Music A-Level
Canon
What Canon means in Music A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definition of Canon
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Canon in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
A strict contrapuntal technique where an initial melody is imitated exactly by one or more subsequent parts entering after a specified time delay.
Topics that use Canon
- Area of study 1: Western classical tradition 1650–1910 (compulsory) - Musical elements (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Antecedent phrase
- Antiphonal texture
- Aria
- Articulation
- Balanced phrases
- Bass suspension
- Basso continuo
- Binary form
Using Canon in the exam
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