Johann Pachelbel
The Nuremberg organist who carried the south German chorale prelude and ground bass forward
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Who he was
Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706) was a German organist and composer of the middle Baroque. He was born in Nuremberg, worked as deputy organist at St Stephen's in Vienna in his twenties, then held posts in Eisenach, Erfurt, Stuttgart and Gotha, and returned to Nuremberg in 1695 as organist of St Sebaldus, where he stayed until his death. He wrote organ music, keyboard variations, chorale preludes and chamber works, and taught members of the Bach family.
His place
He belongs to the south German organ tradition and works as a counterweight to Buxtehude in the north. The northern style favours free improvisation and heavy pedal technique, while the south cares more for a clear chorale melody and an orderly set of variations. Pachelbel turned the chorale prelude into a repeatable, teachable type, and Bach later continued on that line. His variation set Hexachordum Apollinis appeared in print in 1699, unusual for keyboard music at the time.
What to hear
Listen first for the ground bass. The bass of the Canon in D uses eight notes and repeats more than twenty times while the upper parts change layer by layer, which is canon over a ground. Then listen for the order of the variations. The harmonic frame of the chaconne never moves, and the right hand thickens from simple figures to fuller ones, so you can hear density accumulate. Finally listen for where the chorale sits. In a chorale prelude the familiar tune is usually in the top voice and stretched out, while the other parts answer it in short phrases that comment on the words.
Key works
- Canon and Gigue in D, P. 37
- Chaconne in F minor, P. 43
- Hexachordum Apollinis (1699), keyboard variations
- Magnificat fugues, about ninety-five, and the chorale prelude Werde munter, mein Gemüte, P. 498
Influence
His chorale preludes are the most complete set of models before Bach. Bach's elder brother Johann Christoph studied with him, and Bach himself copied his music. Since the twentieth century the Canon in D has become one of the most quoted classical pieces in popular culture, but it is a small part of his output; the large body of organ music is the main work.
Listen in the library
All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).
Sources
- 帕赫贝尔生平、纽伦堡与埃尔福特任职及 P 编号，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 的 Pachelbel 条；本文为原创表述
- 南德管风琴传统与《阿波罗的六弦琴》1699 年印本，参通行巴洛克管风琴研究；实例说明为本站听辨提示
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.