Verse:Hmøøh/Segin Þwhgad

Sabúra Afnín Ħajád "Sabaí" Scúdhainn (English: /sə'bʊərə æf'ni:n haɪ'jɑ:d ˈskuːðɨn/ or /... 'sku:dɨn/; born: fT 2236, died: fT 2303 (aged 67) - Modern Tíogall has been established as a major language by the time Scúdhainn was born) was a Tíogall-speaking mathematician, composer and music theorist. Among Clotricians, she is often regarded as the greatest woman composer and mathematician who ever lived.

Traits

• funny and charismatic but is a bit of a jerk
• harsh grader as a professor
• not the most conventionally attractive
• Languages:
  • Tíogall (native speaker)
  • Clofabosin (non-native speaker)
  • Koine Netagin (non-native speaker)
  • Old Netagin (read)

Early life and education

Scúdhainn was born in the city of Óc Eo to a semi-aristocratic background. Her father, Fúnchíd Scúdhainn, was a mathematics professor in the University of Óc Eo who composed in his spare time. Her mother, Osraí Brinne, was a socialite, classical ŋamas player and teacher. Her father's brother, Lothair Scúdhainn, was a renowned seobhoidhre player.

A precocious tomboy, early on she was taught mathematics and ŋamas by her parents. Scúdhainn started auditing music and math classes before she was 5. She was sent to boarding school but she found the coursework boring and stilting. She was to a large extent self-taught, seeking out math and music books to read in libraries, music to listen to, and instruments to learn to play. She was allowed to skip boarding school and to enroll in the University of Óc Eo at age 11 by taking an entrance exam, and specialized in mathematics and music at age 17.

After graduation, Scúdhainn studied with composers such as Cobhar Síomha and developed a musical language characterized by showy, adventurous harmonic progressions and complex chords. She was also skilled in counterpoint, which was already evident in her first "string quartet" (a piece for three ŋamsa and one ŋamsám) which she finished at 17. At age 20, she won the prestigious composition prize [Composition_Prize_1] for the year fT 2256 with her piece [Piece_1], the first time [Composition_Prize_1] was won by a woman.

After winning [Composition_Prize_1] Scúdhainn reentered education at the University of Óc Eo as a doctoral student in mathematics, and was awarded a doctorate for her dissertation [Dissertation] (fT 2261) under the supervision of Líoc Dairsúŋán. Scúdhainn accepted professorship in fT 2264.

Compositions

Scúdhainn’s compositions, many of them commissioned, number about 250 works in total. Many of them were described as “conceptual” or “constrained composition” by her contemporaries. Dense counterpoint is also not uncommon. However, she also took a liking to folk-like themes.

(Many of her “high-level” tempo markings and staff directions are in her native Tíogall – while “low-level” ones such as dynamics markings remain in Netagin.)

• 9 Xaetjeon Dances

Personal life

Scúdhainn was a lesbian and never married a man or had children. Her relationships were many but short-lived.