Pachelbel's Canon
The musical selection that I chose is the popular piece Canon in D Major, heard frequently during wedding ceremonies, in other musicians' works, and also in various movies, such as Ordinary People (1980), Father of the Bride (1991), and My Sassy Girl (2001). Canon in D Major was written by German composer, educator and organist Johann Pachelbel. The instrumentation originally used for this composition was the organ, but he later adapted it for 3 violins and basso continuo, played either by the harpsichord or the cello; the version I have uses the harpsichord as basso continuo. Nowadays, there are sizable quantities of adaptations to the initial arrangement. For instance, Canon in D Major has been transcribed to include instruments such as the piano, guitar, xylophone and English horn, to name a few.As for the year in which Pachelbel composed this masterpiece, it is not quite certain, but has been estimated to be written circa 1680. Evidently, the year 1680 fits into the time frame of the Early Baroque period, a period of enthusiasm and experimentation. The greatest innovation of this period was perhaps the new genre of opera. In terms of Germanic contributions, the Lutheran chorale and counterpoint were key to the prosperity o
In addition, he was also a pioneer in word printing, or correspondences in notational imagery to the meaning of the words, as in his motet Durch Adams Fall, which contains a falling figure in the bass line. It is subtly simple, yet fantastically ornate at the same time. All three violins have the same exact melody and the same exact pitch; it only varies in rhythmic and melodic variation. The Baroque composer, Pachelbel was born on September 1, 1653 in Nurnberg, Germany and died there on March 3, 1706. The imitation of the violins truly captured my emotions; it felt progressively more alive and more sincere deeper into the piece. The period in which Canon in D Major was written, The Baroque Period, could also be called the Basso Continuo Era. For me, it has a seemingly nostalgic quality to it. Pachelbel composed numerous magnificat fugues, organ chorales, toccatas, preludes, fantasias, arias, motets, sacred concertos and more. This is because virtually all music written in this era has a strong and easily recognizable basso continuo. Then, the second violin, 0:22 introduced two measures after the first violin, imitates that melody. And in turn, that is why Pachelbel's Canon in D Major is possibly one of the most widely known and appreciated Baroque pieces today. The bass line begins with the harpsichord playing slowly, or piano, introducing the theme. The bass has pairs of measures of harmonies that repeat 28 times all the way to the end, making it ground bass as well.
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