Music by Culture in My Homebrew Setting

When you go about creating a homebrew world, I recommend delving into every element of life within your world so you can get a real sense of what life is like there. I've offered peeks into the mythology, literature, superstitions, naming conventions, common sayings, and architecture of my world as a way to simultaneously illustrate what life is like there, show you the kind of worldbuilding you can do, and work out these details for myself. When I started writing on this site, I had a working idea of what these domains were like, but nowhere near the level of detail I now have surrounding many facets of life. Today, I want to break down an idea that's dear to me: music. For my profile on each race's music, I will describe the most common themes, the instruments used, a well-known song, and a notable musician or group of musicians. 

Daltoners

• Most Common Themes: Duty, Decorum, Sacrifice, Honor, Faith. Many Daltoner songs seem like reminders of the values that the Dalton Church of Pelor has taught. Few Daltoner songs stray from these themes, as music is really only performed with the aim of morally improving the listener, meaning it is not a common joy. 
• Instruments Most Commonly Used:  The organ is the central instrument of Daltoner music. It is sometimes accompanied by a harp and almost always by a choir. Men's choirs are preferred to women's, and children's choirs are preferred to adults, so boys' choirs are the height of Daltoner music. 
• Well-Known Song: "The Light Without" by Ella Durham. The song's opening lines describe the power of the light within and how we are all gifted with a sense of right and wrong innately, but it quickly turns and describes Pelor's light--the light without--as far more powerful and noble. The central premise of the song's message is that accepting Pelor's light means that one does not have to rely on their own fallible thinking, but can always trust that they are rightly guided by Pelor. 
• Notable Musician: The New Dalton Tabernacle Choir, organized, composed for, and led by Tiberius Haight, is the premier musical group of the Daltoner empire. The Choir has been a part of every major governmental and religious ceremony in New Dalton for generations, and having been a New Dalton Tabernacle Choir singer as a boy is one of the most respected honors a Daltoner man can have. Haight himself is a reclusive man, but also a very vain man who only produces music from time to time, concerned with creating something not befitting the Church he considers himself a servant of. 

Faninites

• Most Common Themes: Kinship, Humility, Gratitude, Happiness, Change. Faninite songs are quite varied, but the basics come down to story songs, usually telling moral lessons, and slice-of-life songs, expressing the emotional experience of the morals. Faninites tends to focus their musical efforts on happy sentiments, as Faninites are more prone to celebration of partial victory than growing somber from a partial loss. 
• Instruments Most Commonly Used: The lute is the core instrument of Faninite music. Some genres of Faninite music are played exclusively on the lute without accompaniment or singing, and the Faninite method of playing the lute has become widely studied across the continent. Expert lutists prefer playing on Faninite-made lutes. When the lute is accompanied, it is typically matched with a single singer's voice and a deep drum which is used to keep time. 
• Well-Known Song: "I Was Still" by Elena Fogarty. This story song about two sisters tells of the two girls growing apart and then together again, and its portrayal of the wayward sister's path back home is through adopting the values their parents taught them. The song's somewhat somber events are celebrated in the song as part of the process of change and learning to grow, and many travelers will hum or sing this song to themselves on journeys home. 
• Notable Musician: Ooth the Uncouth is the stage name of Grover Hammerford, one of the most famous traveling musical acts in all the land. Ooth is known for playing the lute with irregular tempos and stomping on a thick-skinned drum as he plays; his shows are composed of him playing a cover of a traditional song with a few lyrics changed to make them dirty. Despite this childish bit, he also changes lyrics to make the original message of the song even more poignant, creating mental whiplash for the audience. He draws crowds of all races and is known for using a large portion of his earnings from shows to invest in a member of the community before moving onto the next town. 

Dwarves

• Most Common Themes: Decorum, Honor, Industry, Legacy, Unity. Dwarven songs in the earliest days of dwarven society were instrumental only; their songs only began to include lyrics after significant assimilation with other races. Legacy and Unity are often invoked by dwarven songs in response to this fact, pushing dwarves to be dwarves above all else. Most dwarven songs are laid over preexisting instrumental music, and there are many instances of several dwarves lyrical works being associated with the same instrumental song. 
• Instruments Most Commonly Used:  The metallic instruments--horns and pipes--are the native instruments of dwarven music. A typical dwarven song layers differently-pitched horns as rhythm instruments and play a melody with the higher-pitched pipes. Dwarven horns and pipes are the most sought after in the musical world, and dwarven music is home to the most skilled players of the pipes. 
• Well-Known Song: "Another Round of Ale," folk song with no known author. The instrumental part of this song is lively and quick, and the lyrics formulaically describe problems common to dwarven life and then solving it with traditional wisdom, always ending with toasting and moving on for another round of ale. Although most dismiss this song as a low form of entertainment, the song's emphasis on respecting social superiors and endlessly working as sources of stress for dwarves is a highly representative song of real dwarven concerns. 
• Notable Musician: Xavier Whitestone and the Kings of Old are a nine-piece group of mostly horn and pipe players with two singers, one of whom mostly performs backup for the Xavier Whitestone, the singer and lyricist for the group. This band originally achieved acclaim in the dwarven capital of Underhar, but in recent years have toured the entire continent and met loving crowds. They are especially well-known for incorporating aspects of the highly popular half-elven music by simulating the strict time signature via the lower-pitched horns. 

Elves

• Most Common Themes: Freedom, Industry, Balance, Contemplation, Perspective. Most elven music is highly intellectual in nature, exploring themes in detail over the course of the song. In fact, there is an entire subgenre of elven music which is music composed in the meditative state that elves replace with sleeping. Elven values are less present in their music than other races; the focus here is instead on individual attainment, mostly of wisdom and even self-mastery. 
• Instruments Most Commonly Used: Elven music is dependent on two instruments: the viol and the drum. The most common form of musical group is two members with one on each instrument; the second most common is with four members, two on each instrument, and so forth. Technically daunting musical performances are considered the height of performance rather than feeling or improvisation. Key to elven music is the notion that the drum(s) and the viol balance each other. 
• Well-Known Song: "Counterpart" by The Eyella Sisters. This song is considered especially evocative of elven art in the way that its writing is both technically challenging and that the lyrics operate on three distinct levels, describing the song itself, the relationship between the musicians, and elven music as an institution. Despite all the bookishness of the song's construction, it is exceptionally catchy, and many elves at the beginning of courtship are known to have it in mind. 
• Notable Musician: Leather and Guts is the stage name for a drummer named Hellinor Certin and a violist named Pesinva Welnerin, whose music is so academic that it is removed from trying to attract listeners based on the sound of the music, which is so technically-driven that most listeners are not able to understand the impressiveness of. Nevertheless, Leather and Guts is the most respected elven music group among the typical elf. These two performers are also notable as perhaps the most talented living masters of their instrument: Welnerin is undoubtedly the greatest violist, and Certin's place as greatest drummer is contested only by the orcish master Erk Irenk. 

Half-Elves

• Most Common Themes: Balance, Duality, Kinship, Contemplation, Change. The byproduct of elven and Faninite cultures, half-elven music reflects a combination of their values with a philosophical focus on the duality of all things. Half-elven music is reflective like elven music but also spontaneous in the Faninite fashion, creating a style of music that often plays against itself in interesting ways. 
• Instruments Most Commonly Used: Combining the traditions of elves and Faninites, half-elves have created a new form of musical group: there is one drummer, one high violist, one low violist, and one lutist, with the lutist typically doubling as a singer. The drums are a set of varying instruments; the high viol is smaller, whereas the low viol is bigger and is often played standing up rather than against the body. 
• Well-Known Song: "Time for Something Different" by Both Halves. This song is notable both because its lyrical themes have made it very popular and also because its instrumental musicianship is core to the half-elven music scene. One of the first songs to be widely performed by a band of half-elven composition, its high energy and complex but complementary parts are prototypical of the most common music of today. The lyrics of this song propose that the solution to most every problem is balance--if something doesn't work, try incorporating its opposite in and see how it goes. 
• Notable Musician: The Door to the Other Door is the stage name for the most popular half-elven band in the land (perhaps even the most popular musicians period). The group began as an experimental outfit that would have its rhythm section play faster than the melody section to create feelings of tension in the listener; they have retained experimental efforts like this but become much more broad in their appeal--they now reside at the center of the balance between high art and popular art. Their lyrics typically present logical conundrums and apply common wisdom and supernatural advice to those problems. 

Halflings

• Most Common Themes: Independence, Creativity, Freedom, Humility, Spontaneity. Halfling music celebrates the values that halflings prize in their day-to-day life, which revolves around living individually and in the moment. However, because most halfling music strives to operate independently of tradition, these themes appear mostly spread across halfling songs in measured ways without leaning too much into identifying common halfling values. The themes of independence, creativity, and spontaneity are all embraced by the music itself, which is heavy on improvised solos and departures from established patterns. 
• Instruments Most Commonly Used:  Halfling music is marked not by the dominance of one instrument, but by the constant presence of improvised and custom instruments. Halfling drummers, for instance, often have instruments made of an array of everyday items with interesting sounds when struck; an increasingly common halfling instrument is the dulci-pipes, a set of pipes which can be blown or struck with a mallet, allowing the musician a greater range of possible sounds. Halflings also developed the bagpipe, an invention which shocked most of the world on its unveiling. Most halfling bands include a smattering of instruments from across the land, and it is not uncommon for these groups to re-arrange their pieces in the instrument that is native to the area they are playing in. 
• Well-Known Song: "Another Sound" by Hairy Tom and the Toms and Harrys. This song features only a few lyrics; before each of the song's 6 sections end, the singer Hairy Tom advances a short story by one sentence, which is more spoken than sung. Taken together, the story tells of a young person who learns that the world is more complex than first appearance suggests, which is portrayed via increasingly complicated musical parts. The song is recognizable to most for its distinctive part for the shawm, an instrument borrowed from gnomish culture--the shawm part is a catchy, looping part which is oftentimes whistled by idle folks across the continent. 
• Notable Musician: Bertha Bigby and the Beautiful Birdbrains is the stage name of the most well-respected avant garde music in all the land. Although casual music fans often find the band's music to be too obtuse and experimental, musicians and music scholars regard Bigby's direction of the group of musicians to be essentially flawless. Previously a loose collection of occasional collaborators, Bigby united the group under her own banner and has lead the music industry down various interesting roads. While the average person in Evanoch is unlikely to be able to name a tune by the group, most halflings and all music aficionados are familiar with the sprawling and irreverent style of Bigby and the band. The group has not toured in five years, locked away composing their next masterpieces, and there is slight concern among the public that they may have heard the last from Bertha Bigby and the Beautiful Birdbrains. 

Gnomes

• Most Common Themes: Ingenuity, Community, Industriousness, Humor, Individuality. To outside observers, gnomish music can be quite confusing. It builds up community as key to the gnome's life, but also preaches the value of being an individual. It depicts hard work as the key to success, but clever thinking is regarded the same way. And as serious as gnomes are about these issues in their lives, gnomish lyrics still offer humor as a way of life. As a result, gnomish lyrics are considered complex and representational by gnomes and people in the know, where they are considered contradictory and flippant by those who do not understand gnomish culture. As a result, gnomish songs are often reflective in a way that reminds some listeners of elven music. 
• Instruments Most Commonly Used:  The key instrument in gnomish music is the shawm. Where dwarves made horns of metals, gnomes had mostly lumber to work with, so they developed large reedy instruments known today as shawms. Gnomes have a long tradition of multi-part bands; traditionally, there are three shawm players, each assigned a different register to play in, as well as a drummer and a lyre player. Gnomish shawms are the most sought-after in Evanoch, and gnomish compositions for the lyre are among the most complex and beautiful amongst string instruments in the land. The combination of gnomish instruments creates a very natural sound which is often used to make very unnatural sounds--gnomish composing is almost mechanical in nature. 
• Well-Known Song: "A Name for Tomorrow" by Jort Balort and the Sports Shorts. This song is known both because it is a sincere exploration of important gnomish themes like meaning, names, and planning for the future and also because it is the best example of gnomish music striving for catchiness rather than the obtuse compositions that are so common in gnomish music. The song became popular in the first days of widespread musician tours, when Jort Balort and the Sports Shorts canvassed the countryside and spread this infectious tune. Although the themes are gnomish in nature, many people find the focus on identity and progress to be meaningful, and "A Name for Tomorrow" is a standard for many journeyman musicians. 
• Notable Musician: The Great Big Question is the stage name of a group of six gnomes and one halfling; the halfling plays the drums in traditional halfling style (syncopated rhythms and atypical drum sounds) while three gnomes play shawms, one plays the pipes, one plays the lyre, and one plays the flute. The Great Big Question is known for playing mostly instrumental music with very occasional lyrical bursts, all of which are open-ended questions. What sets this group apart is the fact that its compositions are designed to be soothing (something not included in traditional gnomish music), and The Great Big Question is the first musical group in history to make a partial living off of royalties of other musicians playing their music. 

Orcs

• Most Common Themes: Kinship, Honor, Personal Power, Instinct, Commitment. Orcish songs typically celebrate the focusing of energy into action, with particular emphasis on the way that those actions affect the world. There is something of a divide in orcish music: some focus on the collective side of things, while others are more invested in the individual side of things. This means that generally, orcish music which takes a stance is partially responding to a long-running conversation between the two sides. In recent years, many musicians have taken efforts to bridge this gap, forming a new subgenre of orcish music which balances these two warring sides. 
• Instruments Most Commonly Used:  The core instrument of the orcish musical tradition is the drum. Going back to the honored tribal roots of orcish culture, drums were a part of every ceremony the community took part in, and orcish drums are more varied (and durable) than any other race's production of the instrument. In most recent times, orcish musicians have adopted the dulcimer from halfling music, using it primarily as a rhythm instrument with greater range of sounds than traditional drums. Typically, a group of orcish musicians is almost entirely drummers, and the music is based on a series of interconnected rhythms--every drummer in an orcish group gets a solo in every song. 
• Well-Known Song: "As the Sun Sets, It Rises," a folk song with no known author. This instrumental song is perhaps the most representative of orcish music in all of the music world. It begins with one drummer playing a slow rhythm, with additional drummers joining in to represent the intensity of the setting sun. There is a climax as the sun sets, with a slow beat representing the darkened sky, and then another gradual buildup as the sun rises again in the morning. Even if they do not know the song by name, any Evanine would instantly recognize the distinctive rhythm of this song. Not only a showcase for drummers, this song is also played or even sung during tedious activities as a way to pass the time. 
• Notable Musician: Erk Irenk and His Orc-hestra is the group organized to play compositions by the most respected drummer of all time, Erk Irenk. His style is unmistakable to music aficionados; this percussion expert has overseen both the revival and maintenance of traditional orcish music and the revitalizing of that tradition via the invention of a new series of drums in a collection to be played by one skilled drummer rather than several non-experts, calling the invention a "drum kit." Irenk's steady output of songs over the last two decades have granted orcish music a special place in the musical community, and Irenk is credited by many with the rising of orcish music's popularity over elven music in the last decade. 

That's all for now. Coming soon: an argument for convenient storytelling, how to write a murder mystery party one-shot, and a profile on politics in my homebrew setting. Until next time, happy gaming!

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