Johann Pachelbel – Biography

Norimberg 1653 – Norimberg 1706

An important German composer of Protestant church music, Johann Pachelbel brought to his art an element acquired from acquaintance with Catholic forms of music in Vienna and Italy. He was employed as an organist at Erfurt, then at court in Stuttgart, as organist at Gotha and finally from 1695 in his native city of Nuremberg, where he died in 1706.

 

Chamber Music
Although chamber music represents only a small part of Pachelbel’s achievement as a composer, his Canon and Gigue have in recent years won enormous popularity.

 

Organ Music
As a leading performer on the instrument, Pachelbel wrote a considerable amount of organ music, including a series of organ chorales, based on well known Lutheran hymn-tunes. Other organ music includes works in forms later used by Bach, fugues, toccatas, fantasias and a set of six chaconnes.

 

Church Music
Pachelbel composed a number of sacred concertos, works for voices and a small group of instruments on sacred texts as well as a number of Magnificat and other settings for the evening service of Vespers.