Innodic Canon

INNODIC CANON. - It indicates the rule that must be followed in liturgical poetry. The rhythm, in such a case, presents a form or a module already fixed, to which the composer must adapt. A rule or canon was already observed in classical Greek poetry, both in the number of feet and of strophes. The tendency, however, toward artistic freedom gave occasion for many exceptions or substitutions, called "poetic licenses." At a certain time the poetic compositions that least followed the said canon were called "irmos" (v. IRMO) (ἐφρός). Liturgical poetry had and still has its own canons, although some are different from those of classical poetry. In the East, from St. Ephrem onward, then in the West, especially through the work of St. Hilary and St. Ambrose, poetry or the hymn was employed for popular purposes. St. Ambrose used it to instruct the people concerning Catholic dogma, and to combat the errors of heretics; to adapt better to the popular style he replaced the quantity of the classical feet with the tonicity or accent of the words. Various kinds of composition have been adapted over the course of time for liturgical hymnody: but the classical type is the verse of eight syllables, with strophes of four verses, after the manner of the "iambic-metric." Of all the hymnnal canons there remains, in fact, only the number of syllables. It is not known whether at the beginning the melody was absolutely and always syllabic: the fact, however, is certain that hymns of a very ancient type already have more or less ornate melodies, and therefore the cadential harmonic effect of the eight beats is less perceptible. In any case, at least in recitation, "elision" is observed when there are more than eight syllables; and in singing too this practice is preferred. Gregorio M. Suhol