Rounds canons and fugues

While canon (a word with Greek origins meaning "law" or "rule") is a much more strict procedure than fugue, its rules allow for much more flexibility than the simple, familiar round suggests. Canons can involve more that two voices and may also be accompanied by a part that is not bound by the primary rules.

1. What are rounds and canons?
2. What is a round or canon in music?
3. Is canon a polyphonic?
4. Is a fugue a round?

What are rounds and canons?

A round (also called a perpetual canon [canon perpetuus] or infinite canon) is a musical composition, a limited type of canon, in which a minimum of three voices sing exactly the same melody at the unison (and may continue repeating it indefinitely), but with each voice beginning at different times so that different ...

What is a round or canon in music?

A canon is a piece of voices (or instrumental parts) that sing or play the same music starting at different times. A round is a type of canon, but in a round each voice, when it finishes, can start at the beginning again so that the piece can go “round and round”.

Is canon a polyphonic?

Canons are a type of polyphonic texture. Polyphony is a democratic musical texture in which many voices are operating with independence. ... So, even though each voice in a canon is performing the same melody, because they're operating independently of one another by starting at different points, the result is polyphonic.

Is a fugue a round?

A fugue may sometimes be confused as a round, however, these two are very different. In a fugue, a voice presents the main subject and then may proceed to different material, while in a round there is an exact imitation of the subject.