The famous Pachelbel Canon arranged for tuba and piano. Great for weddings & receptions.
Pachelbel's Canon
Pachelbel's Canon is, in fact, the traditional title for a
composition by the German composer Johann Pachelbel. Other names
for the work include namely:
Canon and Gigue for 3 violins and basso continuo,
Canon and Gigue in D, and of course
Canon in D. We do
not know when or why in particular it was written. The oldest copy is surprisingly
from the 19th century. It is important to realize that it was a common routine
for organists to practice improvisation on the chord progression underlying the
canon. Pachelbel originally scored the Canon notably for three violins
and continuo. He also in fact paired the Canon with a gigue. The movements are
homotonal, to clarify, both are in the key of D major.
History
In due time, Pachelbel's Canon went out of
style and remained in virtual oblivion for centuries. The Jean-François
Paillard chamber orchestra, however, recorded an arrangement of it in 1968.
As a result, it gained approval. Many
ensembles began likewise to record the piece in the 1970s and by the 1980s became
ubiquitous as background music. From the 1970s to the early 2000s, pop songs correspondingly
used elements of the piece. The chord progression, in particular, was used this
way. Also, since the 1980s, it has been not only wildly popular for weddings,
but also for funeral ceremonies in the USA and Europe.
Pachelbel Background
Johann Pachelbel (1653 1706) was
a German composer, as well as an organist. He was furthermore
instrumental in bringing the south German organ school to its apex.
He wrote a large body of music, both sacred and, equally important, secular. In
particular, he uniquely helped develop the chorale prelude and fugue.
For this, he has, in fact, earned a rightful place in the company of the most significant
composers of the mid-Baroque period.
Works
Pachelbel's music was certainly popular. With
this in mind, he also consequently had many pupils. His music expressly developed
into a model for the south German composers. Nowadays, Pachelbel is most famous
particularly for the Canon in D, as well as the F minor Chaconne, the
Toccata in E minor, and of course the Hexachordum Apollinis, a set
of variations for the keyboard.
Influences
Johann Jakob Froberger and Johann
Caspar Kerll were south German composers who significantly influenced
Pachelbel. Furthermore, he was especially influenced by Italians such as Frescobaldi and Poglietti.
He frequently preferred an articulate, simple contrapuntal style that
highlighted clarity. His music is markedly less extravagant and harmonically adventurous
than that of Dieterich
Buxtehude. However, as a point often overlooked, like Buxtehude, Pachelbel
experimented with different instrumental combinations in his chamber music.
Legacy
All in all, Pachelbel was most
famous as a composer for the keyboard. He composed over two hundred pieces specifically
for the instrument. Pachelbel was also surprisingly a prolific composer of vocal
music. All in all, about a hundred vocal works survive, including 40 or so large-scale
works.