Canon

Definition

A musical composition in which one voice imitates another voice at certain fixed intervals of pitch and time.

•  dux: the leading voice

•  comes: the following voices imitating the dux

If each successive following voice (comes) follows the leading voice (dux) in every detail, the canon is strict; if, however, the comes modifies the dux by minor changes in accidentals, the canon is free. 

---

Listening

Johann Pachelbel, Canon in D major (c. 1690)

Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706), who lived in Germany and was a mentor to musicians in the Bach family, composed this piece for four musical lines. The top three, here played by violins, are performed as a canon (a “round” in which one voice starts out and the others duplicate it exactly). Below, the three-part canon is a basso ostinato (or ground bass), this one consisting of eight chords.