Verse:Mwail/Bjeheond/Music

Created by Praimhín

Hlou-Ku music

The first orchestras (Ve Rein, literally 'musical groups') in Bjeheond were invented by ancient Hlou-Ku speaking musicians.

A popular instrument in Hlou and Ku music is the blad which is a curled up banana leaf that when blown, produces a shrill, high pitched sound. Different pitches can be produced by pulling on the blad.

Other commonly used instruments are the jaw harp (Schön Ried), the tromba marina (Trlöb Schmie), the bowed psaltery (Trlaub), the slide guitar (Dru), rebecs (Ntzein) and violins of various sizes, and various kinds of prepared piano and guitar. Inharmonic and unpitched percussion instruments like chimes, woodblocks and rasps are also common.

A common folk instrument originating from Liai music is the kantele (Zeig Pfaß), tuned to harmonics from 4 to 16.

Tuning

Hlou musicians don't confine themselves to fixed tuning systems, except on fixed pitch instruments, which are typically tuned to JI scales.

Melodies in Hlou music are inspired by the contours of speech.

Rhythm

Hlou music makes use of complex rhythmic cycles, often consisting of more than 10 beats per "measure". Hlou rhythms are typically subdivided into groups of 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9. Groups of beats divisible by 3 are called schwei (complete); and the others are called lä schwei (incomplete).

Styles

Hlou music uses many forms familiar from European classical music: canon, fugue, sonata, Lied (art song; the word comes from an archaic Hlou word meaning "to express"), symphony, and concerto.

The Hlou Lied is typically accompanied with a slide guitar (Dru) and its vocal style is much closer to speech than the German Lied.

Notation

Hlou music, unlike most other musical systems in Tricin, is notated on a staff. Staff notations vary from instrument to instrument.

Famous composers

Aodh Bach - medieval Ku composer

Rene du Fay - medieval Clooa composer

Don bin Chois - medieval Clooa composer

Lou de la Croix - romantic Clooa composer

Kuldjan Blagodavski - modern ??? composer

Miscellaneous ideas

A Gregorian chant analog?