Pachelbels Canon essays

Pachelbel's Canon essays The musical selection that I chose is the popular piece Canon in D Major, heard frequently during wedding ceremonies, in other musicians works, and also in various movies, such as Ordinary People (1980), Father of the Bride (1991), and My Sassy Girl (2001). Canon in D Major was written by German composer, educator and organist Johann Pachelbel. The instrumentation originally used for this composition was the organ, but he later adapted it for 3 violins and basso continuo, played either by the harpsichord or the cello; the version I have uses the harpsichord as basso continuo. Nowadays, there are sizable quantities of adaptations to the initial arrangement. For instance, Canon in D Major has been transcribed to include instruments such as the piano, guitar, xylophone and English horn, to name a few. As for the year in which Pachelbel composed this masterpiece, it is not quite certain, but has been estimated to be written circa 1680. Evidently, the year 1680 fits into the time frame of the Early Baroque period, a period of enthusiasm and experimentation. The greatest innovation of this period was perhaps the new genre of opera. In terms of Germanic contributions, the Lutheran chorale and counterpoint were key to the prosperity of the Baroque era. The Baroque composer, Pachelbel was born on September 1, 1653 in Nrnberg, Germany and died there on March 3, 1706. He was educated by Heinrich Schwemmer and Georg Caspar Wecker, and then became an organist in places such as St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Austria. Pachelbel composed numerous magnificat fugues, organ chorales, toccatas, preludes, fantasias, arias, motets, sacred concertos and more. One of his most identifiable roles in music history was his influence on the now famous composer J. S. Bach, since after all, Pachelbel and Bachs father were friends. In addition, he was also a pioneer in word printing, or correspondences in notational imagery to the meaning...