Verse:Hmøøh/Suwáábyíq/Music: Difference between revisions

Traditional Sjowaázh music is monophonic. Like in many spheres of Sjowaázh life, there is a division between elite and folk music. The two styles differ not only in the language used (for elite music,

[[Sjowaázh/Classical|Classical]] or very posh [[Sjowaázh|High Sjowaázh]]; for folk music, one of the vernacular Sjowaázh varieties), but also in instruments, scales and form.

The Sjowaázh were highly influenced by the tetrachordal and heptatonic musical traditions of Hetom and Naquiz, but they made the style their own.

In traditional Sjowaázh elite society, one was expected to able to play music and to improvise music and poetry. Courts would routinely hold improvisation competitions.  

Some instruments used in elite Sjowaázh music are the lute (''ya'óog''), various spike fiddles such as the erhu (''shjhedgaáñd''), the lyre (''biliiwíd''), various end-blown flutes (''joweét'''), a reed instrument (''ko'kósh''), a large drum (''khoól'') and the woodblock (''gho'éeñ''). String instruments usually are unfretted but marked at perfect fourths.

The Sjowaázh tradition takes a purely melodic, rather than harmonic, approach to tuning, unlike the [[Verse:Tricin/Talma/Music|Talman]] and [[Verse:Tricin/Bjeheond/Music|Bjeheondian]] traditions. Traditionally, the building blocks of Sjowaázh scales are tetrachords or pentachords, i.e. divisions of the perfect fourth into three or four intervals. Innovations over the years have led to finer divisions or "n-chords" of the perfect fourth being used in elite music. Nevertheless, steps in any n-chord are no smaller than about 50 cents.

The general term for a division of the fourth in Sjowaázh is ''hañbaáj''.

The octave may be divided into two perfect fourths plus one whole tone, to form a scale type known as '' 'áañjh''. The perfect fourths divided into ''hañbaaj'' may also be stacked on top of each other indefinitely, without regard to octave equivalence, a practice called ''shiilyohóokhin''. The same ''hañbaáj'' or melody may be imitated a fourth above or below in this case. Or, the melody may be voiced in parallel fourths in an organum-like fashion (the only example of harmony in Sjowaázh music).

[[Verse:Tricin/Etsoj Jopah|Etsoj Jopah]] analyzed ''hañbaaj'' in terms of rational divisions of string lengths. More recently, the theorist Woñjéyi proposed representing the Sjowaázh musical system by dividing the octave into 58 equal parts. One of his rationales was that the perfect fourth in 58edo is 24 steps, a highly composite number.

Much of Sjowaázh music was traditionally improvised or passed down. Sjowaázh notation works a little like unheightened neumes: it marks rhythm and rough melodic contours. The ''hañbaáj'' to be used is also indicated. Much is left to the discretion of the performer, however.

In modern times, modern Talman staff notation (assuming a 58edo or 87edo framework) may be used, although this is often deemed less than satisfactory for Sjowaázh music.

The Hosné'eh dialect (at least, Hosné'eh-accented simplified High Sjowaázh) is the standard language of much of the Sjowaázh modern popular music canon. This convention was established by early Sjowaázh band T'elyáhósríib ("The White Ospreys") who hailed from Hosné'eh. Use of High Sjowaázh is limited to "grandiose" songs with historical, fantasy or religious themes, or songs describing upper-class life.