A Term imitatio in Authentical and Modern Terminology

Abstract

The article deals with the history of using the renaissance term imitatio (and its further analogues) towards the techniques of musical composition. A special consideration is given to the problem of similarities and differences in interpretation of the concepts fuga and imitation in theoretical works of the 15th – 19th centuries. The article also highlights the controversial issue of the relationship between the terms parody and imitatio in the sense of thematic borrowing in music of the 16th – 17th centuries and discusses the problem of translating the English term imitation mass into Russian.

Keywords

imitatio, fuga, musical borrowing, parody, parody mass, techniques of musical composition