Canon

(Ger. Ka’non; Fr. canon; It. ca’none.) 1%. The strictest form of CAN ONE— mus. imitation, in which two or more parts take up in succe ion exactly the same subject—The part taking the lead is called the antecedent, and the following part the conseguent. Canons are now usually written out in full, but during the high tide of medieval counterpoint it was customary to write only the antecedent, and to mark the succe ive entrances of the other parts by signs or merely by mysterious superscriptions (enigmatical canons), the superscription was then called the canon (i. e. rule, direction), while the composition was called the fu’ga or conseguen’1a.—According to the interval from the antecedent at which the consequent enters, the canon is called a C. in unison (the consequent taking the very same notes as the antecedent, but of course entering later); C. af the octave (the consequent entering an octave above or below); C. at the fifth, fourth, etc. The ¢. could also be varied, like the fugue, by the diminution or augmentation of the theme, by inversion or retrogre ion, etc. (Comp. Fugue.) When the parts entered at the time-interval of a minim one after the other, the canon was called a fug a admin imam—2. Ancient Greek name for the Monochord.