Famous works · Baroque
Canon in D
Composed c. 1680–1706 (date uncertain)
Three violins in canon over a repeating bass line — now a wedding favourite.
The story behind it
Pachelbel was a respected German organist and teacher, linked to the Bach family.
The canon was almost unknown until it was published in 1919 and then recorded in the 1960s and 1970s.
Its eight-chord bass pattern has been reused in countless pop songs.
What to listen for
- The same two-bar bass repeated 28 times.
- Each violin entering two bars after the last.