Johann Christoph

Pachelbel

His life

(youth and education)

Was born in Nuremberg (Germany) in 1653.

We dont know the exactly day of his birth, but we

know he was baptized on September 1.

In his early youth he had some music classes from

Heinrich Schwemmer and Georg Caspar Wecker.

These two musicians were student of Johann

Erasmus Kindermann.

His life

(career)

In 1673 he went to Vienna

where he became an
organist of the St.
Stephen Cathedral.

In 1677 he moved to
Eisenach and he found
work as court organist.

In June 1678 he was employed as organist of

Predigerkirche in Erfurt and he remain there for 12
years.

His life

(final years)

September 1 in 1690 he was a musician-organist

in the Wrttemberg court at Stuttgart.

In 1692 he published his first

liturgical music collection (Acht
Chorale zum Praeambulieren).

In 1695 he moved to Nuremberg.

Finally he died in 1706 in

Nuremberg at the age of 52.

Family

He married twice.

The first time he had a child, but in 1683 during a

plague his wife and his son died.

The second time he married Judith Drommer.

He had five sons and two daughters, two of his

sons also became organ composers.

Compositions

-keyboard music

Relatively simple organ music.

Only two volumes of Pachelbel organ music

were published.

The Pachelbel
Chorales
constitute almost
the half of
Pachelbels keyboard
works.

Compositions

-chamber music

The Cannon in D is the most famous

composition of this genre.

The Musicalische Ergtzung is a set of six

chamber suites.

It was published in 1695.

Compositions

-vocal music

Pachelbels most popular vocal works are:

So its denn dies der Tag
o So its denn nur die Treu
o

These works were composed in Erfurt in

1679.

Pachelbel and Bach

Pachelbel had a very near relation with the

Bach family.

He taught J. Christoph Bach, brother of J. S.

Bach.

And he was godfather of

one of his sisters.

Bass Ostinato

A repeating pattern in the lowest

voice of a piece of music that creates
the roots of chords.
Common in almost all modern music.
(rock, pop, jazz, and rap)
The most famous Bass Ostinato in
history:
Pachelbels Canon in D

Songs that have borrowed

Pachelbels Ostinato

Cryin Aerosmith
Push Matchbox 20
Sk8ter Boi Avril Lavigne
Torn Natalie Imbruglia
No woman, No cry Bob Marley
Graduation Vitamin C
Machine Head Bush
Hook Blues Traveler
Were not gonna take it Twisted Sisters
Bad Romance Lady Gaga
Self-Inflicted Katy Perry

The Canon Progression

The Notes of the Pachelbel Canon

progression are:
D, A, B, F#, G, D, G, A