Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel (born in Nuremberg, baptized 1 September, 1653; died in Nürnberg, buried 9 March, 1706) was a German composer and organist. He is very famous for his organ music. He also wrote other keyboard music and music for the Protestant church. His Canon in D has become a very popular piece of music and is very often played today at church weddings and other events.
He was brought up in Nürnberg and had his first music lessons there. In 1669 he went to study at the university of Altdorf, but after a year he had to leave because his father could not afford to keep him. About a year later he went to study at the Gymnasium Poeticum in Regensburg. The directors of that school must have realized that he was an extremely talented musician, because they made an extra scholarship for him and allowed him to have special music lessons outside the school.
In 1673 he went to Vienna where he was deputy organist at St Stephen’s Church. He heard a lot more music there, especially the music of the catholic composers of South Germany and Italy. After a short while at Eisenach he got the job of organist at the Predigerkirche in Erfurt.
In 1681 he married, but his wife and their baby boy died in the plague. In 1684 he married again and the couple had five sons and two daughters. Pachelbel taught Johann Christoph Bach who later taught Johann Sebastian Bach.
Pachelbel became a very famous organist. He stayed in Erfurt until 1690. After another five years he became organist at St Sebald, Nürnberg where he stayed for the rest of his life.
His music
Pachelbel is best known for his organ music. He wrote many organ pieces based on chorales while he was in Erfurt. In Nürnberg he wrote many pieces called Magnificat fugues. These were preludes which were played before the singers sang the Magnificat. His organ music also includes toccatas, ricercares, fantasias and ciacconas. He wrote many suites for harpsichord and chamber music and vocal music.
Audio
Canon in D played on a piano: File:Pachelbel's Canon.ogg
Johann Pachelbel Media
- Die Türme der Pfarrkirche St. Sebald.jpg
St. Sebaldus Church, Nuremberg, which played an important role in Pachelbel's life
- 04 Erfurt Predigerkirche 010.jpg
Predigerkirche, the Erfurt church, where Pachelbel worked for 12 years, starting in 1678
- Pachelbels autograph letter.jpg
Pachelbel's autograph (hence the PD indication) letter. Found on Karadar: [1].
- Pachelbel-chorale-wenn-mein.png
Example from "Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist" of Pachelbel's chorales, bars 35–54. The chorale in the soprano is highlighted.
- Pachelbel-mfugues-subjects.png
Fugue subjects from Magnificat fugues: secundi toni 7, octavi toni 10, primi toni 16, sexti toni 10, quarti toni 8 and octavi toni 13
- Pachelbel-fugue-subject-gmin.png
A typical Pachelbel repercussion subject. File:Loudspeaker.png Listen (info • help)
- Pachelbel-mfugue-8-12.png
Excerpt from Magnificat Fugue octavi toni No. 12 (bars 15–18). Fugue subject that appears once in this excerpt is highlighted.
- Pachelbel-toccata-dmaj-passagework.png
Excerpt from Toccata in D major (bars 10–14). File:Loudspeaker.png Listen (info • help)
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 sixths. File:Loudspeaker.png Listen (info • help)
