Canon In D

Gnomish · June 4th, 2004, 08:59 pm

I'm sure that Canon in D has many fans. Here are some fact about the piece and its composer.

-Did you know that Canon means "rule"?
-Did you know that Pachelbel lived from 1653 - 1706?
-Did you know that Pachelbel was the organist for a German church?
-Did you know that Pachelbel taught music to J. S. Bach's brother?
-Did you know that in Pachelbel's time, the piano didn't exist yet?
-Did you know that Canon in D is both polyphonic and homophonic?
-Did you know that a Pachelbel wrote about 423 songs?
-Did you know that Canon in D was originally arranged for 3 violins and continuo (harpsichord + cello)?
-Did you know that in the original version of Canon in D, the basso continuo (Harpsichord bass line + Cello) had the same pattern of 8 notes throughout the whole song until the last measure?
-Did you know that Canon in D was composed circa 1680?
-Did you know that Canon in D is only half of the song it is meant to be? Originally, a gigue (jig) was written to be followed right after it. This song is rarely used today, though. Enclosed is a MIDI file of this piece.

MIDIs:
Canon
Gigue

Alfonso de Sabio · June 4th, 2004, 11:57 pm

Yeah, the cello part is absurdly easy. I love it. It's the same eight measures a million times.

Moebius · June 5th, 2004, 08:21 am

I think it's overplayed.

Neko Koneko · June 5th, 2004, 08:29 am

I love Canon in D ~ That's all I can say about it

BlackMage · June 5th, 2004, 12:23 pm

Hmmm, is this not the wedding march? My sister had this at her wedding, very nice. I don't think it's overplayed, I think it's underplayed. The popular wedding march in D is over played, you know: Here comes the bride! Here comes the bride!? etc etc. I think this should be used as a wedding march a little more often. I like the style of the music and how it can be played by a variety of instruments and at a variety of speeds. Thank you for making a thread about this great composer. He's excellent and so is Canon in D, I love it!

Al · June 5th, 2004, 12:26 pm

I believe there are two pieces that are called The Wedding March but are written by different composers. One is by Wagner ("here comes the bride"; and it's in B flat I think) and the other is by Mendelssohn (which is louder and faster as opposed to slow and dignified allowing time for her to walk up to the altar). But I do suppose people substitute Canon in D for the ceremony quite often, hehe.

Moebius · June 5th, 2004, 12:52 pm

The one by Wagner is actually The Bridal Chorus, from "Lohengrin". Mendelssohn's one is the Wedding March, from A Midsummer Night's Dream.

And yeah, Canon in D is commonly used in weddings. This piece is actually one of the pieces that non-classical music listeners could identify -- everyone and his/her pets have heard it before. I personally don't mind the piece, but I got a little sick of it.