10/18/21

Pachelbel's Canon

Pachelbel's Canon (also known as the Canon in D) is an accompanied canon by the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel. Neither the date nor the circumstances of its composition are known (suggested dates range from 1680 to 1706), and the oldest surviving manuscript copy of the piece dates from 1838 to 1842.

Like his other works, Pachelbel's Canon went out of style, and remained in obscurity for centuries. A 1968 arrangement and recording of it by the Jean-François Paillard chamber orchestra gained popularity over the next decade, and from the 1970s onward, elements of the piece, especially its chord progression, were used in a variety of pop songs. Since the 1980s it has found increasingly popular use in wedding ceremonies.

Previous

Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring