Canon in D by Michael Mueller
courtesy Guitar One™ Magazine

If Pachelbel had received a nickel for every bride who has walked down the aisle to his classic “Canon in D”.…

Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706) first studied music under composer Heinrich Schwemmer before continuing his studies at the University of Altdorf. Forced to leave after one year due to a lack of funds, Pachelbel eventually became the organist in Thuringen at the Eisenach court in 1677, where he befriended Johann Ambrosius Bach, future father of Sebastian.

In 1678, Pachelbel became the organist at the Protestant Predigerkirche at Erfurt, where he would establish his reputation as an organist, composer, and teacher. Already a friend of the Bach family from his time at Eisenach, Pachelbel would take on the musical education of the young Johann Christoph Bach when he came to Erfurt. In turn, Christoph taught his younger brother Sebastian everything he knew when the latter came to live with him after their parents’ death. Thus, Pachelbel’s repertory became the stylistic ancestor to J.S. Bach’s, particularly his treatments of the chorale.

But Pachelbel is most famous for his “Canon in D.” According to the Harvard Dictionary of Music, a canon is defined as a “contrapuntal device whereby an extended melody, stated in one part, is imitated strictly and in its entirety in one or more other parts.” As you may suspect, there are several types of canons. “Canon in D” is a canon at the 3rd, which means the imitation here occurs a diatonic 3rd above the original melody. (In this case, an interval of a 10th is used, but is properly labeled a 3rd.) Let’s break it down, but first, drop your 6th string down one whole step to D.

-For the rest of the article and complete transcriptions of all MP3s, please refer to the July 2003 issue of Guitar One™, on newsstands now!