Anyone who reads the name of this composer immediately thinks of the Canon in D. Of course, Johann Pachelbel wrote many great pieces, but the 3-part canon he had once written will come to mind every time we hear his name. And vice versa, when we hear this piece at a wedding, we will think of him. Interestingly enough, although he penned a great deal of works, the Canon in D composed for 3 violins and continuo was the only canon he had ever written. The piece can be described as 3 violins taking turns to elaborate on a simple theme, resulting in a musical climax which moves the soul.
What many people do not realize is that Johann Pachelbel is not considered a great composer on account of this work alone. Having written a great deal of other things, the famous Canon in D, although a beautiful piece, actually has very little importance in regards to his musical gifts to humanity. His works on the organ were much more important, for they were not only great pieces, but greatly influenced Johann Sebastian Bach.
Pachelbel was born in Nuremberg. His father was a wine dealer. As a child, having always been interested in scientific as well as musical knowledge, he had 2 music teachers. One of the teachers taught him to play and compose, while the other introduced him to the fundamentals of music. In 1669, he started studies at the University of Altdorf (Universität Aldtdorf) and at the same time took a position as an organist at the St. Lorenz Church (St. Lorenz Pfarrkirche). These happenings in his life were very brief though. In 1673, he went to Vienna, Austria, where he found work as an assistant organist at the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, otherwise known in German as the ‘Stephansdom’. After four years, he became the court organist to Duke of Saxe-Eisenach, a position he kept for only a year.
After this, Pachelbel decided to leave Vienna and went to Erfurt, Germany. There, he found work as an organist for the church named the ‘Erfurt Predigerkirche’. He spent 12 years in this city…He got married to a woman named Barbara Gabler and had a son. Unfortunately, after only 2 years of marriage, both his wife and son were victims of the Black Plague. He got married a second time in 1684. With his second wife, Juditha Dommer, he started a very large family consisting of 2 daughters and 5 sons.
An interesting fact is that Johann Pachelbel became friends with the Bach family and took J.S. Bach’s eldest brother Johann Christoph Bach on as a student in 1686. This certainly added to the future influence upon the music of J.S. Bach.
It was not until 1690 that he moved to Stuttgart to become the organist at the Wurttemberg Court. Unfortunately, he was forced to leave the position due to the French invasion, thereby returning to his hometown of Nuremberg.
He composed many motets, arias, Masses, and 13 Magnificats, including not only violins, but also singers, choirs, orchestras, as well as wind and brass instruments. Therefore his Canon in D was only a small piece amongst many. He was one of the most important organists before the age of Johann Sebastian Bach. Above all, having been acquainted with Catholic church music, he was able to add certain elements to his compositions, thereby bringing a unique beauty to Protestant church music . His works are representative of Protestant church music and give people somewhat of a cultural contrast in regards to two leading religious denominations during the 17th century. This fact is of utmost significance in the history of music and should be thought of when Johann Pachelbel’s name is mentioned. It is too bad that many associate this genius with a mere canon.
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