygian flavour, though this is probably a bit obvious. Ismaîn music would also be an obvious candidate for this, since it is often guitar-based.)

The Wede:i development of Pythagorean temperament went in the other direction. Rather than settling for the twelve notes as they were, Wede:i musicians started to subdivide them for the purpose of adorning melodies and amongst much regional innovation produced microtonal systems (at least two competing systems - one in Jeiwor, one in the Yenine) which in broad strokes bear some resemblance to the terrestrial maqam and śruti. Hence in Xengiman you would feel in roughly Eastern European, Western Asian or South Asian territory, music-wise. These scales were adopted by the Axunašin, picked up by waves of barbarians and the Lenani, and gradually fused themselves into the cultural landscape of both Xengiman and the steppe. The Xurnese Salon of Music has recorded and codified an immense array of scales and tuning systems (here referred to as the aujikalu system) which bewilders visitors, every bit as complex as the Indian śruti/swara/rāga system. (Some common Xurnese scales, however, are almost identical to modes familiar in Eretald, so not everything played in Xurno sounds terribly exotic, at least melodically.)

I also want something interesting to happen in Skouras, influenced by the musical traditions of the Mei. The Mei used (and use) pentatonic scales. I'm thinking something along the lines of each bsepa maintaining a set of metallophones (originally associated with temples, but perhaps used on boats to keep time and give instructions? - maybe not all the time, but in adverse weather conditions) with somewhat unique pentatonic tuning, meaning that ships could be aurally distinguished to the trained ear and spatially located in the dark. 'Good' tuning systems would be included in marriage settlements and the like and gradually widen their usage, such that allied families would literally row in unison, whilst more unaffiliated ships would be perceived as dissonant. A Skourene fleet wanting to intimidate an enemy could whip up quite a frenzy with the 'metallophone storm'. The music this produced would have its closest analogue in Indonesian gamelan music, but its scales would be pretty wild - intentionally 'off' as a mark of identity.

Eventually more dominant tuning systems were solidified as culturally significant, came to represent entire city-states rather than bsepa, and made their way into the tsalagir and umnenalnas (particularly useful for accompanying epics featuring sea voyages). A portable 'theatrical set' of metallophones was developed with two options for each interval specifically to allow musicians to evoke one city state or another, and string instruments would be tuned to match. This led to the development of the characteristic Skourene late-classical decaphonic scales. (This all suggests that Šura would have a fascinating musical legacy, combining the Wede:i microtonal influence and the Skourene decaphonic tradition.)

The Xengiman and Littoral traditions influenced each other, with metallophones becoming a key part of Axunašin ensembles and later the Xurnese isaur itu* 'sharp/striking section(/ensemble)', usually redesigned for Axunašin tunings - but taking some Skourene innovations, particularly some decaphonic scales which were worked into the aujikalu system. Conversely, Skourene casual and folk music came to absorb instruments and rhythms from Xengiman.

Folk music, of course, to an extent makes its own rules. I see it as perfectly logical that folk music across Ereláea would often fall back on pentatonic scales. However, I'm also looking to Arcel for an influx of musical influences based more firmly on pentatonic modes and homophonic singing... more on that another time.

I was just running with the thought re the Skourene metallophones - Zomp, please stop me in my tracks if you think any of this is missing the mark. All suggestions welcome!

Also Moose that's a really good tip about thinking about which pentatonic scale more complex scales began from, I will think more on it.

Oh, and as for musical instruments: I play the drums, and I also have a synthesizer and a couple of other instruments, so I’d also be happy to help if I can!

Great! Let's see where all this goes; maybe one day we'll have a ZBB band

*Still think this could probably use a better name, or do you think I've accidentally named it appropriately?

[bradrn]

I'm thinking something along the lines of each bsepa maintaining a set of metallophones (originally associated with temples, but perhaps used on boats to keep time and give instructions? - maybe not all the time, but in adverse weather conditions) with ever so slightly unique pentatonic tuning, meaning that ships could be aurally distinguished to the trained ear and spatially located in the dark.

So, basically like a slightly more standardised slendro scale? Personally, I’m not sure tuning differences alone would be enough to disambiguate individual ships, but it could work (I’ve heard of fighter pilots doing something similar by humming a unique individual pitch).

[sasasha]

I'm thinking something along the lines of each bsepa maintaining a set of metallophones (originally associated with temples, but perhaps used on boats to keep time and give instructions? - maybe not all the time, but in adverse weather conditions) with ever so slightly unique pentatonic tuning, meaning that ships could be aurally distinguished to the trained ear and spatially located in the dark.

So, basically like a slightly more standardised slendro scale?

Less standardised, or equally unstandardised, I'd have thought. Becoming more standardised with time (as with pelog and slendro).

Personally, I’m not sure tuning differences alone would be enough to disambiguate individual ships, but it could work (I’ve heard of fighter pilots doing something similar by humming a unique individual pitch).

Not saying you can necessarily tell from afar who out of all of Skouras is approaching (strange rivals don't usually like to announce this with bells, after all) - but that the tuning differences would serve to (a) give a sense of unity and identity to the ship/fleet ('keep time' commands would carry well across the water) (b) aid captains making commands and mariners interpreting commands in the dark or in adverse weather - i.e. they know what their set of 'bells' sounds like and can tell that another ship which they can't necessarily see is 'other', and (c) aid encoding of unique commands on a ship-by-ship or fleet-by-fleet basis (useful if you don't want your rivals to know what you just told everyone to do).

I was thinking that in reality during the early classical period (200-400, say) as few as two or three out of the full octave set of six bells might be taken on all but the most important ships - or maybe just one! - so it's not exactly the case that mariners would have to be parsing complex music to access their commands. But the idea of the system caught the imagination of artists in later times - like how the medieval Europeans romanticised the Greek use of their own church modes, and also like clan tartan. By the 550s the decaphonic system had been standardised, and was rationalised as a reflex of the 'ship modes'. So the musical development of the 'ship modes' wasn't really practical at all - it was nostalgic.

'Bells' is probably a bad word for it, but we don't have a great one in English. I was thinking 'metal drums' hit with beaters - gamelan's bonang/kenong would definitely provide the nearest analogues for that - but I also think portability is a concern and perhaps bell-like structures are actually more compact - will think more.

I definitely want to check with Zompist how he feels about this, as it is a bit off the wall!