Understanding Form: The Canary

Link to book composition lessons:

I know it's been a while, it's been a busy year, but alas I am back with another upload. In this video I discuss the often overlooked dance called the Canary. Surprisingly often relegated to being a mere footnote in discussions on music history as simply an alteration of the Gigue, it like many of the other "dance forms" I discuss on this channel is worth diving a bit deeper into in order to understand its importance and place in the history and development of western music. All stock footage used in this video are of the Canary Islands.

Sources of the recordings used in this video:

Kabsberger Canario:

Sanz Canario: (Background Music)

Couperin Canario:

Sanz Canario: (Notation Example)

Lully Canarie:

Bach French Suite:

Bach Goldberg Variation No.7:

Beethoven Symphony No. 7

Bernstein America:

[erikgruber]

You are one of the BEST music educators out there I can think of

[maxjohn]

Always a pleasure to see a new video in this series :) I only know this form from a few of Louis Couperin's suites. Hearing it suddenly and clearly in that wonderful Beethoven was a joy!

[bashinspace]

this is a great series, hope to see more videos!

[mrcet]

I’m getting [back] to Composition, after decades of work work work. These videos about the dance forms of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic Era are proving very helpful. That, to know how to write such a composition, or the reverse: When I devise and write a composition, which such form it most resembles (“should I call this a Gigue, or a Loure? Well, the tempo is Adagio, so Loure may or may not be appropriate, but it is at least _more_ appropriate”).

[SisselOnline]

Oh my god!!!
finally a new Understanding Form video OWOWO

[martiglesias]

The Isa is also from the Islas Canarias. The Kingdom of Napels (with Sicily) was a part of the Spanish empire, long before the country Italy exist.

[Inventio]

Thank you for yet another good video on Form. The name Canarias comes from Latin for dog (Canis). Thus they are the Isles of dogs, rather than birds.

[makytondr]

This is brilliant! Never realized that this pattern had such a deep history. Beethoven’s 7th also makes use of the Folia chord progression; I wonder what inspired him to write such a spanish influenced piece.

[sallywfu]

What a great find of your channel. Thank you

[DecameronFilms]

these videos were so great to watch over the summer, sad I ran out of them. If you made a Patreon to post more of this style of content I would pay and I'm sure others would as well (if that makes it more worthwhile for you to make them)

[doc]

I would highly recommend looking into creating a video on the Ecossaise form, which I feel is an often overlooked dance form in classical music

[GenkiDamai]

What forms are used the most in todays music?And what books do you recommend for composition?

[eddie]

Can you make a video on the use of traditional folk music in classical music? Like how Tchaikovsky uses traditional music in his 1812 ouverture and marche slave and how many spanish traditional dances are used in classical music

[marcocattafi]

I always thougth that Bernstein's "America" comes from a "Guajira", typical dance of the Caribbean, Cuba specificlty, which follows perfectly the rhythm. Bye, good work.

[luiscarlospinedodelarosa]

America is written in Mexican huapango style. It's written at the beginning of the score.

[JasperHavens-nlpc]

Does anyone know the music played in the intro?

[Brandon]

Can you give me some advice for writing my piece? I'm writing my own variation for solo piano on the famous song "The Lord's Prayer" where the melody develops in the style of dramatic Italian opera arias by Verdi, Mascagni and Puccini.  I've been listrning to a lot of late Romantic/early 20th century music and, compared to those pieces, the original melody sounds like Schubert or Fauré's songs.

[johannpetersen]

Hey Henry, what happened with the Spotify recording of your suite for flute and guitar?
I absolutely loved it and listened to it all the time but it disappeared from Spotify and Apple Music