Urizen music

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The Music of Urizen

Style summary

The Urizen musical tradition mirrors their tranquil, philosophical approach to life. More in meditation than performance, traditional Urizen musicians gather to improvise fluid, shifting melodies and harmonies around a series of repetitive themes, usually choosing a theme such as 'tranquility', 'hope' or 'grief'. They favour picked strings, tuned percussion and light, breathy woodwind, though any instrument can be played as part of the soundscape.

Real world inspiration includes gamelan, minimalists such as Phillip Glass and Ludivico Ianoudi, Vangelis and Mike Oldfield, though with acoustic rather than electric instruments.

Commonly known songs

Pick a few examples from the list below to specifically promote as well-known within that nation. Provide lyrics and score/chords. Preferably in a range of difficulties.

A musical tradition

Urizen does not have a popular concert tradition. However improvised musical themes are sometimes included in philosophical meditation sessions or magical rituals with the magician either playing or surrounding herself with players if she is not a musician, in order to focus the mind and senses on the task at hand.

Hungry Goat Song

[song] Early in the morning And without any warning My goat ate all the pants That were hanging on the line

Chorus: Goaty, goaty, hungry little goaty Goaty, goaty, hungry all the time

Daddy went to borrow Some pants to wear tomorrow But the goat had eaten mummy's And had eaten all of mine

Chorus: Goaty, goaty, hungry little goaty Goaty, goaty, hungry all the time

Daddy started cursing And the goat looked full to bursting But it went back to the washing 'cause we didn't see in time

Chorus: Goaty, goaty, hungry little goaty Goaty, goaty, hungry all the time

So later in the morning And with hardly any warning My goat ate all the socks That were hanging on the line...

(repeat with other articles of clothing)

[/song]

Further examples

Songs

Urizen does not have its own song tradition, although bards will happily purloin the songs of other nations to sing in bars and around campfires. See Music for songs known throughout the Empire.

Instrumentation

Bells, glockenspiels, Hand pans, hammer dulcimer, soft pipes, long notes from bowed instruments or drone instruments such as singing bowls or wine glasses.

Other performance traditions

Performers in Urizen more commonly recite poetry than sing. There is more information about Urizen art here.

How to adapt your repertoire

• Take any tune and repeat a phrase over and over, allowing others to improvise around it.

Our sources

Any gamelan, Philip Glass and other minimalists but preferably played on tuned percussion, Michael Nyman.

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music for Urizen.