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Pachelbel's canon

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Canon in D Major is Johann Pachelbel's most well-known work.
Canon in D Major is Johann Pachelbel's most well-known work.

Pachelbel's Canon (formally the Canon in D major; full German title: Kanon und Gigue in D-Dur für drei Violinen und Basso Continuo) is the most famous piece of music by Johann Pachelbel. It was written in or around 1680, during the Baroque period as a piece of chamber music for three violins and basso continuo, but has since been arranged for a wide variety of ensembles. The Canon was originally paired with a gigue in the same key, however this composition is rarely performed or recorded today. It is well known for its chord progression which has become one of the most used in popular music.

The piece is commonly played at weddings and is frequently present on miscellaneous classical music compilation CDs, along with other famous Baroque pieces such as Air on the G string (a 19th century arrangement of the second movement from Johann Sebastian Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3), and Albinoni's Adagio in G minor, which is a reconstruction of a lost piece by Tomaso Albinoni. A non-original viola pizzicato part is also commonly added (in a string orchestra or quartet setting) when a harpsichord player is not used to improvise harmonies over the bass line.

Contents

Structure

The first 9 bars of the Canon in D: the violins play a three-voice canon over the ground bass which provides the main theme. Colors are used to indicate individual variations, 3 out of 28 can be seen here in full.
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The first 9 bars of the Canon in D: the violins play a three-voice canon over the ground bass which provides the main theme. Colors are used to indicate individual variations, 3 out of 28 can be seen here in full.

The name Canon in D is slightly misleading because the piece is not a strict canon but rather a chaconne or a passacaglia. It is based, both harmonically and structurally, on a two-measure ground bass:

Ground bass of Pachelbel's canon
The same two-bar bass line and harmonic sequence repeated over and over, about 30 times in total. The chords of this sequence are: D major (tonic), A major (dominant), B minor (tonic parallel), F# minor (dominant parallel), G major (subdominant), D major (tonic), G major (subdominant), A major (dominant). The sequence (or rather, close imitations of it) appears elsewhere in the classical canon. Mozart employed it for a passage in Die Zauberflöte (1791), at the moment where the Three Youths first appear. He may have learned the sequence from Haydn, who had used it in the minuet of his string quartet Opus 50 No. 2, composed in 1785. Neither Haydn's nor Mozart's passage is an exact harmonic match to Pachelbel's, both deviating in the last two bars. For parallels in popular music, see below.

The actual canon is played over the bass by the violins. In the beginning, the first violin plays the first variation. After this is over, it starts playing the second variation, and the second violin starts playing the first variation. Then the first violin starts playing the third variation, the second violin starts playing the second variation, the third violin enters with the first variation, and so on. The structure of the canon becomes increasingly dense towards the middle of the piece as the variations grow in complexity. Afterwards, the piece gradually returns to a less complex structure. There are 28 variations in total. The canon is relatively simple and doesn't make use of any advanced counterpoint devices such as inversion, augmentation, diminution, etc.

Pachelbel's canon in popular culture

The Pachelbel canon may represent the most extraordinary instance of the crossover phenomenon in all of music. During a short period in the early 1970s it went from being a quite obscure work of early music to a universally familiar cultural item. It was played in countless versions in its original notes and instrumentation, as well as in arrangements for other instruments and in adaptations into other musical genres. The process shows no sign of abating.

The popularization is thought to have originated with the release of a 1970 recording of the work (Erato 98475) performed by the Paillard Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Jean-François Paillard. It was also brought to recognition by what is often considered as the best recording of Pachelbel Canon, arranged and performed by Karl Münchinger with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra in 1970.

The canon was first adapted musically in a pop song by the Spanish vocal group Pop Tops on their 1968 hit "O Lord, Why Lord?", which made modest chart showings in both the USA (peaking at #79 on the Hot 100) and the Netherlands. In more recent times, Australian-British string quartet Bond played a modified, more updated version of the Pachelbel Canon in their song Lullaby on their 2004 album Classified.

The soundtrack of the film The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser by Werner Herzog features the Canon, it was also used in the film's trailer.

The second half of Brian Eno's pioneering 1975 ambient music recording Discreet Music consists of a series of versions of Pachelbel's canon to which various algorithmic transformations have been applied, rendering it almost unrecognisable. In 1991, RCA released a compilation CD called Pachelbel's Greatest Hit. It contained eight different versions of the piece, including performances by James Galway, Isao Tomita, and the Canadian Brass. Also released that year was the P. D. Q. Bach album WTWP Classical Talkity-Talk Radio, a spoof of classical radio and the canon's ubiquity there (WTWP stands for "wall-to-wall Pachelbel").

During a stand-up comedy routine on the Dr. Demento basement tapes, comedian Rob Paravonian recognizes the popular music takeover of Pachelbel's canon.

:"The cello part in Pachelbel's canon is the most boring part ever written. It's 8 quarter notes repeated... 54 times - I counted, because I had nothing else to do... [Paravonian's count is exaggerated] I hated this piece. The violins got lovely melodies. The second violins got lovely melodies. The violas got lovely melodies, which should never happen. The cellists, we got eight notes. And if you ever wonder why, I think I've figured it out. I think Pachelbel must have dated a cellist, and she dissed him really bad. And so he just gave the cellists the worst parts he could ever think of. And you know, I wouldn't be bitter about it, except the man is following me. He's been dead for like 300 years but he's popping up everywhere."[note: there is no viola part, just three violin parts]
Paravonian continues on to note several songs in which he recognizes Pachelbel's influence, although this influence is likely coincidental, as many songs share the tonic-dominant-tonic parallel-dominant parallel pattern. He also characterizes Johann Pachelbel as the original one-hit wonder.
Mark Knopfler, known to have gone through a classical musical training, seems to have been inspired by the harmonies in Dire Straits' "Tunnel of Love" (1980)

In 1998, french film director Gaspar Noé used the Canon in his film Seul contre tous.

Snapcase, a former metalcore band from Buffalo, New York adapted the melody and chord progression of the Canon for the song "ID/Hindsight" off of their 2002 album End Transmission.

In 2005, a [video] of a young Taiwanese guitarist calling himself [JerryC] - who arranged and performed an energetic rock version of Pachelbel's Canon on electric guitar - was widely viewed and discussed on the Internet, after appearing on websites such as YouTube and Google Video. And [another performance] of Jerry C's arrangement, this one by another young Korean guitarist calling himself "funtwo", became YouTube's single most-discussed video of all time.

Musical adaptations

The chord progression ("I V vi iii IV I IV V") of Pachelbel's canon has been incorporated into or otherwise influenced many pieces of contemporary music:

Year Song Band, Album Misc
1918? National Anthem of Russia Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov
1966 Spicks & Specks Bee Gees
1968 Rain and Tears Aphrodite's Child Minor UK Hit, Most Popular in France
1969 Streets of London Ralph McTell Guitar and vocals
1969 One Tin Soldier Coven
1974 Wenn ein Mensch lebt Puhdys A German version of Bee Gees' "Spicks &Specks" with a different vocal melody.
1975 Three Variations on the Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel Brian Eno: Discreet Music
1978 Go West (Morali Belolo Willis) Village People
1982 Eyes Of The World Fleetwood Mac, Mirage used in the intro and bridge
1985 Variations on the Kanon by Johann Pachelbel George Winston December album
1985 Take on Me A-Ha "Most times only the last 4 of the progression but there seems to be more pachelbel in it"
1986 Hometown Joe Jackson Big World when played live as a piano/vocal
1988 Love In The First Degree (Stock Aitken Waterman Woodward Fahey Dallin) Bananarama single
1988 I Should Be So Lucky Kylie Minogue single
1989 Someday We Will All Be Together Claire Hamill single
1991 Ingame music Utopia Gremlin Graphics video game
1991 All Together Now The Farm single
1992 The Tacobel Canon Christine Lavin Sometimes Mother Really Does Know Best lyrics about Taco Bell's food
1992 The Longest Line NOFX also covered by Blink 182 just the chorus part
1993 Go West Pet Shop Boys Village People cover
1993 Mega Man 4 introduction Ojalin, Bun Bun video game
1993 Christmas Eve Tatsuro Yamashita
1994 Basket Case Green Day song
1994 Domain Future Sound of London on Lifeforms
1995 Forbidden Paradise (Deep Trance Mix) DJ Tiesto
1995 Scatman's World Scatman John hit
1995 Don't Look Back in Anger Oasis hit
1995 Pachelbel's Prayer Sam Rowland
1995 There's A Key 2 Brothers On The 4th Floor
1996 Christmas Time 2 Brothers On The 4th Floor
1996 I Got to Tell you Dr. Octagon "Octagynecologist" Kool Keith delivering a fake radio advertisement over Pachelbel's Canon.
1996 Hook Blues Traveler
1996 Alármala De Tos Café Tacuba Avalancha De Exitos
1996 Surfin' Pachelbel, Poppin' Pachelbel, Waikiki Pachelbel LIV & LET LIV
1997 Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space Spiritualized album title track
1997 Maciek, ja tylko żartowałem Kazik
1997 C U When U Get There Coolio
1997 E-5 piece (EVA-00 and its derivatives) Neon Genesis Evangelion Shiro Sagisu
1997 Estoy Tan Cansado Moenia Spanish pop song
1997 JE ME SOUVIENS Menelik
1998 Christmas Canon Trans-Siberian Orchestra The Christmas Attic Christmas Lyrics
1998 Let the Music heal your Soul Backstreet Boys N Sync ... Bravo All Stars
1998 't Dondert en het bliksemt (Meters Bier) Guus Meeuwis single
1998 Opus 40 Mercury Rev single
1998 On and On and On Catch 22's Keasbey Nights reference in the middle of the song
1998 Crazy Maria Lux
1998 Ring of Steel Nocturnal Rites
1999 Graduation (Friends Forever) Vitamin C
2000 Mr. Pachebel Takes A Vacation Cam Newton
2000 Pachelvis Lapsus String Quartet
2000 Canon in D [Silver Mix] (also titled as "Pachelbel's Canon (Silver Remix)") The Cynic Project "Mixed And Remixed Volume 2" album track 15
2001 La Belle et le Bad Boy MC Solaar track
2001 Crack City Rockers ska/punk band Leftöver Crack song
2001 Este Canon Alejandro Filio Trova Song
2001 My Sassy Girl Hyun-seok Kim
2001 Firefly A-Teens chorus
2002 Can't Stop Loving You Phil Collins
2002 Set This World On Fire Rage (band) metal
2002 ID/Hindsight Snapcase melody and chord progression
2002 Canon Zox, Take Me Home reggae/punk with violin
2003 Section 9 (Light & Day/Reach for the Sun) The Polyphonic Spree The Beginning Stages Of... almost identical vocal melody
2003 Looking For Something Era album The Mass
2003 I Want To Get Married Showbread album Life, Kisses And Other Wasted Efforts
2003 Everytime Britney Spears In the Zone
2003 Sanctus Phantom Regiment from Rockford, Illinois Show title - Harmonic Journey; lyrical variation used.
2003 Love Is Color-Blind Sarah Connor
2003 Pachelbel 8000 Mars
2003 Storm II Seventh Avenue
2004 A Poem For The Firmament Elvenking, Wyrd
2004 Pachel Bells "internet" jingle bells melody
2004 Life Is Cool Sweetbox single
2004 Lullaby Classified Bond Pop Arrangement
2004 Volverte A Ver Juanes
2004 Canon-D Part of Memories #1 Banya anime-style music video
2004 Canon Ball Jan Vayne
2004 Skachabelian Ballad (Lola and Mani) Three Years Accident Free
2004 HEAVEN RIDE (CANON) angels
2004 Paris Delerium
2004 Pachelbel meets U2 Jon Schmidt
2005 Die Eine 2005 Die Firma single
2005 Lookin' On The Sunny Side M.O.V.E. Japanese rock Eurobeat track
2005 Big City Life Mattafix single
2005 RISE Lutricia McNeal
2005 Canon Rock JerryC rock arrangement/guitar solo
? Christmas Canon Rock Trans-Siberian Orchestra The Lost Christmas Eve Christmas Lyrics & E-guitar
? Jolly Old Saint Nicholas ?
? Seek Ye First ? hymn accompaniment
? Alle hater Oral B ? Norwegian Hip-Hop by Oral B
? CanoN (O2 Version)+ by Dr. 꽃샤쓰 O2Jam techno
? Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us Burger King jingle commercial opening
? Re-made by Yngwie J. Malmsteen, (a heavy metal/classical guitarist)
2006 ? Coca-Cola commercial for the World Cup 2006
2006 King Of Minneapolis pt. IV Bomb The Music Industry!
2006 Ballad Redux The Billingsgate Players
? Pachelbel's Cannon Temporarily Blank Power-pop adaptation by London-based band

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