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Johann Christoph Pachelbel {Link without Title} ( Baptized September 1 , 1653 – March 3 , 1706 ) was an acclaimed Baroque Composer , Organist and teacher who brought the Southern 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. Pachelbel is now best known for his '' Canon In D ''; it is the only Canon he wrote, and is somewhat unrepresentative of the rest of his oeuvre. In addition to the canon, his most well-known works include the '' Chaconne in F minor'' and the '' Toccata in C minor'' for organ, and a set of Keyboard Variations called ''Hexachordum Apollinis''. LIFE 1653–1673: Early youth and education (Nuremberg, Altdorf, Regensburg) Pachelbel was born in on September 1 we can be almost certain that he was born in August. During his early youth, Pachelbel received musical training from Georg Caspar Wecker, organist of the Church Of Saint Sebald (''Sebalduskirche''), and Heinrich Schwemmer, a musician and music teacher who later became the Cantor of the same church. Both Wecker and Schwemmer were trained by Johann Erasmus Kindermann , one of the founders of the Nuremberg musical tradition, himself a pupil of Johann Staden . 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 local Nuremberg schools and became a student at the University of Altdorf at the age of 15. During his stay in Altdorf, Pachelbel not only studied but also served as organist of one of the churches. Unfortunately, he was forced to leave the university after less than a year because of financial difficulties. In order to complete his studies, Pachelbel in 1670 became a scholarship student at the ''Gymnasium poeticum'' at Regensburg . The school authorities at Regensburg, impressed by Pachelbel's academic qualifications and his advanced standing in music, permitted him to study music outside the gymnasium. His teacher was Kaspar Prentz, a student of Johann Kaspar Kerll . The latter was greatly influenced by Italian composers such as Giacomo Carissimi , so it was probably through Prentz that Pachelbel started developing an interest in Italian music of the early and middle Baroque . 1673–1690: Career (Vienna, Eisenach, Erfurt) In 1673 Pachelbel moved to 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 predominantly Italian. Several renowned Cosmopolitan composers worked there, most of them contributing to the exchange of musical traditions in Europe . In particular, Johann Jakob Froberger served as court organist in Vienna until 1657 and was succeeded by Alessandro Poglietti . Georg Muffat lived in the city for some time, and most importantly, Johann Kaspar Kerll moved to Vienna in 1673 - 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 respect, Pachelbel is similar to Haydn , who too served as professional musician of the ''Stephansdom'' and as such was exposed to music of the leading composers of the time. In 1677 Pachelbel moved to Eisenach , where he found employment as court organist under Kapellmeister Daniel Eberlin (also a native or Nuremberg), in the employ of Johann Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach . He met the Bach Family in Eisenach (which was the home city of JS Bach's father, Johann Ambrosius Bach ), becoming a close friend of Johann Ambrosius and tutoring his children. Pachelbel only spent one year in Eisenach before his patron's brother died—during the period of mourning court musicians were greatly curtailed and Pachelbel was left without employment. He requested a testimonial from Eberlin, who wrote one for him (in the document, Eberlin described Pachelbel as a 'perfect and rare virtuoso'—''einen perfecten und raren Virtuosen''). With this document, Pachelbel left Eisenach on 18 May 1678 . In June 1678, Pachelbel was employed as organist of the Lutheran Preacher's Church (''Predigerkirche'') in to Johann Ambrosius' daughter, Johanna Juditha, and taught Johann Christoph Bach . 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. Chorale preludes became the most characteristic products of the Erfurt period, since Pachelbel's contract specifically required him to compose the preludes for Church Service s beforehand (as opposed to improvising during the service). 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). Pachelbel married twice during his stay in Erfurt. Barbara Gabler became his wife on 1684 . They had five sons and two daughters; two of his sons, Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbel and Charles Theodore Pachelbel , also became organ composers; another son, Johann Michael, became an instrument maker. One of his daughters, Amalia, achieved recognition as a Painter and Engraver . 1690–1706: Final years (Stuttgart, Gotha, Nuremberg) Even though Pachelbel was outstandingly successful as organist, composer, and teacher at Erfurt, he asked for a permission to leave, apparently seeking a better appointment. He was formally released on , 1690 he was musician and organist at the Württemberg court at Stuttgart under the patronage of Duchess Magdalena Sibylla. The position was an improvement, but unfortunately, he only spent two years in Stuttgart before he was forced to flee before a French invasion. His next post was that of town organist in Gotha , which he occupied for two years, starting on November 8 , 1692 . While in Gotha, Pachelbel published his first and only collection of Liturgical music: ''Acht Chorale zum Praeambulieren'' (1693). During his three-year stay in Gotha, Pachelbel received at least two job invitations, one from Stuttgart and one from Oxford , England , but declined both. However, when Georg Caspar Wecker, Pachelbel's former teacher and organist of the Church of Saint Sebald in Nuremberg, died on April 20 , 1695 , Nuremberg city authorities were so anxious to appoint Pachelbel—by then a celebrated native of the city—that they have sent Pachelbel an official invitation to take up the post at Saint Sebald (contrary to the usual practice of organizing an examination or inviting prominent organists of lesser churches to apply). Gotha authorities released him in 1695 and he arrived in Nuremberg sometime during summer, his road expenses paid by the Nuremberg city council. Pachelbel remained in Nuremberg for the rest of his life. His late Nuremberg period saw the publication of ''Musikalische Ergötzung'', a collection of Chamber Music , and, most importantly, ''Hexachordum Apollinis'' (Nuremberg, 1699 ), a set of six Keyboard arias with variations. Although Pachelbel was mostly influenced by Italian and southern German composers, he apparently was acquainted with the northern German school, because ''Hexachordum Apollinis'' was dedicated to Dieterich Buxtehude . Also composed during these final years were a set of more than 90 Magnificat Fugue s and numerous Italian-influenced Concertato Vespers pieces. Pachelbel died on March 3 , 1706, aged fifty-two. Fame It is sometimes supposed that classical music is intrinsically timeless and is not subject to the caprices of fashion. Pachelbel's Canon may be said to both support and refute this assertion. As tracked by mentions in The New York Times Numbers shown are numbers of results obtained in search on term "Pachelbel" in "ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851–2002).", Pachelbel was all but unknown to United States audiences before the 1930s:
During the 1930s, his organ music, particularly the Chorale Prelude ''Vom Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her'' ("From Heaven Above to Earth I Come", German's most popular Carol before '' Silent Night ''), began to be played regularly by church organists during the Christmas season, and performances of other works are occasionally mentioned, such as organ chorale variations, a Motet and a Magnificat . ''Canon in D'' was first mentioned on March 15 , 1871 , and the context, "a Bach fugue and a Pachelbel canon" suggests that the work was not familiar. However, by May 20 , 1977 , it was being referred to as "the famous Pachelbel canon." Thus, on one hand the Canon is a musical piece that, entirely divorced from its temporal context, managed to attain wide popularity in Western culture, thus supporting the "timelessness" of classical music. However, it may also be said to be a piece which went unnoticed in its own time and which, with the changes in vogue and popular culture in later years, underwent a change of fortunes; in effect, its time had come. The latter understanding would indicate that, like everything else, classical music (and the 'Canon' is certainly a classic in all senses of the word) is subject to changes in fashion. Some classical music purists frown on the Canon if for no other reason than its popularity with the masses who are also unappreciative of Pachelbel's other works. 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 .'' Introduction During his lifetime, Pachelbel was best known as an organ composer. He wrote more than two hundred organ pieces, both liturgical and secular, and explored most of the genres of the day. His keyboard music includes s, Magnificat settings, Motet s, sacred concertos, and Chamber Music (mostly in Partita form). Pachelbel's music shows the influence of 's music—the similarities are compelling (for example, some of movements from Pachelbel's organ chaconnes are reminiscent of Kerll's works in the genre—''Passacaglia in D minor'' and ''Chaconne in C major''). Other influences probably included Johann Jakob Froberger and various French composers. As a composer, Pachelbel was apparently most interested in Variation forms and associated techniques. His first published work was a set of chorale variations. He dedicated to Dieterich Buxtehude the work he was most proud of, a collection of keyboard variations. Variation techniques are used in many of his organ works. The famous ''Canon in D'' is a set of variations. Keyboard music Much of Pachelbel's Liturgical organ music, particularly the Chorale Prelude s, 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 Virginal s or Clavichord s 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. None of the organs at his disposal survived, but we know that the Erfurt instrument had 27 stops and two manuals (compare to the famous Silbermann organs that sometimes had more than 50 stops on three manuals), and Pachelbel's organ in the Church of Saint Sebald in Nuremberg had only 14 Stops on two manuals. Some pieces (several chorales, all Ricercar s, some Fantasia s) are written in White Mensural Notation . This notation system has hollow Note heads and omits Bar Lines (measure delimiters). It was widely used since the 15th Century but was being dropped in favor of modern notation (sometimes called ''black notation'') during the 16th - 17th Centuries . In most cases Pachelbel used white notation for pieces composed in old-fashioned styles, to provide artistic integrity, as it were. In chorales, he may have used the notation to make the works more familiar to performers and musicians, most of whom were not used to the modern system. Chorales The main body of Pachelbel's organ oeuvre consists of liturgical pieces: around 70 Chorale s and Chorale Preludes (including numerous pieces composed in Erfurt, see above) and around 95 magnificat fugues (discussed below). Pachelbel's chorales tend to use three or four voices and feature the Chorale melody in clear recognizable form, usually as a Cantus Firmus in the soprano or the bass. A few pieces are brief Fughetta s based on the chorale melody (''Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott''). A new model invented by Pachelbel is a small chorale Fugue (a fugue where the Subject is a part of the chorale melody—usually the first phrase) that is followed by a three- or four-part cantus firmus chorale setting. Chorale phrases are treated one at a time, in the order in which they occur; frequently, the accompanying voices anticipate the next phrase. Here's an example from ''Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist'': The piece begins with a chorale fugue (not shown here) that morphs 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. A collection of eight chorales called ''Acht Chorale zum Praeambulieren'' was published by Pachelbel in 1693 and contained, among other pieces, several chorales written using ancient techniques: ''Wir glauben all' an einen Gott'', with melodic ornamentation of the chorale melody, ''Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren'' (Psalm 103), based on German polyphonic song with cantus firmus in the tenor, and ''Jesus Christus, unser Heiland der von uns'', a Bicinium chorale. Fugues and ricercars The magnificat Fugue s were composed during Pachelbel's final years in Nuremberg. They form a cycle of some 90 pieces written for the Magnificat at Vespers . Usually, the latter was either accompanied by the organist playing alternate verses from the chant or preceded by a short organ prelude to establish Pitch for the singers. Pachelbel chose the latter approach, so most of his magnificat fugues are pieces based on original themes (rather than those from the chant), and are preludial in nature. The magnificat fugues are organized according to the eight versions of four ''tertii toni'' pieces. The majority of these pieces are in three voices, with a few two- and four-voice fugues present. Most are comparatively short, straightforward pieces; the exceptions include three double fugues (primi toni No. 12, sexti toni No. 1 and octavi toni No. 8). The fugues are on subjects ranging from simple one-measure ideas to expansive sequences such as the subject of ''Magnificat Fugue sexti toni No. 10'': Not counting the magnificat pieces, Pachelbel composed around 20–30 fugues, most in three or four voices, and a few pieces that are simple Bicinia . The fugue hadn't evolved into its mature form (as seen and heard in Johann Sebastian Bach's works), and Pachelbel was one of the composers who helped to define it. So it is not surprising that quite a few of these pieces can be classified as variation fugues or imitative Ricercar s rather than strict fugues. Pachelbel was also one of the first composers to combine a fugue with a preludial movement—a technique extensively used by Bach. This happens, for instance, in ''Prelude and Fugue in E minor'' and ''Toccata and Fugue in B flat major''. One common feature seen in many Pachelbel fugues (both free and magnificat) is the use of subjects that either begin with or contain strings of repeated notes. While this technique was not uncommon, Pachelbel often extended it to span many measures. For instance, here's the subject of a G minor fugue, with a string of six repeated notes: Other, more extreme examples are found in magnificat fugues: ''Magnificat Fugue quarti toni No. 4'' has eight repeated notes in its subject and ''Magnificat Fugue octavi toni No. 6'' has 12. 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'': However, the most impressive example of this technique is not found in fugues but in the first setting of the ''Vom Himmel hoch'' chorale, where a string of 30 repeated 16th-notes occurs in bars 15 and 16. Pachelbel composed three Ricercar s. All three are polythematic and marked Alla Breve . The C minor is the most popular and frequently performed and recorded. ''Ricercare in F-sharp minor'' is far more interesting musically; it is in a Key rarely used in Baroque music and requires a Tuning system with D-sharp, A-sharp, E-sharp, and B-sharp, which is not the case with Meantone Temperament of the Baroque era. 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, and employs the same kind of writing with consecutive thirds and sixths as seen in Pachelbel's toccatas (see below). Chaconnes and variations Since Pachelbel composed mostly for organ, it is not surprising that his affinity for Variation Form manifests itself primarily in his organ works, particularly in six organ Chaconne s. These pieces are more complicated and better structured than earlier works in the genre, though not as harmonically complex nor as virtuosic as, for example, Buxtehude 's chaconnes. They have a wide variety of moods and are among Pachelbel's most well-known organ pieces: the ''Chaconne in F minor'' is often cited as his best organ work. In 1699 Pachelbel published a music collection entitled ''Hexachordum Apollinis'' (a reference to Apollo 's Lyre ), which is widely regarded as Pachelbel's masterpiece. It contains six arias with variations in six Keys , playable on Harpsichord or Organ . The collection is dedicated to composers Ferdinand Tobias Richter and Dieterich Buxtehude . The arias are numbered ''Aria prima'' through ''Aria sexta'' ("first" through "sixth"). The final piece is subtitled ''Aria Sebaldina'', a reference to the Church of Saint Sebald where Pachelbel worked at the time and where he received his first music lessons. ''Aria secunda'' has five variations, ''Aria Sebaldina'' has eight; the others have six variations. Pachelbel also composed several sets of chorale variations. Four of these were published in Erfurt in 1683 under the title ''Musikalische Sterbensgedanken'' ("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 Partita s. Other variation sets include a few arias and an arietta (a short aria) with variations. Toccatas Most of Pachelbel's Toccata s (of which there are about 20) consist of relatively fast passagework in both hands over sustained pedal notes or chords, more or less similar to pedal toccatas by Girolamo Frescobaldi and Johann Jakob Froberger . For instance, here's a typical passage from the D major piece: This kind of writing is frequently seen preceded by simplistic passages that too are improvisational in nature, like the beginning of ''Toccata in E minor'', one of Pachelbel's more known pieces. However, Pachelbel's later works in the genre exhibit a much simpler style, in which only two voices interact over sustained pedal notes, and said interaction—already much simpler than the virtuosic passages in earlier works—sometimes resorts to consecutive Third s, Sixth s or Tenth s, which can be seen in the following example: 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. 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 Countersubject s 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 . 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 above 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 texture of similar density is also found in the ending of the shorter D minor piece, where three voices engage in imitative counterpoint. Other keyboard music 21 dance are in these pieces, including F-sharp Minor , which was seldom used in baroque music. (It was difficult to use because of Meantone Temperament . Pachelbel's other pieces in the same key include an organ Ricercare and a Chamber suite). All suites follow the classical model ( Allemande , Courante , Sarabande , Gigue ), but are sometimes updated with an extra movement between the courante and the sarabande, usually a Gavotte or a Ballet . Generally, these additional movements are uncomplicated and less developed than main movements, but offer catchy and memorable melodies. All movements are in Binary Form , except for two Aria s. Chamber music Pachelbel's 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. ''Musikalische Ergötzung'' ("Musical Delight") is a set of six chamber Suite s 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 Violinist s, and scordatura tuning is used here as basic introduction to the technique. Scrodatura only involves the Tonic , Dominant and sometimes the Subdominant Note s. 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 , and the fourth suite contains two Aria s. 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 Viola s 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."Perreault, 224. Vocal music
: ''Gott ist unser Zuversicht'' and ''Nun danket alle Gott'' both feature endings that are four-part chorale settings reminiscent of Pachelbel's organ chorale model. Here the chorale melody sung by the sopranos is presented in long Note Value s, and three lower parts that accompany with passages in shorter note values. Here's an example from the ending of ''Gott ist unser Zuversicht'':
RECORDINGS REFERENCES
: As described by Perreault: ''The only really general book on Pachelbel in English; richly informative, especially on biography and transmission of MS sources''.
: 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. Notes EXTERNAL LINKS
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