enigma canon
Noun: A type of musical canon, popular during the 15th and 16th centuries, in which the instructions for the successive entries of the different vocal parts are not given directly but are instead concealed within a puzzle, riddle, or cryptic notation (such as symbols or visual devices). The performers must solve the "enigma" to understand how and when to sing their parts.
The term enigma canon is used specifically in the context of music history and theory to describe a particular, intellectually challenging form of Renaissance composition. - It functions as a countable noun (e.g., an enigma canon, several enigma canons). - It is a technical term most commonly encountered in academic discussions of early music.
- The composer Josquin des Prez was known for writing intricate enigma canons.
- Deciphering the enigma canon required the singers to be both musicians and puzzle-solvers.
- This manuscript contains a famous enigma canon based on a cryptic motto.
- As a concept in analysis: The term can be used metaphorically to describe any complex, layered work that requires decoding.
- The poet's layered allusions created a kind of literary enigma canon for the reader to unravel.
- Puzzle Canon: A more general, synonymous term.
- Riddle Canon: Another synonymous term.
- Canon: The broader musical form of which an enigma canon is a specific type—a composition in which a melody is imitated by one or more voices after a given duration.
- Mensuration Canon: A related, complex type of canon where voices sing the same melody at different speeds, often indicated by mensuration signs (a different form of cryptic instruction).
- Puzzle canon
- Riddle canon
This term has a highly specific, historical meaning within Western art music. It does not refer to a general mystery or puzzle outside of this musical context. The "enigma" is the concealed performance instruction, not the sound of the music itself.
- a canon in which the entrances of successive parts were indicated by cryptic symbols and devices (popular in the 15th and 16th centuries)