Johann Pachelbel (
August,
1653 –
March 3,
1706) was a
German Baroque composer,
organist and teacher who brought the
south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the
chorale prelude and
fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque era.
Pachelbel's work enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime; he had many pupils and his music became a model for the composers of south and central Germany. However, he did not have much influence on the most important composers of the late Baroque such as
Johann Sebastian Bach. Today Pachelbel is best known for the
Canon in D, the only
canon he wrote. In addition to the canon, his most well-known works include the
Chaconne in F minor, the
Toccata in E minor for organ, and the Hexachordum Apollinis, a set of
keyboard variations.
Pachelbel's music was influenced by southern German composers such as
Johann Jakob Froberger and
Johann Kaspar Kerll, Italians such as
Girolamo Frescobaldi and
Alessandro Poglietti, French composers, and the composers of the Nuremberg tradition. Pachelbel preferred a lucid, uncomplicated
contrapuntal style that emphasized melodic and harmonic clarity. His music is less virtuosic and less adventurous harmonically than that of
Dieterich Buxtehude although, like Buxtehude, Pachelbel experimented with different ensembles and instrumental combinations in his
chamber music and, most importantly, his
vocal music, much of which features exceptionally rich instrumentation. Pachelbel explored many
variation forms and associated techniques, which manifest themselves in various diverse pieces, from sacred concertos to harpsichord suites.
CANON by Johan Pachelbel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f4MLDFdw8A
