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Article: Formalized accelerando: an extension of rhythmic techniques in Nancarrow's acceleration canons.
- Article from:
- Perspectives of New Music
- Article date:
- January 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Perspectives of New Music. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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[A]cceleration canon does not have the kind of clean structural implications Nancarrow found in the straight tempo canon ... Perceptually fascinating, it did not lead to the kind of compositional richness he found elsewhere.
Kyle Gann, The Music of Conlon Nancarrow
OF HIS FIFTY-ONE STUDIES for player piano, Nancarrow wrote only three canons based on large-scale continuous acceleration: (1) Studies 21, 22, and 27. (2) In his book on Nancarrow's music, Kyle Gann offers the above statement as an explanation as to why Nancarrow never returned to the acceleration canon after the last of these. I am inclined to agree with Gann's statement, with the following ...