Canis Minor
The Lesser Dog
Confusion
Canis Major and Canis Minor are said to be the two dogs that accompany Orion the Hunter.
As I mentioned earlier in the section on Canis Major, Sirius in Canis Major, Betelgeuse in Orion, and Procyon in Canis Minor form the “Winter Triangle.” Procyon in Canis Minor is also part of the hexagon shown in the image above. This hexagon is known as the “Winter Hexagon” or the “Winter Diamond” and is formed by six first-magnitude stars: Rigel in Orion, Sirius in Canis Major, Procyon in Canis Minor, Pollux in Gemini, Capella in Auriga, and Aldebaran in Taurus.
While Sisask’s image of Canis Major is “Haste,” his image of Canis Minor is “Confusion.” Procyon in Canis Minor is said to rise a little over ten minutes before Sirius in Canis Major. Perhaps Procyon is confused, thinking, “If Sirius doesn’t rise, we can’t possibly form either the Winter Hexagon or the Winter Triangle!”
Canis Minor has only two stars, so it hardly looks like the shape of a dog. Sisask’s music for Canis Minor is a restless piece that almost sounds like a puppy making a fuss, and perhaps the repeated notes represent these two stars. In the coda, five different eight-beat chords appear, but only the fifth chord is stretched out to twice the length, as if coming to a sudden stop. Perhaps “Mr. Procyon” is trying to check the stars of the Winter Hexagon one by one, only to become utterly confused at the end: “One is still missing. Something’s wrong!”—and the piece ends with him running around in a panic, yapping away! (lol)
Sorry, Mr. Sisask, for interpreting your music this way! m(_ _)m
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