A body of writing that is recognised by authority Books of holy scripture accepted by religious leaders as genuine are cannonical, as are works of a literary author which are regarded by scholars as authentic The canon of a national literature is the body of writings particularly approved by critics and anthologists which are deemed suitable for academic study The most famous canon is the Western Canon containing literature by DWEMs (Dead White European Males) E
The method of composition for several voices in which different voices sing the same melody, one after the other, in either the same or different degrees of the scale
someone's list of authors or works considered to be "classic," that is, central to the identity of a given literary tradition or culture
{i} church law; accepted principle, criterion; list of Christian saints; books of the Bible recognized by the Christian church; clergyman, religious cleric; (Music) contrapuntal piece of music in which one musical line of a melody is imitated in an accurate manner in other parts
A musical or dance composition in which two or more parts recur, repeat, or interrelate with each other
The collection of books received as genuine Holy Scriptures, called the sacred canon, or general rule of moral and religious duty, given by inspiration; the Bible; also, any one of the canonical Scriptures
A member of a cathedral chapter; a person who possesses a prebend in a cathedral or collegiate church
Strict imitative polyphony, with the identical melody appearing in each voice, but at staggered intervals; standard in vocal polyphony
the title of a priest who serves on the staff cathedral, except that the head staff priest of the cathedral is the dean; the canon is addressed as "The Rev Canon Jane H Wilson" Salutation in letter: "Dear Canon Wilson" or "Dear Ms Wilson"
or "unchanging [rule of] prayer," similar to "anaphora " The core part of the Mass wherein is enacted the whole remembrance of Christ's ministry, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension, including the consecration of the Body and Blood of Christ In W Rite, it does not begin until the "Thee, therefore," since the preface after "Lift up your hearts" continually changes It concludes with the singing of the Our Father
when applied to an individual author, canon means the sum total of works verifiably written by that author When used generally, it means the range of works that a consensus of scholars, teachers, and readers of a particular time and culture consider "great" or "major " This second sense of the word is a matter of much debate since the literary canon in Europe and America has long been dominated by the works of white heterosexual men During the last thirty years, the canon in the United States has expanded considerably to include more women and writers from various ethnic and racial backgrounds Close Window
The word canon comes from the name of a reed that grows straight enough that it can be used as a measuring stick Therefore, a canon is a standard or norm The by-laws of the ancient Church were called canons When we speak of the canon of scripture, we mean the standard list of books that are recognized by the Church as Holy Scripture