Pachelbel's Canon

Pachelbel's Canon (formally the Canon in D-major; full German title: Kanon und Gigue in D-Dur für drei Violinen und Basso Continuo) is the most famous piece of music by Johann Pachelbel. It was written in or around 1680, during the Baroque period as a piece of chamber music for three violins and basso continuo, but has since been arranged for a wide variety of ensembles. It was originally followed by a gigue in the same key, though this is rarely played today.

Harmony

The harmonic basis of the canon is a ground bass: the same four-bar bass line and harmonic sequence are repeated over and over, about 30 times in total. The chords of this sequence are: D major (tonic), A major (dominant), B minor (tonic parallel), F# minor (dominant parallel) G major (subdominant), D major (tonic), G major (subdominant), A major (dominant).

Related Topics:
Ground bass - Chord - Tonic - Dominant - Tonic parallel - Dominant parallel - Subdominant

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The sequence, or rather, close imitations of it, appears elsewhere in the classical canon. Mozart employed it for a striking passage in The Magic Flute (1791), at the moment where the Three Youths first appear. Mozart may have learned the sequence from Haydn, who had used it in the minuet of his string quartet Opus 50 no. 2 (1785). Neither Haydn's or Mozart's passage is an exact harmonic match to Pachelbel's, both deviating in the last two bars.

Related Topics:
Mozart - The Magic Flute - Haydn - String quartet

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For a parallel in popular music, see below.

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