cancrizans, a. Mus.
(ˈkæŋkrɪzænz)
[med.L., pres. pple. of cancrizāre to walk backwards, f. cancr-, cancer crab (cancer n.): see -ize.]
Applied to a canon in which the theme or subject is repeated backward in the second part. Hence as n., such a canon.
| 1782 C. Burney Hist. Mus. II. 494 The same part sings in retro, or, as it is called in the musical technica of the times, cancrizans. 1876 Stainer & Barrett Dict. Mus. Terms 72/1 The following is a canon cancrizans with a bass part per recte et retro. 1879 Grove Dict. Mus. I. 302/2 Sometimes a canon is both cancrizans and by contrary motion. 1926 A. B. Smith Studies & Caprices 53 Inversions, diminutions, cancrizans exist only on paper. 1938 Scholes Oxf. Compan. Music 134/2 A highly artificial form in which the imitating voice gives out the melody backwards... This has been called the Canon Cancrizans..but crabs move sideways. 1942 Scrutiny XI. 10 This composer's elaborate cancrizans. 1969 Listener 24 Apr. 585/2, I strongly suspect that the obvious musical reversals were subtilised by the technical device of cancrizans. |