Johann Pachelbel (pronounced /ˈpækəlbɛl/, German IPA: [ˈpaxɛlbl̩], [ˈpaxl̩bɛl], or [paˈxɛlbl̩]^[1]) (August 28, 1653 – March 6, 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.^[2] is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events February 2 - New Amsterdam (later renamed New York City) is incorporated. ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events March 27 - Concluding that Emperor Iyasus I of Ethiopia had abdicated by retiring to a monastery, a council of high officials appoint Tekle Haymanot I Emperor of Ethiopia May 23 - Battle of Ramillies September 7 - The Battle of Turin in the War of Spanish Succession - forces of Austria and... Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. ... The 17th century organ composers of the territory now known as Germany can be divided into two primary schools: the north German school and the south German school (sometimes a third school, central German, is added). ... In music, a chorale prelude is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. ... In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred to as voices, irrespective of whether the work is vocal or instrumental. ...

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. 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.^[3] Pachelbels Canon also known as Canon in D major, or more formally, Canon and Gigue in D major for three Violins and Basso Continuo (Kanon und Gigue in D-Dur für drei Violinen und Basso Continuo) is the most famous piece of music by Johann Pachelbel. ... In music, a canon is a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration (e. ... In music, a chaconne (IPA: ; Italian: ciaccona) is a musical form whose primary formal feature involves variation on a repeated short harmonic progression. ... Toccata (Italian for to touch) is a Virtuoso piece of classical music for a keyboard instrument or plucked string instrument featuring sections of brilliant passagework, with or without imitative or fugal interludes, generally emphasizing the dexterity of the performer. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... For the ballet Theme and Variations, see Theme and Variations (ballet). ...

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. Johann Jakob Froberger (baptized May 19, 1616 – May 7, 1667) was a German Baroque composer, keyboard virtuoso, and organist. ... Johann Kaspar Kerll (1627 - 1693) was a German Baroque composer. ... Girolamo Frescobaldi. ... Alessandro Poglietti (died July 1683) was a Baroque organist and composer of unknown origin. ... Nürnberg redirects here. ... For other uses, see Counterpoint (disambiguation). ... The only surviving portrait of Buxtehude, from a 1674 painting by Johannes Voorhout. ... Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ... Vocal music is music performed by one or more singers, with or without non-vocal instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. ... For the ballet Theme and Variations, see Theme and Variations (ballet). ...

Life

1653–1673: Early youth and education (Nuremberg, Altdorf, Regensburg)

St. Sebaldus Church in Nuremberg, which played an important role in Pachelbel's life.

Johann Pachelbel was born in 1653 in Nuremberg into a middle class family, son of Johann (Hans) Pachelbel (* 1613 in Wunsiedel, Germany), a wine dealer,^[4] and his second wife Anna (Anne) Maria Mair. The exact date of Johann's birth is unknown, but since he was baptized on September 1, he may have been born in late August. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1768, 611 KB) Bild von St. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1768, 611 KB) Bild von St. ... Northern facade of St. ... Nürnberg redirects here. ... This article is about the Christian religious act of Baptism. ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

During his early youth, Pachelbel received musical training from Heinrich Schwemmer, a musician and music teacher who later became the cantor of St. Sebaldus Church (Sebalduskirche). Some sources indicate that Pachelbel also studied with Georg Caspar Wecker, organist of the same church and an important composer of the Nuremberg school, but this is now considered unlikely.^[5] In any case, both Wecker and Schwemmer were trained by Johann Erasmus Kindermann, one of the founders of the Nuremberg musical tradition, who had been at one time a pupil of Johann Staden. A cantor is a musician working in a church with responsibilities for the singing in the church. ... Northern facade of St. ... Georg Caspar Wecker (baptized April 2, 1632 – April 20, 1695) was a German Baroque organist and composer. ... Johann Erasmus Kindermann (March 29, 1616 – April 14, 1655) was a German Baroque organist and composer. ... Johann Staden (baptized July 2, 1581 – November 15, 1634) was a German Baroque organist and composer. ...

Johann Mattheson, whose Grundlage einer Ehrenpforte (Hamburg, 1740) is one of the most important sources of information about Pachelbel's life, mentions that the young Pachelbel demonstrated exceptional musical and academic abilities. He received his primary education in St. Lorenz Hauptschule and the Auditorio Aegediano in Nuremberg, then on 1669-06-29 became a student at the University of Altdorf, where he was also appointed organist of St. Lorenz church the same year. Financial difficulties forced Pachelbel to leave the university after less than a year. In order to complete his studies he became a scholarship student, in 1670, at the Gymnasium Poeticum at Regensburg. The school authorities there were so impressed by Pachelbel's academic qualifications that he was admitted above the school's normal quota. Johann Mattheson (September 28, 1681 – April 17, 1764) was a German composer, writer, lexicographer, and music theorist. ... This article is about the city in Germany. ... // Events Samuel Pepys stopped writing his diary. ... is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Altdorf was a university in Altdorf bei Nürnberg, a small town outside Nuremberg. ... Regensburg (also Ratisbon, Latin Ratisbona) is a city (population 151. ...

Pachelbel was also permitted to study music outside the Gymnasium. His teacher was Kaspar (Caspar) Prentz, once a student of Johann Kaspar Kerll. Since the latter was greatly influenced by Italian composers such as Giacomo Carissimi, it is likely through Prentz that Pachelbel started developing an interest in contemporary Italian music, and Catholic church music in general. Johann Kaspar Kerll (1627 - 1693) was a German Baroque composer. ... Giacomo Carissimi. ...

1673–1690: Career (Vienna, Eisenach, Erfurt)

Prentz left for Eichstätt in 1672. This period of Pachelbel's life is the least documented one^[6], so it is unknown whether he stayed in Regensburg until 1673 or left the same year his teacher did; at any rate, by 1673 Pachelbel was living in Vienna, where he became a deputy organist at the famous Saint Stephen Cathedral (Stephansdom). At the time, Vienna was the center of the vast Habsburg empire and had much cultural importance; its tastes in music were predominantly Italian. Several renowned cosmopolitan composers worked there, many of them contributing to the exchange of musical traditions in Europe. In particular, Johann Jakob Froberger served as court organist in Vienna until 1657^[7] and was succeeded by Alessandro Poglietti.^[8] Georg Muffat lived in the city for some time, and, most importantly, Johann Kaspar Kerll moved to Vienna in 1673.^[9] While there, he may have known or even taught Pachelbel, whose music shows traces of Kerll's style. Pachelbel spent five years in Vienna, absorbing the music of Catholic composers from southern Germany and Italy, whose styles contrasted with the more strict Lutheran tradition he was bred in. In some respects, Pachelbel is similar to Haydn, who too served as a professional musician of the Stephansdom in his youth and as such was exposed to music of the leading composers of the time. Eichstätt (not to be confused with Eichstädt) is a city in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district of Eichstätt. ... For other uses, see Vienna (disambiguation). ... // The Stephansdom (Cathedral of Saint Stephen), in Vienna, Austria, is the seat of a Roman Catholic Archbishop, a beloved symbol of Vienna, and the site of many important events in Austrias national life. ... Official languages Latin, German, Hungarian Established church Roman Catholic Capital & Largest City Vienna pop. ... Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Johann Jakob Froberger (baptized May 19, 1616 – May 7, 1667) was a German Baroque composer, keyboard virtuoso, and organist. ... Alessandro Poglietti (died July 1683) was a Baroque organist and composer of unknown origin. ... Georg Muffat (baptized June 1, 1653 - February 23, 1704) was a Baroque composer. ... Johann Kaspar Kerll (1627 - 1693) was a German Baroque composer. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... “Haydn” redirects here. ...

In 1677, Pachelbel moved to Eisenach, where he found employment as court organist under Kapellmeister Daniel Eberlin (also a native of Nuremberg), in the employ of Johann Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach. He met members of the Bach family in Eisenach (which was the home city of J. S. Bach's father, Johann Ambrosius Bach), and became a close friend of Johann Ambrosius and tutor to his children.^[10] However, Pachelbel spent only one year in Eisenach. In 1678, Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Jena, Johann Georg's brother, died and during the period of mourning court musicians were greatly curtailed^[11]. Pachelbel was left unemployed. He requested a testimonial from Eberlin, who wrote one for him, describing Pachelbel as a 'perfect and rare virtuoso'—einen perfecten und raren Virtuosen.^[12] With this document, Pachelbel left Eisenach on May 18, 1678. Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. ... A Kapellmeister is nowadays the director or conductor of an orchestra or choir. ... Johann Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach (b. ... Saxe-Eisenach (German Sachsen-Eisenach) was the name of three different duchies that existed at different times in Thuringia. ... The Bach family was of importance in the history of music for nearly two hundred years. ... “Bach” redirects here. ... Johann Ambrosius Bach. ... Johann Ambrosius Bach. ... (Redirected from 18 May) May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... Events August 10 - Treaty of Nijmegen ends the Dutch War. ...

In June 1678, Pachelbel was employed as organist of the Lutheran Preacher's Church (Predigerkirche) in Erfurt, succeeding Johann Effler (c1640–1711; Effler later preceded Johann Sebastian Bach in Weimar). The Bach family was very well known in Erfurt (where virtually all organists would later be called "Bachs"), so Pachelbel's friendship with them continued here. Pachelbel became godfather to Johann Ambrosius' daughter, Johanna Juditha, taught Johann Christoph Bach (1671–1721), Johann Sebastian's eldest brother, and lived in Johann Christian Bach's (1640-1682) house.^[13] Pachelbel remained in Erfurt for 12 years and established his reputation as one of the leading German organ composers of the time during his stay. The chorale prelude became one of his most characteristic products of the Erfurt period, since Pachelbel's contract specifically required him to compose the preludes for church services.^[14] His duties also included organ maintenance and, more importantly, composing a large-scale work every year to demonstrate his progress as composer and organist, as every work of that kind had to be better than the one composed the year before. The cathedral Mariendom at night. ... “Bach” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Weimar (disambiguation). ... A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a childs baptism. ... In music, a chorale prelude is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. ... In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of a church practicing Sabbatarianism. ...

Johann Christian Bach, Pachelbel's landlord in Erfurt, died in 1682. In June 1684, Pachelbel purchased the house (called Zur silbernen Tasche, now Junkersand 1) from Johann Christian's widow^[15]. In 1686, he was offered a position as organist of the St. Trinitatis church (Trinitatiskirche) in Sondershausen. Pachelbel initially accepted the invitation but, as a surviving autograph letter indicates, had to reject the offer after a long series of negotiations: it appears that he was required to consult with Erfurt's elders and church authorities before considering any job offers.^[16] It seems that the situation has been resolved quietly and without harm to Pachelbel's reputation; he was offered a raise and stayed in the city for four more years. Year 1682 (MDCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Events France under Louis XIV makes Truce of Ratisbon separately with the Empire and Spain. ... 1686 (MDCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Sondershausen, a town of Germany, capital of the principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, situated in a plain 37 miles by rail North of Erfurt. ...

Pachelbel married twice during his stay in Erfurt. Barbara Gabler, daughter of the Stadt-Major of Erfurt, became his first wife, on October 25, 1681. The marriage took place in the house of the bride's father. Unfortunately, both Barbara and their only son died in October 1683 during a plague. Pachelbel's first published work, a set of chorale variations called Musicalische Sterbens-Gedancken ("Musical Thoughts on Death", Erfurt, 1683), was probably influenced by this event. (Redirected from 25 October) October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ... Events March 4 - Charles II of England grants a land charter to William Penn for the area that will later become Pennsylvania. ... For the ballet Theme and Variations, see Theme and Variations (ballet). ... Musicalische Sterbens-Gedancken (Musical Thoughts on Death/Dying) is a collection of keyboard music by Johann Pachelbel. ...

Ten months later, Pachelbel married Judith Drommer (Trummert), daughter of a coppersmith,^[17] on August 24, 1684. They had five sons and two daughters. Two of the sons, Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbel and Charles Theodore Pachelbel, also became organ composers, the latter moved to the American colonies in 1734. Another son, Johann Michael, became an instrument maker in Nuremberg and travelled as far as London and Jamaica^[18]. One of the daughters, Amalia Pachelbel, achieved recognition as painter and engraver. A coppersmith is a person who works with copper and brass. ... (Redirected from 24 August) August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... Events France under Louis XIV makes Truce of Ratisbon separately with the Empire and Spain. ... Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbel (c. ... Charles Theodore Pachelbel (November 24, 1690 – buried September 15, 1750) was a German composer, organist and harpsichordist of the late Baroque era. ... Betsy Ross purportedly sewed the first American flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes representing each of the 13 colonies. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Painting by Rembrandt self-portrait Detail from Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, in which the painter portrayed himself at work For the computer graphics program, see Corel Painter. ... Christ Preaching, known as The Hundred Guilder print; etching c1648 by Rembrandt Etching is the process of using strong acid to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal (the original process - in modern manufacturing other chemicals may be used...

1690–1706: Final years (Stuttgart, Gotha, Nuremberg)

Pachelbel's autograph letter

Although Johann Pachelbel was an outstandingly successful organist, composer, and teacher at Erfurt, he asked permission to leave, apparently seeking a better appointment, and was formally released on 15 August 1690, bearing a testimonial praising his diligence and fidelity.^[19] Image File history File links Pachelbels_autograph_letter. ... Image File history File links Pachelbels_autograph_letter. ...

He was employed in less than a fortnight: from 1 September 1690, he was a musician-organist in the Württemberg court at Stuttgart under the patronage of Duchess Magdalena Sibylla. That job was better, but, unfortunately, he lived there only two years before fleeing the French attacks of the War of the Grand Alliance. His next job was in Gotha as the town organist, a post he occupied for two years, starting on 8 November 1692; there he published his first, and only, liturgical music collection: Acht Chorale zum Praeambulieren in 1693 (Erster Theil etlicher Choräle). Arms of the Kingdom of Württemberg The title of this article contains the character ü. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Wuerttemberg. ... For other uses, see Stuttgart (disambiguation). ... Combatants  Denmark Dutch Republic, England,[3]  Holy Roman Empire,  Portugal Duchy of Savoy, Spain,  Sweden France, Jacobites Commanders William III, Prince Waldeck, Duke of Savoy, Duke of Lorraine , Elector of Bavaria, Prince of Baden Louis XIV, Duc de Luxembourg â€ , Duc de Villeroi, Duc de Lorge, Duc de Boufflers, Nicolas Catinat... Gotha is a town in Thuringia, in Germany. ... A liturgy is the customary public worship of a religious group, according to their particular traditions. ...

When former pupil Johann Christoph Bach married in October 1694, the Bach family celebrated the marriage on 23 October 1694 in Ohrdruf, and invited him and other composers to provide the music; he probably attended — if so, it was the only time J.S. Bach, then nine years old, met Johann Pachelbel.^[20] Ohrdruf is a famous cathedral which J.S. Bach was the organist of. ...

In his three years in Gotha, he was twice offered positions, in Stuttgart and at Oxford University; he declined both. Meanwhile, in Nuremberg, when the St. Sebaldus Church organist Georg Caspar Wecker (and his possible former teacher) died on 20 April 1695, the city authorities were so anxious to appoint Pachelbel (then a famous Nuremberger) to the position that they officially invited him to assume it without holding the usual job examination or inviting applications from prominent organists from lesser churches. He accepted, was released from Gotha in 1695, and arrived in Nuremberg in summer, with the city council paying his per diem expenses. The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ...

Pachelbel's tomb at the St. Rochus Cemetery (Rochuskirchhof) in Nuremberg.

Johann Pachelbel lived the rest of his life in Nuremberg, during which he published the chamber music collection Musikalische Ergötzung, and, most important, the Hexachordum Apollinis (Nuremberg, 1699), a set of six keyboard arias with variations. Though most influenced by Italian and southern German composers, he knew the northern German school, because he dedicated the Hexachordum Apollinis to Dieterich Buxtehude. Also composed in the final years were Italian-influenced concertato Vespers and a set of more than ninety Magnificat fugues. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (504x624, 98 KB) Summary Photograph of the Pachelbels tomb on Rochusfriedhof, taken by User:Hostelli from the German Wikipedia [1]; original name: Pachelbel_rochus308. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (504x624, 98 KB) Summary Photograph of the Pachelbels tomb on Rochusfriedhof, taken by User:Hostelli from the German Wikipedia [1]; original name: Pachelbel_rochus308. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... The only surviving portrait of Buxtehude, from a 1674 painting by Johannes Voorhout. ... Concertato (sometimes called stile concertato) is a term in early Baroque music referring to either a genre or a style of music in which groups of instruments or voices share a melody, usually in alternation, and almost always over a basso continuo. ... Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... The Visitation in the Book of Hours of the Duc of Berry For the David and the Giants album, see Magnificat (album) The Magnificat (also known as the Song of Mary) is a canticle frequently sung (or said) liturgically in Christian church services. ... In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred to as voices, irrespective of whether the work is vocal or instrumental. ...

In 1706, Johann Pachelbel died at the age of 52, his exact death date unknown, and was buried on 9 March; Mattheson cites either the 3rd or the 7th of March 1706 as the death date; yet, it is unlikely that the corpse was allowed to linger unburied so long. Contemporary custom was burying the dead on the third or fourth post-mortem day; so, either the 6th or the 7th of March 1706 is likelier death date.^[21] Johann Pachelbel is buried in the St. Rochus Cemetery.

Posthumous influence

One of the last middle Baroque composers, Pachelbel did not have any considerable influence on most of the famous late Baroque composers, such as George Frideric Handel, Domenico Scarlatti or Georg Philipp Telemann. He did influence Johann Sebastian Bach indirectly; the young Johann Sebastian was tutored by Johann Christoph Bach, who studied with Pachelbel, but although JS Bach's early chorales and chorale variations borrow from Pachelbel's music, the style of northern German composers (Georg Böhm, Dieterich Buxtehude, Johann Adam Reincken) played a more important role in the development of Bach's talent. “Handel” redirects here. ... Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (October 26, 1685 – July 23, 1757) was an Italian composer who spent much of his life in Spain and Portugal. ... Georg Philipp Telemann. ... “Bach” redirects here. ... The famous organist Georg Böhm (September 2, 1661 - May 18, 1733) was born in Hohenkirchen, Thuringia Germany. ... The only surviving portrait of Buxtehude, from a 1674 painting by Johannes Voorhout. ... Johann Adam Reincken (April 27, 1623 - November 24, 1722) was an organist at St. ...

Pachelbel was the last great composer of the Nuremberg tradition and the last important southern German composer. Pachelbel's influence was mostly limited to his pupils, most notably Johann Christoph Bach, Johann Heinrich Buttstett, Andreas Nicolaus Vetter, and two of Pachelbel's sons, Wilhelm Hieronymus and Charles Theodore. The latter became one of the first European composers to take up residence in the American colonies and so Pachelbel influenced, although indirectly and only to a certain degree, the American church music of the era. Composer, musicologist and writer Johann Gottfried Walther is probably the most famous of the composers influenced by Pachelbel - he is, in fact, referred to as the "second Pachelbel" in Mattheson's Grundlage einer Ehrenpforte.^[22] Johann Christoph Bach (December 6, 1642 - March 31, 1703), was a German composer of the Baroque period. ... Johann Heinrich Buttstett (Buttstedt, Buttstädt) (April 25, 1666 – December 1, 1727) was a German Baroque organist and composer. ... Betsy Ross purportedly sewed the first American flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes representing each of the 13 colonies. ... A musicologist is someone who studies musicology. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Johann Mattheson (September 28, 1681 – April 17, 1764) was a German composer, writer, lexicographer, diplomat and music theorist. ...

As the Baroque style went out of fashion during the 18th century, the majority of Baroque and pre-Baroque composers were virtually forgotten. Local organists in Nuremberg and Erfurt knew Pachelbel's music and occasionally performed it, but the public and the majority of composers and performers did not pay much attention to Pachelbel and his contemporaries. In the first half of the 19th century, some organ works by Pachelbel were published and several musicologists started considering him an important composer, particularly Philipp Spitta, who was one of the first researchers to trace Pachelbel's role in the development of Baroque keyboard music. Much of Pachelbel's work was published in the early 20th century in the Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich series, but it was not until the rise of interest in early Baroque music in the middle of the 20th century and the advent of historically-informed performance practice and associated research that Pachelbel's works began to be studied extensively and again performed more frequently. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A musicologist is someone who studies musicology. ... Philipp Spitta Julius August Philipp Spitta (7 December 1841 - 13 April 1894) was a German music historian and musicologist best known for his 1873 biography of Johann Sebastian Bach. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The authentic performance movement is an effort on the part of musicians and scholars to perform works of classical music in ways similar to how they were performed when they were originally written. ...

Popularity of the Canon in D

Pachelbel's Canon in D major, a piece of chamber music scored for three violins and basso continuo and originally paired with a gigue in the same key, it experienced a tremendous surge in popularity during the 1970s, which made it a universally recognized cultural item; it is one of the most recognised and famous classical compositions. Numerous musical adaptations and arrangements of the canon for diverse ensembles exist and the main theme (or the associated harmonic sequence) is frequently adapted by pop music artists, much like the opening of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565. The gigue that originally accompanied the canon never received the same amount of popularity, even though it is a lively energetic dance. Pachelbels Canon also known as Canon in D major, or more formally, Canon and Gigue in D major for three Violins and Basso Continuo (Kanon und Gigue in D-Dur für drei Violinen und Basso Continuo) is the most famous piece of music by Johann Pachelbel. ... For the Anne Rice novel, see Violin (novel). ... Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervallic content (the intervals which make up a sonority), later chords, in relation to a bass note. ... The gigue or giga is a lively baroque dance in a compound metre such as 3/8, 6/8, 6/4, 9/8 or 12/16. ... In music theory, the key identifies the tonic triad, the chord, major or minor, which represents the final point of rest for a piece, or the focal point of a section. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... For other uses, see Pop music (disambiguation). ... Toccata and Fugue in D minor redirects here. ...

Works

Apart from harpsichord suites, this section concentrates only on the works whose ascription is not questioned. For a complete list of works which includes pieces with questionable authorship and lost compositions, see List of compositions by Johann Pachelbel.

There are approximately 530 compositions that have been attributed to Johann Pachelbel. ...

General information

During his lifetime, Pachelbel was best known as an organ composer. He wrote more than two hundred pieces for the instrument, both liturgical and secular, and explored most of the genres that existed at the time. Pachelbel was also a prolific vocal music composer: around a hundred of such works survive, including some 40 large-scale works. Only a few chamber music pieces by Pachelbel exist, although he might have composed many more, particularly while serving as court musician in Eisenach and Stuttgart. Organ in Katharinenkirche, Frankfurt am Main, Germany The organ is a keyboard instrument played using one or more manuals and a pedalboard. ... A liturgy is the customary public worship of a religious group, according to their particular traditions. ... This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ...

Several principal sources exist for Pachelbel's music, although none of them as important as, for example, the Oldham manuscript is for Louis Couperin. Among the more significant materials are several manuscripts that were lost before and during World War II but partially available as microfilms of the Winterthur collection, a two-volume manuscript currently in possession of the Oxford Bodleian library which is a major source for Pachelbel's late work, and the first part of the Tabulaturbuch (1692, currently at the Biblioteka Jagiellońska in Kraków) compiled by Pachelbel's pupil Johann Valentin Eckelt, which includes the only known Pachelbel's autographs). The Neumeister manuscript and the so-called Weimar tablature of 1704 provide valuable information about Pachelbel's school, although they do not contain any pieces that can be confidently ascribed to him. Louis Couperin was a French musician of the Baroque period. ... A manuscript (Latin manu scriptus, written by hand), strictly speaking, is any written document that is put down by hand, in contrast to being printed or reproduced some other way. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Microfilm machines may be available at libraries or record archives. ... For other uses, see Krakow (disambiguation). ... A recently discovered set of chorale preludes compiled by Johann Gottfried Neumeister (1757-1840). ...

Currently there is no standard numbering system for Pachelbel's works. Several catalogues are used, by Antoine Bouchard (POP numbers, organ works only), Jean M. Perreault (P numbers, currently the most complete catalogue; organized alphabetically), Hideo Tsukamoto (T numbers, L for lost works; organized thematically) and Kathryn Jane Welter (PC numbers).

Keyboard music

Much of Pachelbel's liturgical organ music, particularly the chorale preludes, is relatively simple and written for manuals only, no pedal is required. This is partly due to Lutheran religious practice where congregants sang the chorales. Household instruments like virginals or clavichords accompanied the singing, so Pachelbel and many of his contemporaries made music playable using these instruments. The quality of the organs Pachelbel used also played a role: south German instruments were not, as a rule, as complex and as versatile as the north German ones, and Pachelbel's organs must have only had around 15-25 stops on two manuals (compare to Buxtehude's Marienkirche instrument with 52 stops, 15 of them in the pedal). Finally, neither the Nuremberg nor the southern German organ tradition endorsed extensive use of pedals seen in the works by composers of the northern German school. A liturgy is the customary public worship of a religious group, according to their particular traditions. ... In music, a chorale prelude is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. ... A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. ... The 30-note pedalboard of a Rieger organ with expression pedal and coupler switches. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... A harpsichord is the general term for a family of European keyboard instruments, including the large instrument nowadays called a harpsichord, but also the smaller virginals, the muselar virginals and the spinet. ... Large five-octave unfretted clavichord by Paul Maurici, after J.A. Haas The clavichord is a European stringed keyboard instrument known from the late Medieval, through the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras. ... The only surviving portrait of Buxtehude, from a 1674 painting by Johannes Voorhout. ... There are several churches by this name, including: St. ... The 17th century organ composers of the territory now known as Germany can be divided into two primary schools: the north German school and the south German school (sometimes a third school, central German, is added). ...

Only two volumes of Pachelbel's organ music were published and distributed during his lifetime: Musikalische Sterbens-Gedancken (Musical Thoughts on Deathl; Erfurt, 1683) - a set of chorale variations in memory of his deceased wife and child, and Acht Choräle (Nuremberg, 1693).^[23] Pachelbel employed white mensural notation when writing out numerous compositions (several chorales, all ricercars, some fantasias); a notational system that uses hollow note heads and omits bar lines (measure delimiters).^[24] The system had been widely used since the 15th century but was gradually being replaced in this period by modern notation (sometimes called black notation).^[24] In most cases Pachelbel used white notation for pieces composed in old-fashioned styles, to provide artistic integrity.^{[citation needed]} Mensural notation is the musical notation system which was used from the later part of the 13th century until about 1600. ... A ricercar (or ricercare; the terms are interchangeable) is a type of late Renaissance and mostly early Baroque instrumental composition. ... The fantasia (also English: , German: , French: ) is a musical composition with its roots in the art of improvisation. ... This article is about music. ... In musical notation, a bar or measure is a segment of time defined as a given number of beats of a given duration. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ...

Chorales

Chorales constitute almost half of Pachelbel's surviving organ works, in part because of his Erfurt job duties which required him to compose chorale preludes on a regular basis. The models Pachelbel used most frequently are the three-part cantus firmus setting, the chorale fugue and, most importantly, a model he invented which combined the two types. This latter type begins with a brief chorale fugue that is followed by a three- or four-part cantus firmus setting. Chorale phrases are treated one at a time, in the order in which they occur; frequently, the accompanying voices anticipate the next phrase by using bits of the melody in imitative counterpoint. An example from Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist: In music, a cantus firmus (fixed song) is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition, often set apart by being played in long notes. ... In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred to as voices, irrespective of whether the work is vocal or instrumental. ...

An example from Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist of Pachelbel's chorales, bars 35-54. The chorale in the soprano is highlighted.

The piece begins with a chorale fugue (not shown here) that turns into a four-part chorale setting which starts at bar 35. The slow-moving chorale (the cantus firmus, i.e., the original hymn tune) is in the soprano, and is highlighted in blue. The lower voices anticipate the shape of the second phrase of the chorale in an imitative fashion (notice the distinctive pattern of two repeated notes). Pachelbel wrote numerous chorales using this model (Auf meinen lieben Gott, Ach wie elend ist unsre Zeit, Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist, etc.), which soon became a standard form. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1440x618, 36 KB) Summary Musical quotation from chorale Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist by Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1440x618, 36 KB) Summary Musical quotation from chorale Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist by Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Hymn. ...

A distinctive feature of almost all of Pachelbel's chorale preludes is his treatment of the melody: the cantus firmus features virtually no figuration or ornamentation of any kind, always presented in the plainest possible way in one of the outer voices. Pachelbel's knowledge of both ancient and contemporary chorale techniques is reflected in Acht Chorale zum Praeambulieren, a collection of eight chorales he published in 1693. It included, among other types, several chorales written using outdated models. Of these, Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren (Psalm 103) is based on the German polyphonic song; it is one of the very few Pachelbel chorales with cantus firmus in the tenor. Wir glauben all' an einen Gott is a three-part setting with melodic ornamentation of the chorale melody, which Pachelbel employed very rarely. Finally, Jesus Christus, unser Heiland der von uns is a typical bicinium chorale with one of the hands playing the unadorned chorale while the other provides constant fast-paced accompaniment written mostly in sixteenth notes. Pachelbel only used the bicinium form in two other pieces.^{[citation needed]} Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... In music of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras, a bicinium (pl. ... [[ Figure 1. ...

Fugues and ricercars

Pachelbel wrote more than one hundred fugues on free themes. These fall into two categories: some 30 free fugues and around 90 of the so-called Magnificat Fugues. Pachelbel's fugal writing is, without exception, very plain:^{[citation needed]} the episodes are usually based on non-thematic material and rather short compared to the later model (of which J.S. Bach's works are now considered the prime example), and neither stretto nor the usual contrapuntal devices such as diminution or inversion are employed in any fugue. Nevertheless, Pachelbel's fugues display a tendency towards a more unified, subject-dependent structure which was to become the key element of late Baroque fugues. Given the number of fugues he composed and the extraordinary variety of subjects he used, Pachelbel is regarded as one of the key composers in the evolution of the form. He was also the first major composer to pair a fugue with a preludial movement (a toccata or a prelude) - this technique was adopted by later composers and was used extensively by J.S. Bach. “Bach” redirects here. ...

The Magnificat Fugues were all composed during Pachelbel's final years in Nuremberg. The singing of the Magnificat at Vespers was usually accompanied by the organist, and earlier composers provided examples of Magnificat settings for organ, based on themes from the chant. Pachelbel's fugues, however, are almost all based on free themes and it is not yet understood exactly where they fit during the service. It is possible that they served to help singers establish pitch, or simply act as introductory pieces played before the beginning of the service. There are 95 pieces extant, covering all eight Church Modes: 23 in primi toni, 10 in secundi toni, 11 in tertii toni, 8 in quarti toni, 12 in quinti toni, 10 in sexti toni, 8 in septimi toni and 13 in octavi toni. Although a few two- and four-voice works are present, most employ three voices (sometimes expanding to four-voice polyphony for a bar or two). With the exception of the three double fugues (primi toni No. 12, sexti toni No. 1 and octavi toni No. 8), all are straightforward pieces, frequently in common time and comparatively short - at an average tempo, most take around a minute and a half to play. The Visitation in the Book of Hours of the Duc of Berry For the David and the Giants album, see Magnificat (album) The Magnificat (also known as the Song of Mary) is a canticle frequently sung (or said) liturgically in Christian church services. ... Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... Pitch is the perceived fundamental frequency of a sound. ... This article is about modes as used in music. ... In musical notation, a bar or measure is a segment of time defined as a given number of beats of a given duration. ... The time signature (also known as meter signature) is a notational device used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each bar and which note value (minim, crotchet, eighth note and so on) constitutes one beat. ...

Example 1: Fugue subjects from Magnificat fugues: secundi toni 7, octavi toni 10, primi toni 16, sexti toni 10, quarti toni 8 and octavi toni 13.

Although most of them are brief, the subjects are extremely varied (see Example 1). Frequently some form of note repetition is used to emphasize a rhythmic (rather than melodic) contour. Many feature a dramatic leap (up to an octave), which may or may not be mirrored in one of the voices sometime during an episode - a characteristic Pachelbel technique, although it was also employed by earlier composers, albeit less pronounced. Minor alterations to the subject between the entries are observed in some of the fugues, and simple countersubjects occur several times. An interesting technique employed in many of the pieces is an occasional resort to style brisé for a few bars, both during episodes and in codas. The double fugues exhibit a typical three-section structure: fugue on subject 1, fugue on subject 2, and the counterpoint with simultaneous use of both subjects. Image File history File links Pachelbel-mfugues-subjects. ... Image File history File links Pachelbel-mfugues-subjects. ... For other uses, see Counterpoint (disambiguation). ...

A typical Pachelbel repercussion subject. Listen (help· info)

Most of Pachelbel's free fugues are in three or four voices, with the notable exception of two bicinia pieces that were probably intended for teaching purposes.^{[citation needed]} Pachelbel frequently used repercussion subjects of different kinds, with note repetition sometimes extended to span a whole measure (such as in the subject of a G minor fugue, see illustration). Some of the fugues employ textures more suited for the harpsichord, particularly those with broken chord figuration. The three ricercars Pachelbel composed, that are more akin to his fugues than to ricercars by Frescobaldi's or Froberger, are perhaps more technically interesting. In the original sources, all three use white notation and are marked alla breve. The polythematic C minor ricercar is the most popular and frequently performed and recorded. It is built on two contrasting themes (a slow chromatic pattern and a lively simplistic motif) which appear in their normal and inverted forms and concludes with both themes appearing simultaneously. The F-sharp minor ricercar uses the same concept and is slightly more interesting musically: the key of F-sharp minor requires a more flexible tuning than the standard meantone temperament of the Baroque era and was therefore rarely used by contemporary composers. This means that Pachelbel may have used his own tuning system, of which little is known. Ricercare in C major is probably an early work,^{[citation needed]} mostly in three voices and employing the same kind of writing with consecutive thirds as seen in Pachelbel's toccatas (see below). Image File history File links Pachelbel-fugue-subject-gmin. ... Image File history File links Pachelbel-fugue-subject-gmin. ... Image File history File links Pachelbel_G_minor_fugue_subject. ... In music of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras, a bicinium (pl. ... Harpsichord in the Flemish style A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. ... A ricercar (or ricercare; the terms are interchangeable) is a type of late Renaissance and mostly early Baroque instrumental composition. ... Girolamo Frescobaldi. ... Alla breve is an italian musical term to describe a time signature of 2/2 (small alla breve) or even 4/2 and 2/1 (large alla breve). ... F-sharp minor is a minor scale based on F-sharp, consisting of the pitches F-sharp, G-sharp, A, B, C-sharp, D, E-sharp and F-sharp (harmonic minor scale). ... Meantone temperament is a system of musical tuning. ... For other uses, see Baroque (disambiguation). ...

Pachelbel's use of repercussion subjects and extensive repeated note passages may be regarded as another characteristic feature of his organ pieces. Extreme examples of note repetition in the subject are found in magnificat fugues: quarti toni No. 4 has eight repeated notes, octavi toni No. 6 has twelve.^[25] Also, even a fugue with an ordinary subject can rely on strings of repeated notes, as it happens, for example, in magnificat fugue octavi toni No. 12:

Excerpt from Magnificat Fugue octavi toni No. 12 (bars 15-18). Fugue subject that appears once in this excerpt is highlighted.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1258x156, 9 KB) Summary Musical quotation from Magnificat Fugue Octavi Toni No. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1258x156, 9 KB) Summary Musical quotation from Magnificat Fugue Octavi Toni No. ... Image File history File links Pachelbel_C_major_fugue. ...

Chaconnes and variations

Pachelbel's apparent affinity for variation form is evident from his organ works that explore the genre: chaconnes, chorale variations and several sets of arias with variations. The six chaconnes, together with Buxtehude's ostinato organ works, represent a shift from the older chaconne style: they completely abandon the dance idiom, introduce contrapuntal density, employ miscellaneous chorale improvisation techniques, and, most importantly, give the bass line much thematic significance for the development of the piece. Pachelbel's chaconnes are distinctly south German in style; the duple meter C major chaconne (possibly at early work) is reminiscent of Kerll's D minor passacaglia. The remaining five works are all in triple meter and display a wide variety of moods and techniques, concentrating on melodic content (as opposed to the emphasis on harmonic complexity and virtuosity in Buxtehude's chaconnes). The ostinato bass is not necessarily repeated unaltered throughout the piece and is sometimes subjected to minor alterations and ornamentation. The D major, D minor and F minor chaconnes are among Pachelbel's most well-known organ pieces, and the latter is often cited as his best organ work. For the ballet Theme and Variations, see Theme and Variations (ballet). ... In music, a chaconne (IPA: ; Italian: ciaccona) is a musical form whose primary formal feature involves variation on a repeated short harmonic progression. ... In music, an ostinato (derived from Italian: stubborn, compare English: obstinate) is a motif or phrase which is persistently repeated at the same pitch. ... The 17th century organ composers of the territory now known as Germany can be divided into two primary schools: the north German school and the south German school (sometimes a third school, central German, is added). ... Metre is the measurement of a musical line into measures of stressed and unstressed beats, indicated in Western notation by a symbol called a time signature. ... In music, an ostinato (derived from Italian: stubborn, compare English: obstinate) is a motif or phrase which is persistently repeated at the same pitch. ...

A page from the original printed edition of Hexachordum Apollinis, showing the fourth variation of the first aria.

In 1699 Pachelbel published Hexachordum Apollinis (the title is a reference to Apollo's lyre), a collection of six variations set in different keys. It is dedicated to composers Ferdinand Tobias Richter (a friend from the Vienna years) and Dieterich Buxtehude. Each set follows the "aria and variations" model, arias numbered Aria prima through Aria sexta ("first" through "sixth"). The final piece, which is also the most well-known today, is subtitled Aria Sebaldina, a reference to St. Sebaldus Church where Pachelbel worked at the time. Most of the variations are in common time, with Aria Sebaldina and its variations being the only notable exceptions–they are in 3/4 time. The pieces explore a wide range of variation techniques. Image File history File links Pachelbel-hexachordum-prima-var4. ... Image File history File links Pachelbel-hexachordum-prima-var4. ... Events January 26 - Treaty of Karlowitz signed March 30 - the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa. ... For other uses, see Apollo (disambiguation). ... “Lyres” redirects here. ... In music theory, the key identifies the tonic triad, the chord, major or minor, which represents the final point of rest for a piece, or the focal point of a section. ... Ferdinand Tobias Richter (born 22 July 1651 in Würzburg - died 3 November 1711 in Vienna) was an Austrian Baroque composer and organist. ... The only surviving portrait of Buxtehude, from a 1674 painting by Johannes Voorhout. ... Northern facade of St. ...

Pachelbel's other variation sets include a few arias and an arietta (a short aria) with variations and a few pieces designated as chorale variations. Four works of the latter type were published in Erfurt in 1683 under the title Musicalische Sterbens-Gedancken ("Musical Thoughts on Death"), which might refer to Pachelbel's first wife's death in the same year. This was Pachelbel's first published work and it is now partially lost. These pieces, along with Georg Böhm's works, may or may not have influenced Johann Sebastian Bach's early organ partitas. Events June 6 - The Ashmolean Museum opens as the worlds first university museum. ... Musicalische Sterbens-Gedancken (Musical Thoughts on Death/Dying) is a collection of keyboard music by Johann Pachelbel. ... The famous organist Georg Böhm (September 2, 1661 - May 18, 1733) was born in Hohenkirchen, Thuringia Germany. ... “Bach” redirects here. ... Partita was originally the name for a single instrumental piece of music (16th and 17th centuries), but Johann Kuhnau and later German composers (notably Johann Sebastian Bach) used it for collections of musical pieces, as a synonym for suite. ...

Toccatas

About 20 toccatas by Pachelbel survive, including several brief pieces referred to as toccatinas in the Perreault catalogue. They are characterized by consistent use of pedal point: for the most part, Pachelbel's toccatas consist of relatively fast passagework in both hands over sustained pedal notes. Although a similar technique is employed in toccatas by Froberger and Frescobaldi's pedal toccatas, Pachelbel distinguishes himself from these composers by having no sections with imitative counterpoint–in fact, unlike most toccatas from the early and middle Baroque periods, Pachelbel's contributions to the genre are not sectional, unless rhapsodic introductory passages in a few pieces (most notably the E minor toccata) are counted as separate sections. Furthermore, no other Baroque composer used pedal point with such consistency in toccatas. Toccata (Italian for to touch) is a Virtuoso piece of classical music for a keyboard instrument or plucked string instrument featuring sections of brilliant passagework, with or without imitative or fugal interludes, generally emphasizing the dexterity of the performer. ... In tonal music, a pedal point (also pedal tone, organ point, or just pedal) is a sustained tone, typically in the bass, during which at least one foreign, i. ... Johann Jakob Froberger (baptized May 19, 1616 – May 7, 1667) was a German Baroque composer, keyboard virtuoso, and organist. ... Girolamo Frescobaldi. ... A rhapsody in music is a one-movement work that is episodic yet integrated, free-flowing in structure, featuring a range of highly contrasted moods, color and tonality. ...

Many of Pachelbel's toccatas explore a single melodic motif, and later works are written in a simple style in which two voices interact over sustained pedal notes, and said interaction—already much simpler than the virtuosic passages in earlier works—sometimes resorts to consecutive thirds, sixths or tenths. Compare the earlier D major toccata, with passages in the typical middle Baroque style, with one of the late C major toccatas: In music, a motif is a perceivable or salient reoccurring fragment or succession of notes that may used to construct the entirety or parts of complete melodies, themes. ... In music, see the following intervals: Major third Minor third The mediant, and the chord built on the mediant, is often called simply the third, as it is the third degree of the diatonic scale. ... In music, see the intervals: Major sixth Minor sixth The submediant, and the chord built on the submediant, is often simply called the sixth as it is the sixth scale degree. ... In mathematics, arithmetic or plain old numbers a tenth is one part of a unit or one divided equally into ten parts. ...

Excerpt from Toccata in D major (bars 10–14). Listen (help· info)

Opening bars of Toccata in C major. Two-voice motivic interplay, based on the melody introduced in the first bar, is reduced to consecutive thirds in the last two bars. The piece continues in a similar manner, with basic motivic interaction in two voices and occasional consecutive thirds or fifths. Listen (help· info)

Sometimes a bar or two of consecutive thirds embellish the otherwise more complex toccata, occasionally there is a whole section written in that manner, and a few toccatas (particularly one of the D minor and one of the G minor pieces) are composed using only this technique, with almost no variation. Partly due to their simplicity, the toccatas are very accessible works; however, the E minor and C minor ones which receive more attention than the rest are in fact slightly more complex. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1387x181, 7 KB) Summary Musical quotation from Toccata in D major by Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1387x181, 7 KB) Summary Musical quotation from Toccata in D major by Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706). ... Image File history File links Pachelbel_D_major_toccata_excerpt. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1433x402, 11 KB) Summary Musical quotation from Toccata in C major by Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1433x402, 11 KB) Summary Musical quotation from Toccata in C major by Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706). ... Image File history File links Pachelbel_C_major_toccata_excerpt. ...

Fantasias

Pachelbel composed six fantasias. Three of them (the A minor, C major and one of the two D Dorian pieces) are sectional compositions in 3/2 time, the sections are never connected thematically; the other D Dorian piece's structure is reminiscent of Pachelbel's magnificat fugues, with the main theme accompanied by two simple countersubjects The fantasia (also English: , German: , French: ) is a musical composition with its roots in the art of improvisation. ... Due to historical confusion, Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to two very different musical modes or diatonic scales. ... The time signature (also known as meter signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and what note value constitutes one beat. ... In music, a countersubject is a melodic or thematic idea which is played against a primary subject of a fugue, ricercar, invention, sinfonia, or other contrapuntal piece of music. ...

The E-flat major and G minor fantasias are variations on the Italian toccata di durezze e ligature genre. Both are gentle free-flowing pieces featuring intricate passages in both hands with many accidentals, close to similar pieces by Girolamo Frescobaldi or Giovanni de Macque. An accidental is a musical notation symbol used to raise or lower the pitch of a note from that indicated by the key signature. ... Girolamo Frescobaldi. ... Giovanni de Macque (Jean de Macque) (?1548-1550 – September 1614) was a Franco-Flemish composer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque, who spent almost his entire life in Italy. ...

Preludes

Almost all pieces designated as preludes resemble Pachelbel's toccatas closely, since they too feature virtuosic passagework in one or both hands over sustained notes. However, most of the preludes are much shorter than the toccatas: the A minor prelude (pictured below) only has 9 bars, the G major piece has 10. The only exception is one of the two D minor pieces, which is very similar to Pachelbel's late simplistic toccatas, and considerably longer than any other prelude. The toccata idiom is completely absent, however, in the short Prelude in A minor: A prelude is a short piece of music, usually in no particular internal form, which may serve as an introduction to succeeding movements of a work that are usually longer and more complex. ...

Prelude in A minor (full score). Listen (help· info)

A texture of similar density is also found in the ending of the shorter D minor piece, where three voices engage in imitative counterpoint. In pairs of preludes and fugues Pachelbel aimed to separate homophonic, improvisatory texture of the prelude from the strict counterpoint of the fugue. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1389x173, 5 KB) Summary Musical quotation (full score) from Prelude in A minor by Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1389x173, 5 KB) Summary Musical quotation (full score) from Prelude in A minor by Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706). ... Image File history File links Pachelbel_A_minor_prelude. ...

Other keyboard music

Around 20 dance suites transmitted in a 1683 manuscript (now destroyed) were previously attributed to Pachelbel, but today his authorship is questioned for all but three suites, numbers 29, 32 and 33B in the Seiffert edition.^[26] The pieces are clearly not without French influence (but not so much as Buxtehude's) and are comparable in terms of style and technique to Froberger's suites. Seventeen keys are used, including F-sharp minor. Number 29 has all four traditional movements, the other two authentic pieces only have three (no gigue), and the rest follow the classical model (Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue), sometimes updated with an extra movement (usually less developed^[27]), a more modern dance such as a gavotte or a ballet. All movements are in binary form, except for two arias. In music, a suite is an organized set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed at a single sitting, as a separate musical performance, not accompanying an opera, ballet, or theater-piece. ... Events June 6 - The Ashmolean Museum opens as the worlds first university museum. ... In music theory, the key identifies the tonic triad, the chord, major or minor, which represents the final point of rest for a piece, or the focal point of a section. ... F-sharp minor is a minor scale based on F-sharp, consisting of the pitches F-sharp, G-sharp, A, B, C-sharp, D, E-sharp and F-sharp (harmonic minor scale). ... The gigue or giga is a lively baroque dance in a compound metre such as 3/8, 6/8, 6/4, 9/8 or 12/16. ... An allemande (also spelled allemanda, almain, or alman) (from French German) is a type of dance popular in Baroque music, and a standard element of a suite, generally the first or second movement. ... The courante, corrente, coranto and corant are just some of the names given to a family of triple metre dances from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era. ... In music, the sarabande (It. ... The gigue or giga is a lively baroque dance in a compound metre such as 3/8, 6/8, 6/4, 9/8 or 12/16. ... A gavotte dance in Brittany, France, 1878 The gavotte (also gavot or gavote) originated as a French folk dance, taking its name from the Gavot people of the Pays de Gap region of Dauphiné, where the dance originated. ... For other uses, see Ballet (disambiguation). ... Binary form is a way of structuring a piece of music into two related sections, both of which are usually repeated. ... An aria (Italian for air; plural: arie or arias in common usage) in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. ...

Chamber music

Pachelbel's chamber music is much less virtuosic than Biber's Mystery Sonatas or Buxtehude's Opus 1 and Opus 2 chamber sonatas. The famous Canon in D belongs to this genre, as it was originally scored for 3 violins and a basso continuo, and paired with a gigue in the same key. The canon is actually more of a chaconne or a passacaglia: it consists of a ground bass over which the violins play a three-voice canon based on a simple theme, the violins' parts form 28 variations of the melody. The gigue which originally accompanied the canon is a simplistic piece that uses strict fugal writing. Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ... Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (August 12, 1644 – May 3, 1704) was a Bohemian-Austrian composer and violinist. ... The only surviving portrait of Buxtehude, from a 1674 painting by Johannes Voorhout. ... Pachelbels Canon also known as Canon in D major, or more formally, Canon and Gigue in D major for three Violins and Basso Continuo (Kanon und Gigue in D-Dur für drei Violinen und Basso Continuo) is the most famous piece of music by Johann Pachelbel. ... For the Anne Rice novel, see Violin (novel). ... Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervallic content (the intervals which make up a sonority), later chords, in relation to a bass note. ... The gigue or giga is a lively baroque dance in a compound metre such as 3/8, 6/8, 6/4, 9/8 or 12/16. ... In music, a chaconne (IPA: ; Italian: ciaccona) is a musical form whose primary formal feature involves variation on a repeated short harmonic progression. ... In music a passacaglia (French: passacaille, Spanish: pasacalle, German: passacalia; Italian: passacaglio, passagallo, passacagli, passacaglie) is a musical form and the corresponding court dance. ... In music, a ground bass is a bass part or bassline that repeats continually, as an ostinato, while the melody and possibly harmony over it change. ... In music, a canon is a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration (e. ... For the ballet Theme and Variations, see Theme and Variations (ballet). ... In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred to as voices, irrespective of whether the work is vocal or instrumental. ...

Musikalische Ergötzung ("Musical Delight") is a set of six chamber suites for two scordatura violins and basso continuo published sometime after 1695. At the time, scordatura tuning was used to produce special effects and execute tricky passages. However, Pachelbel's collection was intended for amateur violinists, and scordatura tuning is used here as a basic introduction to the technique. Scordatura only involves the tonic, dominant and sometimes the subdominant notes. Pachelbels Canon. ... In music, a canon is a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration (e. ... In music, a suite is an organized set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed at a single sitting, as a separate musical performance, not accompanying an opera, ballet, or theater-piece. ... A scordatura (literally Italian for mistuning) is an alternate tuning used for the open strings of a string instrument. ... Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervallic content (the intervals which make up a sonority), later chords, in relation to a bass note. ... Jan. ... A violinist is an instrumentalist who plays the violin. ... The tonic is the first note of a musical scale, and in the tonal method of music composition it is extremely important. ... In music, the dominant is the fifth degree of the scale. ... In music, the subdominant is the technical name for the fourth tonal degree of the diatonic scale. ...

Each suite of Musikalische Ergötzung begins with an introductory Sonata or Sonatina in one movement. In suites 1 and 3 these introductory movements are Allegro three-voice fughettas and stretti. The other four sonatas are reminiscent of French overtures. They have two Adagio sections which juxtapose slower and faster rhythms: the first section uses patterns of dotted quarter and eighth notes in a non-imitative manner. The second employs the violins in an imitative, sometimes homophonic structure, that uses shorter note values. The dance movements of the suites show traces of Italian (in the gigues of suites 2 and 6) and German (allemande appears in suites 1 and 2) influence, but the majority of the movements are clearly influenced by the French style. The suites do not adhere to a fixed structure: the allemande is only present in two suites, the gigues in four, two suites end with a chaconne, and the fourth suite contains two arias. In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred to as voices, irrespective of whether the work is vocal or instrumental. ... Stretto (plural: stretti), from the Italian stringere to draw close is a musical term for when a fugue motif is used to accompany itself. ... The French overture is a musical form widely used in the Baroque period. ... Example 1. ... In music, a quarter note (American) or crotchet (Commonwealth) is played for one quarter of the duration of a whole note. ... Figure 1. ... Imitation is when a musical gesture is repeated later in a different form, but retaining its original character. ... Parts of a note In music notation, a note value indicates the relative duration of a note, using the color or shape of the note head, the presence or absence of a stem, and the presence or absence of flags. ... An allemande (also spelled allemanda, almain, or alman) (from French German) is a type of dance popular in Baroque music, and a standard element of a suite, generally the first or second movement. ... In music, a chaconne (IPA: ; Italian: ciaccona) is a musical form whose primary formal feature involves variation on a repeated short harmonic progression. ... An aria (Italian for air; plural: arie or arias in common usage) in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. ...

Pachelbel's other chamber music includes an aria and variations (Aria con variazioni in A major) and four standalone suites scored for a string quartet or a typical French five-part string ensemble with 2 violins, 2 violas and a violone (the latter reinforces the basso continuo). Of these, the five-part suite in G major (Partie a 5 in G major) is a variation suite, where each movement begins with a theme from the opening sonatina; like its four-part cousin (Partie a 4 in G major) and the third standalone suite (Partie a 4 in F-sharp minor) it updates the German suite model by using the latest French dances such as the gavotte or the ballet. The three pieces mentioned all end with a Finale movement. Interestingly, Partie a 4 in G major features no figuration for the lower part, which means that it wasn't a basso continuo and that, as Jean M. Perreault writes, "this work may well count as the first true string quartet, at least within the Germanophone domain."^[28] The resident string quartet of the Library of Congress in 1963 A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments—usually two violins, a viola and cello—or a piece written to be performed by such a group. ... The viola (French, alto; German Bratsche) is a bowed string instrument. ... The violone (literally large viol in Italian, -one being the augmentative suffix) is a musical instrument of the viol family. ... A gavotte dance in Brittany, France, 1878 The gavotte (also gavot or gavote) originated as a French folk dance, taking its name from the Gavot people of the Pays de Gap region of Dauphiné, where the dance originated. ... For other uses, see Ballet (disambiguation). ...

Vocal music

Johann Gottfried Walther famously described Pachelbel's vocal works as "more perfectly executed than anything before them".^[29] Already the earliest examples of Pachelbel's vocal writing, two arias So ist denn dies der Tag and So ist denn nur die Treu composed in Erfurt in 1679 (which are also Pachelbel's earliest datable pieces^[30]), display impressive mastery of large-scale composition (So ist denn dies der Tag is scored for soprano, SATB choir, 2 violins, 3 violas, 4 trumpets, timpani and basso continuo) and exceptional knowledge of contemporary techniques. This article needs to be wikified. ... This article is about the voice-type. ... This article is about choirs, musical ensembles containing singers. ... For the Anne Rice novel, see Violin (novel). ... The viola (French, alto; German Bratsche) is a bowed string instrument. ... Trumpeter redirects here. ... A timpanist in the United States Air Forces in Europe Band. ... Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervallic content (the intervals which make up a sonority), later chords, in relation to a bass note. ...

These latter features are also found in Pachelbel's Vespers pieces and sacred concertos, large-scale compositions which are probably his most important vocal works. Almost all of them adopt the modern concertato idiom and many are scored for unusually large groups of instruments (Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle Welt (in C) uses four trumpets, timpani, 2 violins, 3 violas, violone and basso continuo; Lobet den Herrn in seinem Heiligtum is scored for a five-part chorus, two flutes, bassoon, five trumpets, trombone, drums, cymbals, harp, two violins, basso continuo and organ). Pachelbel explores a very wide range of styles: psalm settings (Gott ist unser Zuversicht), chorale concertos (Christ lag in Todesbanden), sets of chorale variations (Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan), concerted motets, etc. The ensembles for which these works are scored are equally diverse: from the famous D major Magnificat setting written for a 4-part choir, 4 violas and basso continuo, to the Magnificat in C major scored for a five-part chorus, 4 trumpets, timpani, 2 violins, a single viola and two violas da gamba, bassoon, basso continuo and organ. Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... Concertato (sometimes called stile concertato) is a term in early Baroque music referring to either a genre or a style of music in which groups of instruments or voices share a melody, usually in alternation, and almost always over a basso continuo. ... Trumpeter redirects here. ... A timpanist in the United States Air Forces in Europe Band. ... For the Anne Rice novel, see Violin (novel). ... The viola (French, alto; German Bratsche) is a bowed string instrument. ... The violone (literally large viol in Italian, -one being the augmentative suffix) is a musical instrument of the viol family. ... Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervallic content (the intervals which make up a sonority), later chords, in relation to a bass note. ... â™  This article is about the family of musical instruments. ... The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers and occasionally even higher. ... The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... For other uses, see Drum (disambiguation). ... For the Japanese rock band, see Cymbals (band). ... For other uses, see Harp (disambiguation). ... Organ in Katharinenkirche, Frankfurt am Main, Germany The organ is a keyboard instrument played using one or more manuals and a pedalboard. ... In Western music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions. ... Various Viola da gamba The viol or viola da gamba family of musical instruments is related to the vihuela, rebec, etc. ...

Pachelbel's large-scale vocal works are mostly written in modern style influenced by Italian Catholic music, with only a few non-concerted pieces and old plainchant cantus firmus techniques employed very infrequently. The string ensemble is typical for the time, three viols and two violins. The former are either used to provide harmonic content in instrumental sections or to double the vocal lines in tutti sections; the violins either engage in contrapuntal textures of varying density or are employed for ornamentation. Distinct features of Pachelbel's vocal writing in these pieces, aside from the fact that it is almost always very strongly tonal, include frequent use of permutation fugues and writing for paired voices. The Magnificat settings, most composed during Pachelbel's late Nuremberg years, are influenced by the Italian-Viennese style and distinguish themselves from their antecedents by treating the canticle in a variety of ways and stepping away from text-dependent composition. Broadly speaking, plainsong is the name given to the body of traditional songs used in the liturgies of the Catholic Church. ... In music, a cantus firmus (fixed song) is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition, often set apart by being played in long notes. ... For other uses, see Vienna (disambiguation). ...

Other vocal music includes motets, arias and two masses. Of the eleven extant motets, ten are scored for two four-part choruses. Most of this music is harmonically simple and make little use of complex polyphony (indeed, the polyphonic passages frequently feature reduction of parts). The texts are taken from the psalms, except in Nun danket alle Gott which uses a short passage from the Ecclesiastes. The motets are structured according to the text they use. One important feature found in Gott ist unser Zuversicht and Nun danket alle Gott is that their endings are four-part chorale settings reminiscent of Pachelbel's organ chorale model: the chorale, presented in long note values, is sung by the sopranos, while the six lower parts accompany with passages in shorter note values: In Western music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions. ... This article discusses the Mass as a standard form of classical music composition. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Polyphony is a musical texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony). ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... Ecclesiastes, Qohelet in Hebrew, is a book of the Hebrew Bible. ... Parts of a note In music notation, a note value indicates the relative duration of a note, using the color or shape of the note head, the presence or absence of a stem, and the presence or absence of flags. ...

An excerpt from the ending of motet Gott ist unser Zuversicht (bars 92-95). These are the first choir's parts, the notes and lines for the second choir are the same.

The arias, aside from the two 1679 works discussed above, are usually scored for solo voice accompanied by several instruments; most were written for occasions such as weddings, birthdays, funerals and baptisms. They include both simple strophic and complex sectional pieces of varying degrees of complexity, some include sections for chorus. The concerted Mass in C major is probably an early work; the D major Missa brevis is a small mass for a SATB choir in three movements (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo). It is simple, unadorned and somewhat reminiscent of his motets. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1158x411, 10 KB) Summary Musical quotation from motet Gott ist unser Zuversicht, Psalm 46 by Johann Pachelbel. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1158x411, 10 KB) Summary Musical quotation from motet Gott ist unser Zuversicht, Psalm 46 by Johann Pachelbel. ...

References and further reading

• Kathryn Jane Welter. Johann Pachelbel: Organist, Teacher, Composer. A Critical Reexamination of His Life, Works, and Historical Significance. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1998, dissertation. Available through UMI Dissertation Services, 2001. 384p.

As described by Perreault: The only really general book on Pachelbel in English; richly informative, especially on biography and transmission of MS sources.

• Jean M. Perreault. The Thematic Catalogue of the Musical Works of Johann Pachelbel. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Md. 2004. 414 p. ISBN 0-8108-4970-4.

A complete index of Pachelbel's compositions, the manuscripts in which they survive, and publications in which they can be found today. Includes an exhaustive bibliography.

• Ewald V. Nolte, John Butt. "Johann Pachelbel", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed 29 December 2005), grovemusic.com (subscription access).
• Willi Apel. The History of Keyboard Music to 1700. Translated by Hans Tischler. Indiana University Press, 1972. ISBN 0-253-21141-7. Originally published as Geschichte der Orgel- und Klaviermusik bis 1700 by Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel.

Second Edition, shelved The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians and is regarded as the most authoritative reference source on the subject in the English language. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Notes

Second Edition, shelved The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians and is regarded as the most authoritative reference source on the subject in the English language. ... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart or short MGG is a comprehensive German Encyclopedia about music, and is one of the largest in the world. ... Second Edition, shelved The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians and is regarded as the most authoritative reference source on the subject in the English language. ... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Second Edition, shelved The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians and is regarded as the most authoritative reference source on the subject in the English language. ... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Second Edition, shelved The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians and is regarded as the most authoritative reference source on the subject in the English language. ... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Second Edition, shelved The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians and is regarded as the most authoritative reference source on the subject in the English language. ... Second Edition, shelved The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians and is regarded as the most authoritative reference source on the subject in the English language. ... is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Johann Pachelbel

• General reference:
  • Johann Pachelbel biography and works
  • Johann Pachelbel's biography at HOASM.org
  • Pachelbel Street—Archives of J.Pachelbel's Works, includes a complete catalogue of Pachelbel's works compiled by Hideo Tsukamoto
  • Johann Pachelbel at Allmusic.com
  • FindAGrave Profile

• Scores:
• Free scores by Johann Pachelbel in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)
• Johann Pachelbel free scores in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
  • Pachelbel was listed in the International Music Score Library Project
  • Pachelbel free sheet music

• Recordings:
  • Magnificat Fugues played on a virtual organ
  • More works by Pachelbel played on virtual organs
  • Ciacona in F minor
  • Recording of Magnificat in D major - for voices only
  • Works by Pachelbel in MIDI and MP3 format at Logos Virtual Library