Verse:Hmøøh/Talma/Music

Todo

Need Talman rituals, holidays and festivals

Standardization

The Trician scientific unit for musical intervals is the vri, the interval given by the frequency ratio exp(1/1728):1 ≈ 1.00187155617 cents. So it's in practice very similar in size to cents.

Some simple intervals in vri:

• 2/1 (octave) ≈ 1197.75832801 vri
• 3/2 (just perfect fifth) ≈ 700.643706813 vri
• 4/3 (just perfect fourth) ≈ 497.114621198 vri
• 5/4 (just major third) ≈ 385.592056672 vri
• 6/5 (just minor third) ≈ 315.051650141 vri
• 7/4 (harmonic seventh) ≈ 967.016081555 vri
• 11/8 ≈ 550.288047374 vri
• 13/8 ≈ 838.957505673 vri
• 81/80 (syntonic comma) ≈ 21.4661145576 vri

Standard pitch: 408 Hz; 380 Hz is used as "baroque pitch"

Modern music

Modern Talma has somewhat less of a divide between popular music and art music than modern Earth.

Some genres of popular music include:

• Lighter fare: simpler JI scales
  • Minimalism
• "Prog rock/metal" or often called "Art music" (fryþu syvŋá): Many popular musicians borrow heavily from classical idioms such as: long, quasi-operatic song forms; use of classical JI tunings and harmony; complex rhythms, time signatures and tunings inspired by non-Talman music.
  • "Nerd music": often with sci-fi-themed lyrics; more "exotic" musically.
• "Baroque chiptune": a style inspired by old video games: Uses meantone temperament more often
• Film and video game music: Overlaps somewhat with modern classical music.

Tuning systems

Modern composers often work with various equal temperaments. Some favorite equal temperaments are 10, 12, 15, 17, 18, 19, 22, 27, 31, 41, 46, 53, 58, 72, 87. The most popular are 22 and 31.

Prycþéŋ lly Fryþu Jytylisríx

The Trician Xenharmonic Alliance

Classical music

The classical Talman musical tradition abstractly considers the space of possible musical intervals as approximating the intervals with rational frequency ratios. Prime factors commonly used in intervals, in addition to 3 and 5, also include 7, 11, 13 and higher limits. In modern times, there are broadly two approaches to this tuning, the choice of which is partly dictated by instrumentation and style: just intonation (possibly microtempered) and various equal temperaments.

Talmans traditionally preferred smaller ensembles; larger orchestras are a Romantic development.

History

Early

Throat-singing, natural horns, monochords led to knowledge of higher harmonics; overtone scales; mainly monophonic and performed over a drone

Windermere imperial courtly music

Composer Tsăhong Tamdi's treatise Elements of Harmony, which describes Partchian tonality diamonds, came to codify Windermere imperial courtly music. In particular, he recommended against using fixed-pitch instruments, arguing that they were expressively limited. This recommendation was lasting in influence - most instruments used in traditional Talman music are flexible-pitch instruments.

Later imperial courtly music used Johnstonian free JI and incorporated more folk music elements. Many choral, chamber and orchestral works from this period are considered part of the canon.

The aesthetic was quiet and calm, somewhat like Renaissance music.

Classical period

(n,k)-anies, Euler-Fokker genera and other CPS's; constant structures

Romantic period

Romantic composers emphasized emotion, humor and contemplation.

Modern art music

good equal temperaments (19-EDO, 22-EDO, 27-EDO, 31-EDO)

The notion of EDOs began to enjoy attention; however, EDOs didn't really take off until the isomorphic keyboard was invented.

EDOs also allowed the birth of "Impressionist" music.

Instruments

Some common Talman instruments are given below with their Eevo names; they can be divided into continuous-pitch and fixed-pitch instruments.

Continuous-pitch

Free-pitch instruments are prized for their ability to play in any tuning; ngjeoms quartets and quintets are fertile ground for explorations of tuning systems.

• ðavr = a 4-stringed fiddle, used for the treble register
  • Tuning: 2:3:5:7, lowest string = 204 Hz
• ŋams = a viol-like 5-stringed bowed string instrument used for the treble and alto register
  • Tuning: 2:3:5:7:9, lowest string = 136 Hz
  • softwood; arched plates; sound post; should be thicker than a viola and be played vertically
  • Electric ŋams for vegans
• ŋamsóm = an instrument the size of a large cello or small double bass which is tuned an octave lower than a ŋams
  • Tuning: 2:3:4:5:7:9, lowest string = 68 Hz
• txovích = fretless steel guitar tuned to a hexany
• lazóf = a trombone; exists in many different pitch ranges, such as soprano, alto, tenor, and bass lazóf
• musical saw
• gyvúas = a slide bassoon
• iskól = a slide flute
• fretless guitar

Fixed-pitch

• jogóm = an unfretted zither with 60 strings
• teem = an oboe
• fewm = a drum
• sewvore (named after the inventor, Jamon Sewvore) = isomorphic keyboard

Vegetarian and vegan instruments

Copper strings and hoof glue were vegetarian substitutes for gut strings and hide glue.

Melody

Though Talman music is precise in categorizing harmonic intervals, melody is categorized more loosely. For example, a previously used melody can be deformed slightly or be inverted.

The notion of a motif dominates some periods of Talman music. Some motif-based music may transform motifs gradually until they are no longer recognizable (maybe in more avant garde music).

Musical genres and forms

Some music attempts to convey narratives; this music is categorized as fryþu tlaneçol in Eevo. [This is not a precise category however, as even not-explicitly-programmatic music or music without lyrics often try to create a sense of "story" to some extent by using multiple parts.]

Chamber music

Chamber music was highly valued by Talmans. Pieces were commonly written for the Talman string quartet with two ðavr, one ŋams and one ŋamsóm.

Art songs

Art songs, which emerged during the Romantic period, are performed by a solo voice (or sometimes two or three voices), often with chamber accompaniment. Lyrics may be short poems dealing with nature and idyllic settings; love; mystical themes; short dialogues; or humor. Some art songs are longer or form a song cycle, and feature multi-part narratives.

Polyphonic music

A common style of polyphony, called [yeejeħrhoog] in Amphirese and chălismoay in Rhythoed, uses two melodic lines in a JI scale or free JI, and explores the JI dyadic harmony formed by the melodic lines. Yeejeħrhooga with three or more voices are considered quite adventurous.

More familiar techniques like canons and fugues occur during the "Johnstonian" period. (?)

Dance music

Some dances are in rhythms such as 5, 7, 10, or 25 beats per measure (but no with higher prime factors).

Music was also traditionally performed in eating establishments, taverns, and banquets. This type of music often resembled more jovial types of dance music. Tavern music, in particular, was usually improvised on the ðavr or a ŋams family instrument, meanwhile more aristocratic banquet music was composed and played by a chamber ensemble.

Some dances are:

• A quasi-jig (in 6/8 or another triple compound meter)

Musical theater

[TODO: Talman literature]

Musical theater is usually based on works of literature (the usual sources are myths, depictions of history, famous plays or novels), and was developed greatly during the Romantic period. Modern works often take inspiration from literature and musical ideas from other cultures or contemporary works.

There exist a few different subgenres of classical Talman musical theater:

• Classical musical theater: Small-scale Baroque opera-like works, but with more intoned/spoken parts. Since the accompanying orchestra was small, the singing technique was not very demanding; the emphasis was on clear delivery of words, rather than melodic virtuosity. This type of musical theater was enjoyed by the elites into the Classical period.
• Romantic-era musical theater is more colorful. It was developed to appeal more to the masses.
  • A serious style used for histories, myths, heroic tales, tragedies or science fiction
  • A comedic or satirical style, usually just lighthearted but also used for social commentary
• Partch-style corporeal musical dramas: These dramas are designed to be appreciated visually, narratively and emotionally as well as musically. Unlike in Western musicals or operas, the performers who play the instruments are also those who act out the parts and sing.

Cantatas

Cantatas (Eevo palyçúaç, Windermere palăchüech, etymologically 'that which is recited') were often written for special occasions or holidays, such as Bwrjadreeg (Talman winter solstice).

Notation

Talman music uses the Helmholtz-Ellis notation. It differs from Bjeheondian and other Trician JI notation schemes, in that it is more symmetrical and is less biased toward harmonic series scales.

• fa sol la ti do re mi fa (F G A B C D E F) = pythagorean scale, lydian mode
• 5, 7, 11, 13 accidentals are defined by: sol la ti(v5) do(^11) re mi(v13) fa(v7) = harmonics 8-14
  • accidentals for 17, 19, 23, 29, 31?
• Apotomic sharps and flats: Bb F C G D A E B F#

Nurian music

The most well-known Nurian instrument is probably the aġġiakkātą [ædʒdʒækˈkaːtˠãː], a pasta guitar-like instrument with a bridge to separate two rows of strings that are an octave apart. Common models have 21 strings (folk), 29 strings (classical) or 37 strings (deluxe).

Some tunings for aġġiakkātai:

• 1/1 11/10 6/5 5/4 11/8 3/2
• 1/1 25/24 7/6 5/4 7/5 3/2
• 1/1 21/20 8/7 6/5 5/4 21/16 10/7 3/2
• 441/440 tempered out: 1/1 21/20 11/10 8/7 6/5 5/4 21/16 11/8 10/7 3/2
• hexanic: 1/1 21/20 35/32 8/7 6/5 5/4 21/16 48/35 10/7 3/2
• major: 1/1 25/24 7/6 6/5 5/4 7/5 35/24 3/2
• minor: 1/1 25/24 15/14 6/5 5/4 9/7 75/56 3/2
• augmented: 1/1 15/14 7/6 5/4 9/7 35/24 3/2
• the 29 string model: 1/1 21/20 8/7 6/5 5/4 21/16 10/7 3/2 or 1/1 25/24 7/6 6/5 5/4 7/5 35/24 3/2
• the 37 string model: 1/1 21/20 35/32 8/7 6/5 5/4 21/16 48/35 10/7 3/2 or 1/1 25/24 15/14 7/6 6/5 5/4 9/7 7/5 35/24 3/2

Roshterian music

[Insert some Roshterian folk instrument here]

Sfətsiv music

The ancient Sfətsiv had a tradition of antiphonal chants in their religious services. Little is known about the original melodies, and Sfətsiv religious texts do not mention or prescribe a particular tuning, but Ancient Sfətsiv music is speculated to have been monophonic and based on a heptatonic scale.

The Talman Sfətsiv use JI tunings like other Talmans; however, they developed their own distinctive style for their religious and folk songs.

Notable figures

Imperial period

• (the Partch) Tsăhong Tamdi - composer, physicist and mathematician who wrote Elements of Harmony.
• Inthar Tăhus
• Fron Șărep: worked with chains of fifths, invented the precursor to modern Talman notation - which was popularized in the later Imperial era.
• Hădech Nușach: composer, well known for his string quartets

Classical period

• (the Wilson) Etsoj Jopah
• Intar Foltatz: Amphirese composer who put the seal of approval on Jopah's ideas.
• Ukhy Seŋy: a major Amphirese composer
• Chaphr Doach = Amphirese composer

Romantic period

• Coscy Sivy: Amphirese composer
• Rochth Scutzis: a prolific Amphirese composer
• Kawęn Jyawŋadę: famous Amphirese operatic composer

Modern art music

• Tleeç Bwsað: Impressionist composer who used an EDO.
• Smrehtaið Awvliam: theorist who systematically categorized EDOs and devised regular temperament theory. One of the founders of the Prycþéŋ lly Fryþu Jytylisríx (Society for Experimental Music). Contributions:
  • EDOs
  • regular temperament theory
  • Fokker blocks (a particularly symmetrical kind of constant structure)
• Segin Þwhgad: "Tolkien of music" (inventing musical cultures for conworlds); composer of film music, video game music, musical dramas and fictional music
• Jamon Sewvore: inventor of the modern sewvore

Works

• Some sci-fi-themed corporeal musical drama (named after an in-world character): based on the work of the pseudonymous author Þoogast P. Nosaŋve.