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CANON musical: definition and examples

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Musical Canon: definition and examples

The possibilities in the world of sound are endless and this is what makes music a vast universe for experimentation, fun and the combination of sounds. Methods have been invented and tested over the centuries to come up with techniques that we can study to create wonderful effects and structures.

In this lesson from a TEACHER we will discuss definition of musical canon and examples, you will discover more about this polyphonic technique that plays with the musical possibilities of sound.

The canon is a polyphonic musical technique(involving several voices or melodic lines), where a work is developed based on a motive or a main subject. Canon proceeds to catch and reuse this reason and shifts it (it's different beats or bars apart) either in pitch or rhythmically to create effects and combinations of counterpoint.

If at first reading you still have not fully understood what the canon is, do not worry, since it is We may need to clarify a couple of concepts for you to understand better and which we will talk about in continuation.

Musical Canon: Definition and Examples - What is the Musical Canon: Simple Definition

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We have talked about polyphony, which is a key and important concept for the canon since it is from the study of it that various techniques emerge, including the canon itself. Polyphony is when multiple voices sound in music or melodic lines, this causes the relationship between them to create interesting sound effects and rhythmic and harmonic combinations. It is precisely these combinations that we call counterpoint. The counterpoint is the study of the relationship that the notes have with each other, with respect to the distance between them, the musical direction to which they are directed and their behavior according to the rhythm and height.

Last but not least, we have the motive. The motive or subject in music is a melody or progression main (rhythmic or harmonic among others) in a work, which serves as the basis for the rest of the composition. We can recognize the motif in a work because it usually appears several times, or because the rest of what happens in the composition is inspired by the motif.

So in the canon the reason is crucial since it is based on the imitation of this same motif, playing with it by repeating it simultaneously with other voices but separated by an interval of time. These repeats can be identical or have modifications in tonality or other aspects. In the canon the main voice of the motif is called doge, and the rest of the voices that imitate it are called you eat.

Musical canon: definition and examples - Concepts to understand the musical canon

The canon is born from polyphony being explored for the first time in the twelfth century and that develops in greater depth during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Polyphony in turn arose from the melismatic organum, one of the first techniques to harmonize the song of liturgical music, as was the Gregorian chant or plain chant.

The canon reached its peak during the XVII century with musicians as Johann Sebastian Bach, who dedicated themselves to developing counterpoint compositional options that eventually led to the expansion of these polyphonic techniques.

In the ages to come, the canon loses relevance during Romanticism, but then regains importance during the 20th century with Neoclassicism and serialism.

There are different types of canon categorized according to the role and progression of the voices, within these we find the following:

  • Canon in unison
  • Canon on and off
  • Circular or infinity canon
  • Spiral canon
  • Canon in reverse or reverse motion
  • Retrograde canon
  • Table canon
  • Canon by increase and decrease
  • Double canon
  • Enigmatic Canon
Musical Canon: Definition and Examples - Types of Canon in Music

To finish this lesson, we are going to discover different examples of musical canon that will help you better understand these concepts:

  • Canon in D major - Johann Pachelbel I
  • Herr du siehest statt guter Werke, cantata BWV9 - Johann Sebastian Bach
  • Canon cancrizans (crab canon) - Johann Sebastian Bach
  • La Harpe de melodie - Jacob de Senleches
  • Chaconne HWV 442 - GeorgFriedrich Handel
  • Minuet for string quartet in D minor, Op.76 No.2 - Franz Joseph Haydn
  • Canon 4 voices in C major. Anh. 191, K562c - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • Symphony No. 4 - Ludwig van Beethoven (some excerpts)
  • Sonata 29 - Ludwig van Beethoven
  • ALS Vogel Prophete - Robret Schumann
  • 200 Short Canons Op.14 - Konrad max kuntz

Now that you know more about the musical canon, we recommend that you listen to a couple of examples for a moment so that you can finish understanding this musical technique with your senses.

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