Round (music)

Last updated May 04, 2024

A round (also called a perpetual canon [canon perpetuus] or infinite canon) is a musical composition, a limited type of canon, in which multiple 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 parts of the melody coincide in the different voices, but nevertheless fit harmoniously together.^[2] It is one of the easiest forms of part singing, as only one line of melody need be learned by all parts, and is part of a popular musical tradition. They were particularly favoured in glee clubs, which combined amateur singing with regular drinking.^[3] The earliest known rounds date from 12th-century Europe. One characteristic of rounds is that, "There is no fixed ending," in the sense that they may be repeated as many times as possible, although many do have "fixed" endings, often indicated by a fermata.^[1]

A catch is a round in which a phrase that is not apparent in a single line of lyrics emerges when the lyrics are split between the different voices. Rounds that fall into the category of "perpetual canon" feature a melody whose end leads back to the beginning, allowing easy and immediate repetition. Often, "the final cadence is the same as the first measure".^[5]

History

The term "round" first appears in English in the early 16th century, though the form was found much earlier. In medieval England, they were called rota or rondellus . Later, an alternative term was "roundel" (e.g., David Melvill's manuscript Ane Buik off Roundells, Aberdeen, 1612). Special types of rounds are the "catch" (a comic English form found from about 1580 to 1800), and a specialized use of the word "canon", in 17th- and 18th-century England designating rounds with religious texts.^[2] The oldest surviving round in English is "Sumer Is Icumen In" ^[4] Play ^ⓘ, which is for four voices, plus two bass voices singing a ground (that is, a never-changing repeating part), also in canon. However, the earliest known rounds are two works with Latin texts found in the eleventh fascicle of the Notre Dame manuscript Pluteo 29.1. They are Leto leta concio^[7] (a two-voice round) and O quanto consilio (a four-voice round). The former dates from before 1180 and may be of German origin ( Falck 1972 , pp. 43–45, 57). The first published rounds in English were printed by Thomas Ravenscroft in 1609... "Three Blind Mice" Play ^ⓘ appears in this collection, although in a somewhat different form from today's children's round:

Three Blinde Mice,
three Blinde Mice,
Dame Iulian,
Dame Iulian,
The Miller and his merry olde Wife,
shee scrapte her tripe licke thou the knife.

Mechanics

The canon, or rule, of a simple round is that each voice enters after a set interval of time, at the same pitch, using the same notes.^[8]

Rounds work because after the melody is divided into equal-sized blocks of a few measures each, corresponding notes in each block either are the same, or are different notes in the same chord. This is easiest with one chord, as in "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" Play ^ⓘ:

A new part can join the singing by starting at the beginning whenever another part reaches any asterisk in the above music. If one ignores the sixteenth notes that pass between the main chords, every single note is in the tonic triad—in this case, a C, E, or G.

Many rounds involve more than one chord, as in "Frère Jacques" Play ^ⓘ:

The texture is simpler, but it uses a few more notes; this can perhaps be more easily seen if all four parts are run together into the same two measures:

The second beat of each measure does not sketch out a tonic triad, it outlines a dominant seventh chord (or "V7 chord").

Classical

Classical composers who turned their hand to the round format include Thomas Arne, John Blow, William Byrd, Henry Purcell, Louis Hardin, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Benjamin Britten (for example, "Old Joe Has Gone Fishing", sung by the villagers in the pub to keep the peace, at the end of act 1 of Peter Grimes ) .^[10] Examples by J. S. Bach include the regular canons, Var. 3 and Var. 24 of the Goldberg Variations, and the perpetual canons, Canon 7 of The Musical Offering and Canon a 2 Perpetuus (BWV 1075).^[11] Several rounds are included amongst Arnold Schoenberg's thirty-plus canons, which "within their natural limitations ... are brilliant pieces, containing too much of the composer's characteristically unexpected blend of seriousness, humour, vigour and tenderness to remain unperformed".^[12] Contemporary classical composers, such as Abbie Betinis, have also explored round-writing in the 21st century.^[13]

Rounds in German

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counterpoint</span> Polyphonic music with separate melodies

In music, counterpoint is a method of composition in which two or more musical lines are simultaneously played which are harmonically correlated yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradition, strongly developing during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period, especially in the Baroque period. The term originates from the Latin punctus contra punctum meaning "point against point", i.e. "note against note".

Articles related to music include:

In music, perpetuum mobile, moto perpetuo (Italian), mouvement perpétuel (French), movimento perpétuo (Portuguese) movimiento perpetuo (Spanish), carries two distinct meanings: first, as describing entire musical compositions or passages within them that are characterised by a continuous stream of notes, usually but not always at a rapid tempo; and also as describing entire compositions, or extended passages within them that are meant to be played in a repetitious fashion, often an indefinite number of times.

A chord is in close harmony if its notes are arranged within a narrow range, usually with no more than an octave between the top and bottom notes. In contrast, a chord is in open harmony if there is more than an octave between the top and bottom notes. The more general term spacing describes how far apart the notes in a chord are voiced. A triad in close harmony has compact spacing, while one in open harmony has wider spacing.

Pachelbel's Canon is an accompanied canon by the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel. The canon was originally scored for three violins and basso continuo and paired with a gigue, known as Canon and Gigue for 3 violins and basso continuo. Both movements are in the key of D major. Although a true canon at the unison in three parts, it also has elements of a chaconne. Neither the date nor the circumstances of its composition are known, and the oldest surviving manuscript copy of the piece dates from 1838 to 1842.

In music, unison is two or more musical parts that sound either the same pitch or pitches separated by intervals of one or more octaves, usually at the same time. Rhythmic unison is another term for homorhythm.

In music, a canon is a contrapuntal (counterpoint-based) compositional technique that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration. The initial melody is called the leader, while the imitative melody, which is played in a different voice, is called the follower. The follower must imitate the leader, either as an exact replication of its rhythms and intervals or some transformation thereof. Repeating canons in which all voices are musically identical are called rounds—familiar singalong versions of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and "Frère Jacques" that call for each successive group of voices to begin the same song a bar or two after the previous group began are popular examples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Blind Mice</span> Traditional song

"Three Blind Mice" is an English nursery rhyme and musical round. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3753.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 3 (Górecki)</span> Symphony by Henryk Gorecki

The Symphony No. 3, Op. 36, also known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, is a symphony in three movements composed by Henryk Górecki in Katowice, Poland, between October and December 1976. The work is indicative of the transition between Górecki's earlier dissonant style and his later more tonal style and "represented a stylistic breakthrough: austerely plaintive, emotionally direct and steeped in medieval modes". It was premièred on 4 April 1977, at the Royan International Festival, with Stefania Woytowicz as soprano and Ernest Bour as conductor.

Liederkreis, Op. 39, is a song cycle composed by Robert Schumann. Its poetry is taken from Joseph von Eichendorff's collection entitled Intermezzo. Schumann wrote two cycles of this name – the other being his Opus 24, to texts by Heinrich Heine – so this work is also known as the Eichendorff Liederkreis. Schumann wrote, "The voice alone cannot reproduce everything or produce every effect; together with the expression of the whole the finer details of the poem should also be emphasized; and all is well so long as the vocal line is not sacrificed." Liederkreis, Op. 39, is regarded as one of the great song cycles of the 19th century, capturing, in essence, the Romantic experience of landscape. Schumann wrote it starting in May 1840, the year in which he wrote such a large number of lieder that it is known as his "year of song" or Liederjahr.

In music rondellus is the formalized interchange of parts or voices according to a scheme, often used in English conducti and frequently in English motets of the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, but never used for an entire piece. For example:

A B C D E F C A B F D E B C A E F D

In music theory, voicing refers to two closely related concepts:

How a musician or group distributes, or spaces, notes and chords on one or more instruments
The simultaneous vertical placement of notes in relation to each other; this relates to the concepts of spacing and doubling

In music, a catch is a type of round or canon at the unison. That is, it is a musical composition in which two or more voices repeatedly sing the same melody, beginning at different times. Generally catches have a secular theme, though many collections included devotional rounds and canons.

In music theory, an inversion is a rearrangement of the top-to-bottom elements in an interval, a chord, a melody, or a group of contrapuntal lines of music. In each of these cases, "inversion" has a distinct but related meaning. The concept of inversion also plays an important role in musical set theory.

Eye music describes graphical features of scores which when performed are unnoticeable by the listener.

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"Danket, danket dem Herrn" is a Christian hymn in German. The short text is taken from psalms. The music is traditional, from the 18th century. It is a round, often used for grace after meals, but also used for other occasions of thanksgiving. The song is included in German Protestant and Catholic hymnals and many songbooks, and is considered to be among the most widespread rounds in German.

References

1 2 MacDonald & Jaeger 2006, p. 15.
1 2 Johnson 2001.
↑ Aldrich 1989, p. introductory essay, 8–22, especially at p 21: "Catch-singing is unthinkable without a supply of liquor to hand...".
1 2 Hoffman 1997, p. 40.
↑ Walton 1974, p. 141.
↑ & Norden 1970, p. 195.
↑ Leto Leta Concio: Canon - Manuscrit de Florence , retrieved 2024-03-23
↑ Mead 2007, p. 371.
↑ MacDonald & Jaeger 2006, p. 8.
↑ Howard 1969, p. 15.
↑ Smith 1996.
↑ Neighbour 1964, p. 681.
↑ "Abbie Betinis, Choral Works (selected)". www.abbiebetinis.com. Retrieved 2024-03-23.

Sources

Aldrich, Henry (1989). Robinson, B. W.; Hall, R. F. (eds.). The Aldrich Book of Catches. London: Novello.
Falck, Robert (1972). "Rondellus, Canon, and Related Types before 1300". Journal of the American Musicological Society. 25 (1 (Spring)): 38–57. doi:10.2307/830299. JSTOR 830299.
Hoffman, Miles (1997). The NPR Classical Music Companion: Terms and Concepts from A to Z. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-61-861945-0..
Howard, Patricia (1969). The Operas of Benjamin Britten; An Introduction. New York and Washington: Frederick A. Praeger, Publishers.
Johnson, David (2001). "Round". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. London: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56-159239-5.
MacDonald, Margaret Read; Jaeger, Winifred (2006). The Round Book: Rounds Kids Love to Sing. Little Rock: August House. ISBN 978-0-87-483786-5.
Mead, Sarah (2007). "Renaissance Theory". In Kite-Powell, Jeffery (ed.). A Performer's Guide to Renaissance Music (2nd ed.). Bloomington: Early Music Institute Indiana University Press. pp. 343–73. ISBN 978-0-253-34866-1.
Neighbour, Oliver W. (1964). "Schoenberg's Canon's". The Musical Times. 105 (1459 (September)): 680–81. doi:10.2307/950274. JSTOR 950274.
Norden, Hugo (1970). The Technique of Canon. Branden Books. ISBN 978-0-82-831839-6.
Smith, Timothy A. (1996). "Anatomy of a Canon". The Canons and Fugues of J. S. Bach. Northern Arizona University. Archived from the original on 2009-04-28.
Walton, Charles W (1974). Basic Forms in Music. New York: Alfred Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-88-284010-9.

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[FOOTNOTEMacDonaldJaeger200615-1] 1 2 MacDonald & Jaeger 2006, p. 15.

[FOOTNOTEJohnson2001-2] 1 2 Johnson 2001.

[FOOTNOTEAldrich1989introductory_essay,_8–22,_especially_at_p_21:_"Catch-singing_is_unthinkable_without_a_supply_of_liquor_to_hand..."-3] Aldrich 1989, p. introductory essay, 8–22, especially at p 21: "Catch-singing is unthinkable without a supply of liquor to hand...".

[FOOTNOTEHoffman199740-4] 1 2 Hoffman 1997, p. 40.

[FOOTNOTEWalton1974141-5] Walton 1974, p. 141.

[FOOTNOTENorden1970195-6] & Norden 1970, p. 195.

[7] Leto Leta Concio: Canon - Manuscrit de Florence , retrieved 2024-03-23

[FOOTNOTEMead2007371-8] Mead 2007, p. 371.

[FOOTNOTEMacDonaldJaeger20068-9] MacDonald & Jaeger 2006, p. 8.

[FOOTNOTEHoward196915-10] Howard 1969, p. 15.

[FOOTNOTESmith1996-11] Smith 1996.

[FOOTNOTENeighbour1964681-12] Neighbour 1964, p. 681.

[13] "Abbie Betinis, Choral Works (selected)". www.abbiebetinis.com. Retrieved 2024-03-23.

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