Canon (music)

''This article is about the musical use of the word "canon". For other uses, see canon

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In music, a canon is a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration (e.g. quarter rest, one measure, etc.). The initial melody is called the leader, while the imitative melody is called the follower which is played in a different voice. The follower must be created from the leader by being either an exact replication of the rhythms and intervals of the leader, or a transformation such as those listed in "types of canons" (below). The simplest and most familiar examples are rounds such as Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

History

The canon has its origins in Italy and France and was originally called caccia, the latin word for 'chase'. The Old French canon, which meant 'leaned', was taken from the Greek kanon for a rule or law, which eventually came to mean 'an accepted rule' in English. The most rigid and ingenius forms of canon are not strictly concerned with pattern but also with content. During the period of the Netherland School (1450-1500), canon as a contrapuntal art form received its greatest development, while the Roman School gave it its most complete application.

Types of canons

Canons are classified by various traits: the number of voices, the interval at which each succesive voice is transposed in relation to the preceding voice, whether voices are inverse, retrograde, or retrograde-inverse; the temporal distance between each voice, whether the intervals of the second voice are exactly those of the original or if they are adjusted to fit the diatonic scale, and the tempo of succesive voices. However, canons may use more than one of the above methods.

Number of voices

A canon of two voices may be called a canon in two, similarly a canon of x voices would be called a canon in x. This terminology may be used in comb