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In music,perpetuum mobile (English pronunciation /pərˌpɛtjʊəm ˈmoʊbɪleɪ/, /ˈmoʊbɪli/; Latin, literally, "perpetual motion"),moto perpetuo (Italian),mouvement perpétuel (French),movimento perpétuo (Portuguese)movimiento perpetuo (Spanish), is a term used to describe a rapidly executed and persistently maintained figuration, usually of notes of equal length. Over time it has taken on two distinct applications: first, as describing entire musical compositions or passages within them that are characterised by a continuous stream of notes, usually but not always at a rapidtempo; and second, as describing entire compositions, or extended passages within them that are meant to be played in a repetitious fashion, often an indefinite number of times.[1]
As a distinct composition,perpetuum mobile can be defined as one in which part or most of the piece is intended to be repeated an often unspecified number of times, without the "motion" of the melody being halted when a repeat begins.
Canons are often intended to be performed in amoto perpetuo fashion, and can thus be calledcanon perpetuus.
In some cases the repeats of a "perpetuum mobile" piece are at a different pitch, amodulation or achord progression occurs during the repeatable part. Some of theriddle canons ofBach'sDas Musikalische Opfer are examples of this particular kind ofperpetuum mobile/canon perpetuus.[citation needed]
Perpetuum mobile as agenre of separate musical compositions was at the height of its popularity by the end of the 19th century. Such pieces would often be performed as virtuosoencores, in some cases increasing the tempo along the repeats.
Perpetuum mobile pieces of both kinds include: