Canon
The word canon has several meanings in different areas.
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2 In literature and art 3 In music 4 In photography |
A canon in one sense is a rule adopted by a Council of the Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches. From Greek kanon, for rule or measure. See canon law.
It is also a rank in the Christian church; canons are priests who are specifically attached to a cathedral and have responsibility for some aspect of its running.
In another sense, a canon is a list of books accepted by a religion as authoritative or divinely inspired. The term was originally Christian, referring to books declared divinely inspired by the canons of Church councils. The term has however come to be extended to other religions as well with compound scriptures, thus one can speak for instance of the Pali canon in Buddhism. See biblical canon for a discussion of the canon of Christianity.
In one final sense, a canon is a member of religious group or a person holding a position of authority (prelate) in some Christian faiths.
Canon is also what is prescribed as the only correct way to paint an icon or a frescoe.
In usually academic, non-religious contexts, the so-called Western canon is often spoken of. This is a body of literature and art recognized as definitive of Western civilization.
In non-academic, non-religious contexts, canon is used to describe works of fiction that represent "official" records of events in particular fictional settings.
For example, in Star Trek, the various live-action television series and movies are considered to be canon whereas the Star Trek novels and cartoon series are not.
Events which occur in non-canon works of fiction are not considered a part of the continuity of the rest of the series, and can be disregarded freely by authors and readers alike when considering the setting as a whole.
The criteria for deciding whether a particular work of fiction is considered to be canonical for a particular setting or not varies, sometimes being dictated by a particular authority (often a copyright or trademark holder) and sometimes being decided by informal consensus among those who care.
Harry Potter fans consider only things stated by J. K. Rowling, herself, canon. Therefore the Harry Potter books, Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them are considered canon, whereas the films and other material released by Warner Bros are not.
An interval canon imitates the leader at any interval other than the octave or unison (e.g. canon at the second, fifth, seventh, etc.). If the follower imitates the precice interval quality of the leader, then it is called an exact canon; if the follower imitates the interval number (but not the quality), it is called a diatonic canon.
In a crab canon, also known as as cancrizans, the follower accompanies the leader backward (in retrograde). In a mensuration canon (also known as proportional canon), the follower imitates the leader by some rhythmic proportion. The follower may double the rhythmic values of the leader (augmentation or sloth canon) or it may cut the rhythmic proportions in half (diminution canon). Phasing involves the application of modulating rhythmic proportions according to a sliding scale. The cancrizans, and often the mensuration canon, take exception to the rule that the follower must start later than the leader.
An inverted canon (also called canon in contrary motion) moves the follower in contrary motion to the leader. A sub-order of canon in contrary motion, "mirror," maintains the precise quality of each interval.
The most familiar of the canons might be the perpetual/infinite canon. As the canon arrives at the end it can begin again; e.g. "Three Blind Mice". Additional types include the spiral canon, accompanied canon, and double or triple canon.
Canon is also the name of a Japanese company that specialises in imaging and optical products.In religion
In literature and art
In music
Definition
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.Contemporary canons
The most popular canons heard today are from the Baroque period, such as Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D (Pachelbel's Canon)or every third variation in Bach's Goldberg Variations. More recently Conlon Nancarrow has written complex tempo or mensural canons, mostly for the player piano as they are extremely difficult to play. Henryk Górecki's Third Symphony begins with an extensive eight voice canon on the strings. Steve Reich discovered a process he calls phasing which is a canon with variable distance between the voices. Many popular recording artists have found success by sampling portions of famous canons in their compositions.External Link
In photography
