DESCRIPTION:
Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher, who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body (more than 500 pieces) of sacred and secular music. Pachelbel's music enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime; he had many pupils and his music became a model for the composers of south and central Germany. He even taught the man who became Bach's teacher -- Johann Sebastian's older brother, Johann Christoph.

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. 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. Yet despite the sheer volume of his output, there's still no system to number all of his works.

Today, Pachelbel is best known for his Canon in D major (although his Chaconne in F minor, the Toccata in E minor, and a set of variations, "Hexachordum Apollinis" are significantly notable). It is thought to have been written around 1680 but there are a few unsubstantiated claims that the music was written for the wedding of Johann Christoph Bach, on 23 October 1694, however, this is pretty unlikely even though he was a friend of the family. Although a listener might not know the name of the composition, the melody of the Canon is immediately recognizable. The piece has become so familiar, it is almost a musical cliché when it comes to weddings and it is easily the best known piece of classical music ever written.

What does the word "Canon" mean then? A Canon (or Kanon) is a piece of music characterized by imitation and repetition. First one instrument or vocal introduces a part of the melody. Then, after a number of tones, a second instrument or vocal starts to repeat, or imitate, the first melody, playing the exact same tones, but with a time delay. More instruments or vocals may then be added, depending on the composer's wishes.

In Pachelbel's Canon, the instrumentation is as simple as three violins, one cello, and eight bars of music repeated 28 times. His approach to writing the music was almost mathematical. The piece is constructed with an ostinato bass line (the same progression of notes repeated over and over again) accompanying the melody, as a canon (the same music repeated by the violin parts, in a round). A "Gigue" or Jig (also in D major) follows the Canon but it is far less known to the casual listener.

The Canon's popularity snowballed in the 1970s, after French conductor Jean-François Paillard made a recording. Since then, the piece has been recorded and performed countless times. While Handel, Haydn, and Mozart all used the iconic bass line in some of their compositions, Pachelbel's Canon has become the basis of many modern songs. The progression of the chords of the piece can be found in the music of commercials, movie themes and even video games.

Perhaps you'll recognize the Canon in this small selection of examples:

"Basket Case" by Green Day
"Cryin'" by Aerosmith
"Go West" by The Pet Shop Boys
"Graduation (Friends forever)" by Vitamin C
"I'll C U When U Get There" by Coolio
"Just Another Day" by Jon Secada
"Let It Be" by The Beatles
"Push" by Matchbox 20
"No Woman, No Cry" by Bob Marley
"One Tin Soldier" by Coven
"Sk8ter Boy" by Avril Lavigne
"Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia
"Tunnel of Love" by Dire straits
"We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister
"With Or Without You" by U2

The Canon was realized with a "plucked bass," "cello," "harp" and a touch of "harpsichord" for the lower end and 3 "string" tracks for the canon melody, with a fourth track for emphasis. The Gigue consists of a "bouncy bass" and "twangy continuo" with more "brass-like" timbres for the 3 upper melodies. 4 additional tracks of "bells" and "tuned noise" round it out.

The visualization is done using the Music Animation Machine MIDI Player (http://www.musanim.com/player/) with the Canon's colour scheme based on the MIDI channel input, while the Gigue's is based on the music's pitch class.

As always, the use of headphones will greatly enhance the listening experience.