A Canon (a.k.a. Round) is defined as a piece of music where one voice repeats the part of another, throughout the whole piece. Many of the hymns in Christian hymnals can be sung in Canon style which means they can be rung in Canon style.
Ideas:
Ringing the “second part” as a descant to a hymn is an easy way to embellish a hymn.
Try ringing with different instruments including vocals.
Use Canon on one verse with other techniques on other verses.
A canon is a great way to fill adjustable time, i.e. communion. Agree ahead of time who will define the stopping point and a signal. Repeat until the signal.
Things to Consider:
Agree on what key you are playing.
All parts need to maintain strict counting. If one part extends the phrasing of a piece it can be difficult to sync the parts.
List of Canon Melodies
The list of Canon melodies indicates how many beats to wait before the second part begins. It also indicates if more than two parts will work well.
Canon melodies that can be rung on the first string (C6-C7):
| Come Let Us Eat | A Va De |
| Love Came Down at Christmas | Garton |
| Come Thou Font of Every Blessing | Nettleton |
| Amazing Grace | New Britain |
Example of Canon style:
Come Let Us Eat – recorder and bell tree – video
Other Resources:
Dona nobis pacem, Wikipedia site-music
Canons are often used as exercises for choirs. Here is a book full of Canons to explore “Classical Canons without text – Molna’r Antal”. These often have 4-8 voices adding to the possibility of instrumentation.
For fun, check out “The King Singers Book of Rounds, Canons and Partsongs”
If you can find them: Classic Canons & Classic Canons II – Patrick M Liebergen. These are choral booklets that were published by Alfred Publishing and they include easy handbell parts (4-8 bells) and keyboard. Great for combining BT, chime choir and keyboard or other instruments.
Creative Bell Tree Instructional Series 052620
@2020 Karen Van Wert, [email protected]