Crab Canon

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-'''crab canon''' ''cc.'' '''1.''' That which is conceptually or literally reversible (e.g., palindromes, fancy down jackets, presidential elections, the construction of New Orleans). '''2.''' A counterpoint, which is fully imitative yet backwards; a reflection. (No, it clef, er, a…)+'''crab canon''' ''cc.'' '''1.''' ''musical'' An [[Ouroboros|ouroboric]] tune that plays the same backwards or forward.{{an|1}} '''2.''' ''meta.'' That which is conceptually or literally reversible (e.g., palindromes, fancy down jackets, presidential elections, the construction of New Orleans, erections). '''3.''' A mirrored reflection. (No, it clef, er…). '''4.''' Thai term for a male prostitute.
 + 
 +== Extrapolation ==
 + 
 +----
 +Bach, like Cage and Clapton entwined, appeals to the brain -- his mathematical precision; his cancrizans canons looping and inverting like Möbius strips; his nomenclatural "coding" (e.g., his "signature" BACH motive{{an|2}}) -- all reflecting a stupefying intellect far removed from heart-wrenching, soul stirring, gut-twisting storms of Beethoven, Stravinsky, Coltrane, and Hendrix.
 + 
 +But where to place the enigmatic [[Paolo Grignotti]]? Grignotti's "cryptic and often mocking allusions"{{an|3}} to Bach's Mass in B minor may seem ironic and insincere, but Grignotti's evident debt to Bach rings clear in his imitative{{an|4}} use crab cannons and "coded" notation in such works as ''Buggeroni'' (1789), wherein the BAGAB motive{{an|5}}) has been interpreted as a commentary on the infamous [[Pietri Biberoni|Biberoni]], Grignotti, Diamanta love triangle{{an|6}}. Yet the plaintive cries of ''The Sharper's Tale'' (1796) and the bitter stomp of ''A Sausage Became Her'' (1797) suggest Grignotti was made of more emotive stuff.
 + 
 +Perhaps Grignotti is best viewed as striking some peculiar balance, a sort of devil's bargain -- like Shostakovich, who, some hundred-fifty years later, straddled two worlds, one foot in the avant-garde and a second steeped in romance, from the lonely, frightened howl of his Symphony No. 15{{an|7}} to his tight-lipped, head-tripping experimental Jazz Suite No. 1.
 + 
== See Also == == See Also ==
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* [[Daedalus: nine, Peninsula: dead]] * [[Daedalus: nine, Peninsula: dead]]
* [[God]] * [[God]]
-* [[Ouroboros]] 
* [[Potato Cannon]] * [[Potato Cannon]]
 +* [[Untieable knot]]
 +
 +== Notes ==
 +<font style="font-size: 90%">
 +----
 +{{anb|1}} The "canon cancrizans" (as it was originally termed) is a melodic counterpoint (or canon) which reverses the notes of the original melody (the cancrizans, or crab, scuttles backwards).
 +{{anb|2}}That is, the notes B-A-C-H, where H is German for B natural.
 +{{anb|3}}Professor Newton Periwinkle, Arkham University Dept. of History, lecture notes circa 1952.
 +{{anb|4}}Some would say subtly mocked rather than mimicked, though, with all due respect, this reviewer finds a somewhat more heavy handed realization in Grignotti.
 +{{anb|5}}That is, the notes B-B-A-A-A-G-G-A-A-A-B-B are seen as refering to [[Pietri Biberoni|''B''i''b''eroni]], ''G''ri''g''notti, Di''a''m''a''nt''a'', ''G''ri''g''notti.
 +{{anb|6}}These lighthearted musical puns have led to some more fanciful interpretations of some of Grignotti's more bizarre themes; indeed, even while before Grignotti's disappearance, there were more than a few suggestions that his music supplied the [[La Ligue du Masque Cancéreux]] with encrypted directives for pie-throwings, [[Ritual Murder|assassinations]] and [[ritual shoplifting]].
 +{{anb|7}}This stirring and usual work draws heavily from the haunting march of Shostakovich's own Symphony No. 7 ([[27]] December 1941) -- written during the Siege of Leningrad, while [[Nazi]] troops were closing in on his Russian homeland.
 +</font>
</td><td width="180px" align="left" valign="top" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #E0E0E0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 100%;"> </td><td width="180px" align="left" valign="top" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #E0E0E0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 100%;">

Revision as of 05:26, 20 Nov 2005


crab canon cc. 1. musical An ouroboric tune that plays the same backwards or forward.1  2. meta. That which is conceptually or literally reversible (e.g., palindromes, fancy down jackets, presidential elections, the construction of New Orleans, erections). 3. A mirrored reflection. (No, it clef, er…). 4. Thai term for a male prostitute.

Extrapolation


Bach, like Cage and Clapton entwined, appeals to the brain -- his mathematical precision; his cancrizans canons looping and inverting like Möbius strips; his nomenclatural "coding" (e.g., his "signature" BACH motive2 ) -- all reflecting a stupefying intellect far removed from heart-wrenching, soul stirring, gut-twisting storms of Beethoven, Stravinsky, Coltrane, and Hendrix.

But where to place the enigmatic Paolo Grignotti? Grignotti's "cryptic and often mocking allusions"3  to Bach's Mass in B minor may seem ironic and insincere, but Grignotti's evident debt to Bach rings clear in his imitative4  use crab cannons and "coded" notation in such works as Buggeroni (1789), wherein the BAGAB motive5 ) has been interpreted as a commentary on the infamous Biberoni, Grignotti, Diamanta love triangle6 . Yet the plaintive cries of The Sharper's Tale (1796) and the bitter stomp of A Sausage Became Her (1797) suggest Grignotti was made of more emotive stuff.

Perhaps Grignotti is best viewed as striking some peculiar balance, a sort of devil's bargain -- like Shostakovich, who, some hundred-fifty years later, straddled two worlds, one foot in the avant-garde and a second steeped in romance, from the lonely, frightened howl of his Symphony No. 157  to his tight-lipped, head-tripping experimental Jazz Suite No. 1.


See Also


Notes


Note 1:   The "canon cancrizans" (as it was originally termed) is a melodic counterpoint (or canon) which reverses the notes of the original melody (the cancrizans, or crab, scuttles backwards).

Note 2:  That is, the notes B-A-C-H, where H is German for B natural.

Note 3:  Professor Newton Periwinkle, Arkham University Dept. of History, lecture notes circa 1952.

Note 4:  Some would say subtly mocked rather than mimicked, though, with all due respect, this reviewer finds a somewhat more heavy handed realization in Grignotti.

Note 5:  That is, the notes B-B-A-A-A-G-G-A-A-A-B-B are seen as refering to Biberoni, Grignotti, Diamanta, Grignotti.

Note 6:  These lighthearted musical puns have led to some more fanciful interpretations of some of Grignotti's more bizarre themes; indeed, even while before Grignotti's disappearance, there were more than a few suggestions that his music supplied the La Ligue du Masque Cancéreux with encrypted directives for pie-throwings, assassinations and ritual shoplifting.

Note 7:  This stirring and usual work draws heavily from the haunting march of Shostakovich's own Symphony No. 7 (27 December 1941) -- written during the Siege of Leningrad, while Nazi troops were closing in on his Russian homeland.


Desiderata