Meaning of Canon Cancrizans in Music
Canon cancrizans, also known as retrograde canon or crab canon, is a type of canon in music where the imitating voice repeats the notes of the theme in reverse order. The term "cancrizans" is derived from the Latin word "cancer," which means crab. It refers to the fact that crabs are known to walk backward, just as the imitating voice in a cancrizans canon moves in a retrograde or backward motion ).
In a cancrizans canon, the two musical lines are complementary and backward. If the lines were placed next to each other, they would form something conceptually similar to a palindrome. An example of a cancrizans canon can be found in J.S. Bach's "The Musical Offering".
The term "cancrizans" is sometimes used interchangeably with "retrograde canon" or "canon per recte et retro." It is a technique that composers use to create musical interest and complexity by reversing the melodic direction of the imitating voice ).
Overall, canon cancrizans is a specific type of canon in which the imitating voice repeats the notes of the theme in reverse order, creating a backward motion in the music ).
See retrograde canon.
In addition, you can familiarize yourself with the terms:
- [English] retrograde canon
- [English] crab canon
- [Latin] cancrizans
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