Solution
to Canon
10. Canon a 4
Quaerendo invenietis "Seek and ye shall find."
How
many voices are there?
“a4”
indicates that this canon has four voices! It is yet another variation of the
Royal theme.
What
do you have to find?
What
are the transformation principles?
There
is a G-clef and an F-clef. This indicates that there are two different
starting notes amongst the four voices.
What
notes do the leader, and followers start on?
Notice
that the G-clef is lowered by one line from its usual placement. Since the
first note is on this same line, the leader begins on “g” above middle
“c.” Reading the starting note from the F-clef position, means that at
least one of the followers begins on “G’,” two octaves below the leader.
But how many voices begin on “g” and how many on “G’”? “Seek and
ye shall find.” You have to discover this. As both starting points are a
higher or lower “g,” this is not as crucial as if they started on totally
different notes. Wait to figure this out until you figure out the next step.
When
do the followers start?
As
above, since there is no
%,
and it would not make any sense to start all four voices on a “g” or
“G’” at the same time, you have to discover the interval of time
displacement. “Seek and ye shall find.”
Again,
this task is more advanced. Think of the hint above -- to think in musical
idea units – think of placing the follower after the completion of a musical
idea, or phrase. Here, Bach has written a variation of the Royal theme,
followed by a counterpoint section. Think of a fugue, where the second voice
is brought in after the theme is finished.
Try
to figure this out before proceeding.
When
you are ready to proceed:
The
solution is to bring in the second voice, after the completion of the
variation of the Royal theme, after 7 measures (counting the rest before the
first notes as part of the theme, or on the second beat of the 7th
measure if you start with the first note of the second voice.) The 2nd
– 4th beats of the 7th measure is an added tail to the
end of the theme, which really ends on the 1st “g” on the 2nd
beat of measure 7.
In
the realized version of this fugue, the first three voices start on “g,”
and the last, bass voice, starts on “G’,” two octaves below.
What
are the transformation principles?
1.
displacement
of time, to be discovered
2.
displacement
of space, to be discovered
Problem:
How
many voices are there?
What
are the transformation principles?
What can "Seek and ye shall find" refer to? What do you have to find?
