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Beyond the Aisle with Pachelbel’s “Canon in D”

Musicnotes

• 2 min read
The history of Canon in D

Perhaps the most influential eight bars of music ever written, Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” is instantly recognizable even to classical music rookies. With wedding season in full swing here at MNHQ, we thought we’d take a closer look at the story behind the nuptial favorite.

Johann Pachelbel was somewhat of a mid-Baroque era superstar, credited with helping to develop the chorale prelude and fugue. His languid contrapuntal melodies were wildly popular throughout Europe, and he was a highly revered and sought-after teacher/mentor. Oh, and Pachelbel also was a close friend of the Bach family… yes, that Bach family.

As is the case today, musical trends rose and fell out of fashion. Our friend Johann’s corales and fugues were replaced by splashy sonatas and modern concertos by the mid 18th century. In fact, like many of the prolific composer’s works, “Canon and Gigue in D” was nearly lost to history. A single manuscript sits in the Berlin State Library, and the work’s original use is unknown. Although, unsubstantiated speculations include that the piece was written for (what else?) a wedding.

And then, just when the obscure work was all but forgotten, a chance score inclusion in an early 20th century scholarly article breathed new life into that special ground bass chord progression. A modern arrangement of the song was published in 1929 and recorded by Boston Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler in 1940. Pop music embraced Pachelbel’s Canon in the late 1960s, and Hollywood came calling with a leading part in 1980’s Academy Award Best Picture ‘Ordinary People.’

The song, as they say, has lived happily ever after as a featured player in countless wedding celebrations and popular culture ever since. You’ve likely recognized its D-A-B-F#-G-D-G-A (or parts/variations thereof) in a number of hit songs including:

A charming ground bass and enchanting canon repeated 28 times… it just goes to show that , just as in life, some of music’s greatest pleasures are really that simple. Click here to see all digital arrangement of the notorious “Canon in D.”

For those of you on the other side of the “Canon in D” fan spectrum (we’re looking at you cellos), check out comedian Rob Paravonian’s popular “Pachelbel Rant” video on YouTube.

Are you a “Canon in D” admirer, or do you align closer with Mr. Paravonian’s views of the piece? Are there other popular songs in which you’ve noticed variations of the canon’s chord progression? Share in the comments below!