Canon

Pachelbel's Canon in D Major
In my opinion, the most beautiful musical work ever composed by a human is Canon in D by Pachelbel.  I have a strings and harpsichord version of it on a CD that I often listen to while driving places.  I find that if I'm anxious or worried about something, I often find that it helps me relax and reorient my perspective; take a step back and remember what's true.  I hope this is also the case for the employees who work at Ripley's Aquarium in North Myrtle Beach, SC, where the piece is played on continuous loop all day long outside next to the ticket booth and inside at the snack station.


I see on Wikipedia that Johann Pachelbel was a German composer who lived during the second half of the seventeenth century.  It seems that most of his musical pieces have been lost to time, and Canon in D was only discovered in 1919, at which time it became enormously popular and began to be played at weddings and included in classical music compilation albums.  In fact, some scholars speculate that Canon in D was written to be played at Johann Christoph Bach, who was the older first cousin, once removed of the more widely-recognized Johann Sebastian Bach.  By the way, it should be noted here that most German composers who lived during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were named Johann; it was sort of like saying, "Hey, I'm a German composer!  You should listen to my music because one day I'll be really famous."


So what is it about this piece that has made it so popular?  I mean, it doesn't even have words!  I'm not counting the lyrics added on by Trans-Siberian Orchestra for their Christmas Canon Rock and probably a lot of other bands and musical groups, too, for their renditions of Canon.  And that brings up another point:  Canon in D is perhaps the most-referenced (musically speaking) piece ever written.  A lot of groups have made their own versions, and on top of that, you'll find that the bass lines of many modern songs are identical to the familiar eight-note bass line from Canon (D-A-B-F#-G-D-G-A), though of course the key may vary, but the point is that the interval patterns are the same!  I found a comedian who has a five-minute tirade about this very issue; you can watch his Pachelbel Rant, a hilarious stand-up/musical skit which unfortunately contains two swear words.


So again, why the popularity?  I think it's simply due to the inherent beauty of the music.  The piece itself is very structured, typical of Baroque music of the day.  I've already mentioned the eight notes that comprise the bass part; everything that happens melodically builds off of that.  Additionally, the harmony that's employed in this piece is a practically perfect series of thirds and fifths.  Again, quite typical of the era, but sometimes simplicity can be more wonderful than complexity.


Music is one of my favorite things in life.  It has the potential to lift one up and take him/her to a different place, at least for a little while.  And some music, like Canon, can actually change people's emotional state and behaviors.  Music, therefore, can be a powerful force that can influence people positively or negatively.  My opinion is that music is not actually a human invention, but was instead written into existence by God, similar to other powerful forces, such as the physical laws that govern the universe and the moral laws that govern how people interact with one another.  The Bible speaks of heavenly creatures such as angels singing and playing musical instruments as they worship God.  To think that mere humans are also capable of producing such artistry (though of course to a lesser degree of wonder) makes me think... well, it makes me think of Pachelbel.