Singing Hymns In Canon

One way of singing hymns creatively involves singing in canon. This article defines what a canon is and how it can be used to foster imaginative congregational singing. Canons are now appearing frequently in the new hymnals and materials related to congregational singing. There is a resurgence of interest in this age-old system of organizing part-singing. The canonic principle has been a part of our musical tradition for over 700 years, and most of us have had experience performing and hearing canons in both instrumental and choral music. Imagine life without the Pachelbel canon,"Row, Row, Row Your Boat," or "Three Blind Mice. " There is a surprising versatility in canons that ranges from the seemingly simple stringing together of a half-dozen notes or so to very complex arrangements that pose riddles to be solved. Nature and History of Canons A good working definition of a canon is "imitation of a complete subject by one or more voices at fixed intervals of pitch and time" (Don M…