Johann Pachelbel is a composer and organist who is gaining attention as one of the greatest German composers of organ music from the Baroque era. His largest works were created in the field of sacred music.
BIOGRAPHY
The birthplace of the future composer is Nuremberg. Musicologists, starting from the date of baptism, suggest that, probably, the month of birth of Johann Pachelbel is August 1653.
The music teachers of the future famous composer at the initial stage were the choir director Heinrich Schwemmer and organ performer Georg Kaspar Wecker, who served in the church dedicated to St. Sebald.
In 1668 Johann entered the Altdorf University. In order to provide for himself, Johann got a job as an organist in a church, but did not avoid financial problems. The composer dropped out of university in his first year. Since 1673, Johann has served as organ performer in Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral.
After living there for 4 years, the composer left for Eisenach. There the Duke of Saxe-Eisenach offered him a job as an organ performer. However, a year later the duke fired some of the musicians due to the death of his relative, and the composer lost his job. A year earlier, Johann Ambrosius Bach, the father of JS Bach, had become friends with Pachelbel. Pachelbel taught the basics of music to his friend's children. The friendly relationship did not break when the composer moved to Erfrut: he got a place as an organ performer in the Predigerkirche. There, since 1678, Johann served for 12 years and distinguished himself as a perfect performer and composer of organ music.
From 1690, the composer served in Stuttgart at the Württemberg court, but soon left for Gotha. Five years later, he was offered a vacant position as a performer on the organ in the church dedicated to St. Sebald. Johann agreed to this job and lived in Nuremberg until his death.
PERSONAL LIFE
Pachelbel first married Barbara Gubler in 1681, but his wife and son died of the plague two years later. In the second marriage (1684) with Judith Drommer, 5 boys and 2 girls were born. Wilhelm Jerome and Karl Theodor composed organ music, Johann Michael made instruments for musicians. Daughter Amalia became an artist and engraver.
CREATION
The composer has composed over 200 organ works. Among the clavier compositions, there are suites and harpsichord variations. There are also compositions for voice: many arias, magnificats, motets, concerts. Most often, Pachelbel turned to variations. Composers from Italy and southern Germany had a significant impact on the creative style of Pachelbel.
For connoisseurs of classical music, the iconic work is Canon in D major - a work that is the only one in all of Pachelbel's work has a canonical form. Other popular works by Pachelbel include the Chaconne in D minor and F minor, the Toccata in C minor for organ, and the Hexachordum Apollinis suite for clavier.
