Music is universal in the Cities but not precisely central to it. Dorlaf has no strong musical heritage as it does theatrical and, to a lesser extent, poetic ones. The region has produced few outstanding musicians and innovations in style have all been made elsewhere and simply copied by the Cities, usually after being introduced by migrants. And though music is ubiquitous, it is nearly always seen as being of secondary importance. There are, for example, almost no concerts where people are expected to listen to music and do nothing else. Some pegs always exist to hang the tunes on; the various types are below.
Ballads Many people don't feel ballads to be songs at all. The words are paramount; and though they are expected to rhyme and have some rhythm, their content is the key factor. And though theoretically all ballads are sung, very few bards (particularly those who write their own compositions) have very melodious voices. In the noisier venues they often sacrifice all tune in favour of projection. The popularity of printed ballads also shows the pre-eminence of words and the stories they tell. Obviously things vary; while the plots of the more complex ballads often make them more closely resemble epic poetry, others, especially the older ones, as simply singalong crowd pleasures with catchy choruses. Ballads are usually sung by an unaccompanied, generally male, bard. However some favour strumming vaguely and often tunelessly on a mandolin or guitar as they do so. Performances of the more structured and quickly paced ballads are sometimes accompanied by a second man carrying the beat with bongos; a penny whistle is also sometimes used. An iccato, a wooden mouth instrument which can replicate half a dozen bird cries as well as producing assorted silly noises, is also a favourite accompaniment for comic ballads.
Chamber Music The wealthy basically use music for accompaniment; either for dancing or to produce pleasing background noise while they are talking. For the latter, the style is almost always instrumental, and is also generally hopelessly innocuous and of little worth. Labbish musicians, playing , used to be preferred; however the Ten Years War stopped anything Labbish being favoured. (Labland is traditionally the centre of music and many Labbish songs are still sung, but encouraging their contemporary musicians is definitely frowned on.) The current fashion is either for a Schallic harpist to gently pluck away or for . The musical accompaniment for parties also runs continuously throughout and is again somewhat in the background, but is at least acted on. Dancing at Cities parties is notoriously formless; it has no clearly demarcated times and spaces and it breaks out almost spontaneously in the midst of talking and eating groups. To say that there are no set dance styles isn't correct, however. In fact there are so many, collected from across the continent in the usual magpie style, they cross-fertilise so much and are perpetrated seemingly at random, that they only appear absent. The orchestras for society parties are fairly small, a few violins, clarinets, oboes etc. Sometimes they also have a singer, usually a falsetto girl. Playing for the aristocracy is in general a financial bedrock and a continual source of frustration for professional musicians; their greatest audience scarcely listens to them. Few have dared emulate the Labbish Lexlan Ardent, perhaps the greatest musician to have lived in the Cities, who in the 1210's and 20's regularly rapped the table and demand the attention of his patrons. More typical is the embittered resignation of Antolin Grace, the current darling, who privately sneers at the philistines and dreams of financial independence to concentrate on his original free-form compositions (rather than just playing a stock range of old favourites) but never quite manages it.
Dance Music as a backdrop to the performances of dances is very common and varied. At the top end of the scale complicated and somewhat opaque performances are very much in vogue. Teresa Farson's blend of theatrical and dance techniques to mutely tell stories is one example; Shantar Zulti's elaborate series of dances, each illustrating a particular emotion, is another. Such shows tend to be reserved for Jalkin's Artists Quarter. Though trends have varied, the current one is minimalist, one or at the most two dancers accompanied by a brace of music, who play atonal and somewhat meandering 'tunes'. Demonstrations of folk dances, while considered too whimsical for the intelligentsia, have a broader appeal. The traditional Dorlafan 'field dance', which largely consists of people forming a broad circle, holding each other's shoulders and lustily kicking their legs in the air, accompanied by bongos, guitars and cries of 'Wa-hay' is regrettably still a common sight. Its performers are also notorious for dragging innocent bystanders into the 'fun'. Dances from elsewhere in Teraf are also popular, particularly for novelty value. Especially spectacular are demonstrations of the Erish pike-clap. A vivid and highly dangerous dance, it involves a lot of clashes of pole-arms at head height and is only now allowed by the authorities if blunted blades are used. Catering for even baser and equally universal emotions are erotic dancers. Invariably accompanied by either bongos or kettle drums, they consist of suggestively gyrating young ladies in a virtual or total stage of undress. The dancer's bodies are quite often exotically painted, tiger stripes or leopard spots being especially common. The dancers are usually solo, though sometimes two or three girls put on especially risqué shows of feigned lesbianism. Though largely confined to private clubs, toned down performances of this ilk creep onto the streets during carnivals.
Folk Songs Rarely performed by professionals; or when they are there is a heavy emphasis on audience participation. There is a canon of maybe thirty songs which all Cities residents know at least part of, though obviously migrants have their own staples. They are learned as a child, from parents or at school, tend to be simple verse-chorus-verse ditties with simple rhyming lyrics and are mostly hundreds of years old. The origins of almost all are unknown. Though many contain religious references, few come directly from churches but rose up from the local culture. Particularly common themes include the blighting of Ellniss and the flight to Teraf (as described in The Ships Come Sailing and The Happy Land), the Great Plague of 442-51 (somewhat obliquely described in Cherry Trees), the Sacran Period in Dorlaf ( ) or the fall of the Jurick Empire ( ). More recent songs are dominated by celebrations of the Garreday Uprisings. Though the authorities commission a song for each major occasion, very few catch on and the populace sticks to the old favourites. The somewhat perverse championing of topics is shown by the fact that otherwise forgotten kings, gladiators and princesses live on in folk songs. Trite sentimentality, triumphs of good over evil and a servile belief in aristocratic superiority otherwise expunged from local culture abound; but they are good to hum.
Drinking Songs Similar to the above in terms of simplicity and the repetition of aeons old stock favourites; rather different in their lyrical content. Sex, fighting and, obviously, drinking are the most common themes, and what tales exist tell of legendary warriors, alcoholics or fornicators. (Mankho Arner, who was something of all three, is particularly favoured, as in 'Mankho's End (Away, Away)). Leering innuendo rather than outright obscenities are the general rule; 'The Laying Lay', 'The Old Ones Are The Best Ones' and 'The Excellent Emissary' (excellent in that he was a dipsomaniac) all being good examples. It is only partially true that most are sung by drunks staggering home at three in the morning. Professional singers also give performances of them in taverns, accompanied only by legions of customers.
Religious Music Again, often quite similar to folk songs in their simplicity, permanence and ubiquity in everyday life. They tend to depend on their church, with each faith having a stock canon unique to itself. Garran and Torgun churches alike have a rich, vivid folklore on for inspiration. Garran songs are more likely to be ballad-style accounts of saints and gods, while most Torgun songs conclude an spoken a account of a legend and the songs themselves largely consist in endless declarations of their belief in their deity. In both churches a number of songs are sang at each service by the whole congregation, bookending the service in the case of Garrans, mainly held near the start for Torguns. Ellan songs are more opaque, free-form affairs which sometimes dispose of words entirely in favour of harmonious noises. They are always sung by a specially trained all-female choir who sing unaccompanied by either instruments or the congregation.
Instruments
Bongos, kettledrums Percussion is big in Dorlafan culture; as far as anyone knows, both sets of instruments were first invented in this region. As well as accompaniment as described above, bongo or kettledrum players often busk alone in the streets, sometimes as single players, sometimes in troops up to ten strong. Their rhythms are generally highly complicated and seem spontaneous, though in fact follow structured, repetitive arrangements. Though controlled by strict ordinances due to the racket they make, they are a common sight in the big squares and at markets. Conservatives often complain about the 'primal nature' of the instruments, one reason why they are so popular.
Gongs Used almost exclusively to prelude announcements or performances. Particularly favoured for political speeches (the public address platform in front of Huwdone House has gongs fixed at either end) though theatres also crash them just before a play starts. Replaced trumpet fanfares because of the military connotations of the latter; though also because nothing stills a chattering crowd like some really well hit gongs.
The asmiro The only instrument in Christoté's history to be outlawed. The asmiro is a long, pipe-like wind instrument which has a hypnotic effect on its listeners. First introduced in the 1270's, the authorities were nervous about the craze even before the Academy of Magic declared the instrument to have some sorcerous components. After it was banned in 1282, asmiro performances became de rigour for any bohemian parties, its effects heightened by alcohol and illegal herb intake. It has slid out of fashion again, though still played at many brothels. The asmiro is said to put listeners into a malleable semi-trance where everything is a pleasurable blur. The effect only lasts while it is playing and isn't known to cause any lasting damage.
Schallic pipes Schallic pipe players are esteemed rather lower than Schallic harpists. The indigenous pipes are a complicated contraption producing a low and somewhat discordant drone which only a few people genuinely enjoy. They are good at creating a certain atmosphere, however. The Torguns play Schallic pipes, along with deep, ominous drum beats, to accompany their shotgun weddings.