Cap 8 - Canon PT3 Flashcards
THE ACCOMPANIED CANON
In sorne ofthe canons quoted so far (Examples 4, 5, l l ), there was accompaniment to the extent that a voice not involved in the canon was present. Sometimes a much more elaborate accompaniment, either harmonic or linear, is employed.
CANONS IN THREE OR MORE VOICES
Multi-voice textures that involve a two-voice canon accompanied by one or more other voices are not infrequent in musical literature.
Canons in more than four voices
Canons in more than four voices are extremely uncommon.
THE PERPETUAL CANON
Canons that lead back to the beginning and therefore allow foras many repetitions as desired are called perpetua! canons, infinite canons, eternal canons, or circle canons.
Because of their particular construction, they have no true cadential ending, unless one is added or the performers agree in advance to end at sorne point where the parts coincide on a tonic harmony. Such possible ending points are sometimes marked by a
fermata.
Perpetua! canons do not necessarily involve more than two voices, but they are mentioned under this heading because the best-known type, the round, generally involves at least three.
The round
Normally a vocal canon with words, the round is commonly written for three or more voices, and each sínger or group of singers goes back to the beginning after completing the last phrase.
NOTA:
Instead of being written out on severa! staves so as to show the voices as they will sound together, rounds are usually notated as a single line, in the
treble clef, with figures to show where each singer or group is to begin. In such cases the canon is at the unisonas far as notation is concerned.
The catch
A special type of round canon is the “catch,” which was extremely popular in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century England. The words for it are written in such a way that when the parts are combined, unexpected meanings (often bawdy) emerge.
THE DOUBLE CANON
The double canon consists of two canons sounded simultaneously. The two Ieading voices of each canon may start together or consecutively. One canon may be subservient to the other and have the quality of an accompaniment, or the two may be of equal importance.
THE ENIGIMA CANON
A type of canon popular long before Bach ‘s day is the “enigma,” “puzzle,” or ‘‘riddle” canon. The notation usually consists of a single melodic line, along with clefs or other clues to indicate the harmonic interval and time interval to be used in working out the actual realizalion of the canon.
THE SPIRAL CANON
In the spiral canon, a very rare type, the melody ends in a different key from the one in which it began. There must then be as many repetitions as are necessary to return to the original key, assuming that it is to be reached.
