Canon in D major (Great Music)

CANON IN D MAJOR (Johann Pachelbel, German, late 17th century)

The familiarly repetitious Canon in D was written by German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel--but no one knows when (though certainly near the end of the 17th century), or for what purpose. It had largely faded from public consciousness for generations, until it experienced a boost in the classical music world as the result of a series of recordings starting in 1968. But it didn't really cross over to popular awareness until it was used in the Oscar-winning 1980 film Ordinary People; since then, one homepage cites appearances in no fewer than 13 additional films, including such disparate titles as Father of the Bride (1991); Dude, Where's My Car? (2000); Zoolander (2001); and Sing (2016). It has also been used at weddings and funerals, and restyled many times into pop songs. Thus, another site called it "inescapable."

---

Navigation:

• View this post on Facebook or Instagram
• Go to the Mini-Lessons Index

(Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons; CTTO)