Writing a Canon from Earlham College - a do it yourself project.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    A clear, easy to understand lesson in how to compose your own modal canons.

    Why not try composing your own canons for a beginning or smaller choir and share them here with other choir directors?

    If you don't think you can write a short, simple melody, choose a favorite chant phrase you like and build on it. Be sure to include the chant source name in your title.

    Boost the quality of your scores by using the free music notation program, NotePad.
  • Casavant Organist
    Posts: 805
    The link doesn't seem to work.
    EDIT: Now it does.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    Alleluia attached.
    Alleluia.pdf
    109K
  • Reval
    Posts: 186
    Maybe the moderator could fix the name of the college in the thread title. It is Earlham College, not Earldom College.
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,192
    Writing modal canons gets to be more fun when they are in three parts instead of two ... and even more fun when one of the parts is transposed (either diatonically or chromatically) from the Prima vox.

    Here is my Mode III canon setting of Gustate et videte with the first Altera vox a diatonic fourth up from the Prima vox, delayed by two measures, and the second Altera vox down an octave from (although it could be at unison with) the Prima vox, delayed by three measures. The first page of the score shows how it could all be rendered on a single staff. The second page gives the full score of the Antiphon. For completeness, the next two pages give the Psalm verses for use at Communion, using a 3-part harmonization of the usual Mode III tone. A synthesized sound file is also enclosed.
    Giffen-Gustate et videte MzABar-strict.pdf
    115K
    Giffen-Gustate et videte MzABar-strict-192kbps.mp3
    5M
    Thanked by 2M. Jackson Osborn noel jones, aago
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,413
    Give him a wreathe of laurel -
    well, at least of myrtle.
    Fantastische!
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    There's a great series of videos on YouTube about improvising canons (at the fifth).

    Here's the first one.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n01J393WpKk
    Thanked by 5JonathanKK CHGiffen M. Jackson Osborn eft94530 noel jones, aago
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