Johann Pachelbel "Canon": history, interesting facts, content, video, listen

Johann Pachelbel "Canon in D major"

It often happens that we hear a piece of music, the melody of which is painfully familiar to us, but we cannot remember what it is called, and even more so who is the author of this work. These easily recognizable creations, of course, include the composition, which is called "Canon Pachelbelor “Canon in D major.” This immortal composition by the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel is now very popular. It can often be heard in feature films and commercials, and in addition, contemporary musicians like to use motifs and harmonic sequences of the composition.

The history of the creation of the "Canon" by Johann Pachelbel, as well as interesting facts and content of the work, read on our page.

History of creation

The history of the creation of the work, the present name of which is “Canon and Gigue in D major for violins and basso continuo” leads us to the German city of Nuremberg, where Johann Pachelbel, an outstanding Baroque era composer, was born in 1653. Early musical abilities helped an impressionable boy to successfully master various instruments, and already at sixteen years old, having entered the University of Altdorf, he worked as an organist in the church of St. Lorenz.

In 1677, Johann, who proved to be a good musician, was invited to serve as a court organist in the city of Eisenach. It was there that he met and became close friends with urban musician Johann Ambrosius Bach, the father of the great Johanna Sebastian. The warm relationship between Pachelbel and Bach soon grew into such a friendship that Johann was invited to become the godfathers of Ambrosia’s daughter, and, in addition, Bach entrusted the musical education of his son Johann Christoph to him. After a while, a talented student turned into a successful musician, but did not lose contact with his mentor.

In 1690, settling in the small Thuringian town Ordrufe, where he was offered the post of organist in the church of St. Michael, Johann Christoph decided to tie his knot with Dorothea von Hof, and invited his beloved teacher to this family celebration. By the conviction of some musicologists, it was for the wedding of Johann Christoph Bach that the wonderful creation came out from under the pen of Pachelbel, which today has gained incredible popularity. Nevertheless, there is no authentic confirmation that "Canon" was first performed at this festive event. Many experts believe that the work was written much earlier, around 1680.

During the life of Pachelbel, his works, including Canon, were very popular, but time passed and the composer was forgotten, until at the beginning of the twentieth century musicologists again became interested in the work of a talented baroque maestro. The “Canon” score was printed in 1919, and in 1929 his arrangement was made. In 1940, Arthur Fiedler, the conductor of the Boston Symphony Pop Orchestra, made the first recording of the composition. However, the beginning of the rise in popularity of the work falls on the end of the sixties, when in 1968 it was recorded by a chamber orchestra conducted by French conductor Jean-François Payiers. In 1980, after the release of the film by the American director Ordinary People, which won 4 Oscars and 5 Golden Globes, the fame of Canon, used in the film’s soundtrack, began to grow exponentially. Since then, the composition has been recorded hundreds of times, and its cult harmony has penetrated into pop songs, as well as music for films and commercials.

Interesting Facts

• Pachelbel wrote more than 500 works that during his lifetime enjoyed great popularity.
• Johann Pachelbel is known to all as a composer who composed religious organ and choral music. However, in his artistic heritage there are few secular chamber music, as well as ceremonial vocal music for public events. It is worth noting that "Canon" is completely different from other creations of Pachelbel.
• Composer Johann Pachelbel mainly earned his whole life for bread, serving as organist and conductor. He married twice (his first wife died of the plague shortly before their second wedding anniversary) and became the father of eight children, of whom seven survived: two daughters and five sons. One of the composer’s daughters became a famous artist, and two sons followed in the footsteps of their father.
• The only handwritten copy of the "Canon" by Pachelbel, dating back to the 19th century, is currently kept in the collections of the Berlin State Library. It was known about the existence of a manuscript of an earlier period, which was located at the Berlin University of the Arts, but, unfortunately, it is now lost.
• Experts find in the works Joseph Haydn (string quartets) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (opera "Magical flute") harmonic sequence identical to that used by Pachelbel in his "Canon".
• Today, many musicologists claim that the sequence by which Pachelbel harmonized his "Canon" is very often used in contemporary works. For example, they find a great similarity in the anthem of the Russian Federation, as well as in the highly popular composition "Go West" of the American disco group "Village People".
• In 1982, American pianist George Winston included "Variations on the Canon of Johann Pachelbel" in his solo piano album "December", which was sold over three million copies.
• Performers and arrangers of "Canon" are usually at a rate of 60 quarter notes per minute, which corresponds to the rate of the heartbeat.

Content of "Canon Pachelbel"

Johann Pachel's "Canon" is a piece of music based on imitation and repetition, that is, after holding the theme in the first voice, it is repeated in the second and then in the third. In addition to the three violin voices in this composition, the fourth voice, the basso continuo, plays a very important role. It is very interesting, because it is independent and throughout the entire work twenty-eight times the same melodic melody repeated in two measures and consisting of eight notes: re, la, si, f-sharp, salt, re, sol, la . This ostinate sequence, called "Romanesca", was often used by composers of the 16th and 17th centuries.

The canon opens with a two-part introduction by basso continuo, which includes the eight notes mentioned above. Then the first violin begins its theme, then after two bars with the same motif the second one enters, and after two bars and the third, that is, in the seventh bar of the piece, all the instruments, defined by the author of the composition, sound. Twelve short four-stroke variations begin next. In them, the music is activated, as the durations become shorter, the rhythm quickens, and octave jumps appear in the thematic line. Nevertheless, the same unchanging and serene motive continues to sound in the bass until, finally, it lands on the note re - the main note of the key in which the work is written. It should be noted that at the end of the composition the synchronism of the themes of the violin parts is broken and this is due to the summing up of the work.

In conclusion, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that “Canon”, according to the composer’s idea, must necessarily be accompanied by “Zhigoy” - a cheerful dance, which was so popular in the Baroque era. However, time put everything in its place, and the public taste decided that a serious and solemn "Canon" is perceived better without a joyful and easy "Jig".