List of variations on Pachelbel's Canon

Last updated

Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D major, written in the mid-Baroque period and revived from obscurity in the 1960s, has been credited with inspiring pop songs.

Contents

Some pop songs borrow its chord progression, bass line, or melodic structure, a phenomenon attributed to the memorability and simplicity of the work. The Canon also shares roots with other, more significant chord progressions that lay the foundations of modern pop music. Its perceived ubiquity is itself an object of cultural discussion.

History and analysis

List of variations on Pachelbel's Canon
The bassline and harmonic analysis of Pachelbel's Canon

Pachelbel's Canon was written sometime in the late 17th or early 18th century by Johann Pachelbel. It was not widely appreciated by his contemporaries; in fact, it was largely forgotten by history for hundreds of years. Interest in Pachelbel's work increased in the early 20th century with the revival of Baroque-era compositions, but the Canon remained relatively obscure until the 1960s.

Alexandra S. Levine, writing for The New York Times , said a late-1960s recording by French conductor Jean-François Paillard led to the piece's ubiquity in pop music and at events such as weddings and funerals. [1] Ilario Colli, writing for Limelight , traces Pachelbel's influence on modern pop to the Bee Gees' 1966 single "Spicks and Specks", which has a bass line and sequence of chords nearly identical to the Canon. [2]

Suzannah Clark, a music professor at Harvard, connected the piece's resurgence in popularity to the harmonic structure, a common pattern similar to the romanesca. The harmonies are complex, but combine into a pattern that is easily understood by the listener with the help of the canon format, a style in which the melody is staggered across multiple voices (as in "Three Blind Mice"). [1] Colli says the bassline and its repetition are the main factor in the Canon's popularity. The repeated use of perfect fourths in the bass line, as well as its repetition, helps the listener understand and latch onto the music, and makes it easily reproducible in a variety of genres. [2] The harmonic structure is also similar to the I–V–vi–IV progression, which is much more common in pop music. [1] [3]

List of songs

Related Research Articles

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues, ragtime, European harmony and African rhythmic rituals. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major form of musical expression in traditional and popular music. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, complex chords, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhythm guitar</span> Technique providing rhythm and harmony to an ensemble

In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section ; and to provide all or part of the harmony, i.e. the chords from a song's chord progression, where a chord is a group of notes played together. Therefore, the basic technique of rhythm guitar is to hold down a series of chords with the fretting hand while strumming or fingerpicking rhythmically with the other hand. More developed rhythm techniques include arpeggios, damping, riffs, chord solos, and complex strums.

Johann Pachelbel was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque era.

In music, an ostinato is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces include classical compositions such as Ravel's Boléro and the Carol of the Bells, and popular songs such as Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder's "I Feel Love" (1977), Henry Mancini's theme from Peter Gunn (1959), The Who's "Baba O'Riley" (1971), The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (1997), and Flo Rida's "Low" (2007).

In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice era of Classical music to the 21st century. Chord progressions are the foundation of popular music styles, traditional music, as well as genres such as blues and jazz. In these genres, chord progressions are the defining feature on which melody and rhythm are built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pachelbel's Canon</span> Musical composition by Pachelbel

Pachelbel's Canon is an accompanied canon by the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel. The canon was originally scored for three violins and basso continuo and paired with a gigue, known as Canon and Gigue for 3 violins and basso continuo. Both movements are in the key of D major. The piece is constructed as a true canon at the unison in three parts, with a fourth part as a ground bass throughout. Neither the date nor the circumstances of its composition are known, and the oldest surviving manuscript copy of the piece dates from 1838 to 1842.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lick (music)</span> Stock pattern or phrase; short series of notes

In popular music genres such as country, blues, jazz or rock music, a lick is "a stock pattern or phrase" consisting of a short series of notes used in solos and melodic lines and accompaniment. For musicians, learning a lick is usually a form of imitation. By imitating, musicians understand and analyze what others have done, allowing them to build a vocabulary of their own.

Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common forms include bar form, 32-bar form, verse–chorus form, ternary form, strophic form, and the 12-bar blues. Popular music songs traditionally use the same music for each verse or stanza of lyrics. Pop and traditional forms can be used even with songs that have structural differences in melodies. The most common format in modern popular music is introduction (intro), verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, and chorus. In rock music styles, notably heavy metal music, there is usually one or more guitar solos in the song, often found after the middle chorus part. In pop music, there may be a guitar solo, or a solo performed with another instrument such as a synthesizer or a saxophone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highway Star (song)</span> 1972 single by Deep Purple

"Highway Star" is a song by the English rock band Deep Purple. It is the opening track on the band's sixth studio album Machine Head (1972) and is the fastest tempo song on the album. It is characterised by long, classically inspired guitar and organ solos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Tin Soldier</span> 1969 song performed by The Original Caste

"One Tin Soldier" is a 1960s counterculture era anti-war song written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. Canadian pop group The Original Caste first recorded it in 1969 for both the TA label and its parent Bell label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunday Morning (Maroon 5 song)</span> 2004 single by Maroon 5

"Sunday Morning" is a song by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was released on December 2, 2004, as the fourth single from their debut studio album Songs About Jane (2002). The single peaked at number 31 in the United States, becoming Maroon 5's fourth Top 40 single; it also peaked at number 27 in the United Kingdom and Australia.

In music, a sequence is the restatement of a motif or longer melodic passage at a higher or lower pitch in the same voice. It is one of the most common and simple methods of elaborating a melody in eighteenth and nineteenth century classical music. Characteristics of sequences:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild West Hero</span> 1978 single by Electric Light Orchestra

"Wild West Hero" is a song by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and the closing track and third single from the album Out of the Blue. The song was written reputedly by lead singer Jeff Lynne in 4 minutes while on holiday. Melvyn Gale, normally the band's cellist, provided the Western-style piano for this track.

"All the Things You Are" is a song composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II.

The '50s progression is a chord progression and turnaround used in Western popular music. The progression, represented in Roman numeral analysis, is I–vi–IV–V. For example, in C major: C–Am–F–G. As the name implies, it was common in the 1950s and early 1960s and is particularly associated with doo-wop. The first popular song to use the progression was "Blue Moon", written in 1934. This inspired "Heart and Soul" in 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hook (Blues Traveler song)</span> 1995 single by Blues Traveler

"Hook" is a song by American rock band Blues Traveler, from their fourth studio album, Four (1994). The title of the song is a reference to the term hook: "A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The lyrics are a commentary on the banality and vacuousness of successful pop songs, making "Hook" both a hit song and a satire of a hit song. Commercially, "Hook" peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 40 on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Dance On</span> 2010 single by N-Dubz

"We Dance On" is a song performed by British hip hop group N-Dubz, released as the group's eleventh overall single and the lead single from their third studio album, Love.Live.Life. The song was also the second single released from the soundtrack to the film StreetDance 3D. The song features English house music duo Bodyrox. The song was co-written and co-produced by the members of N-Dubz and Bodyrox. Additional vocals are provided by British recording artists Luciana and Nick Clow, both artists have also been credited as being involved in co-writing the song.

<i>Red Pill Blues</i> 2017 studio album by Maroon 5

Red Pill Blues is the sixth studio album by American band Maroon 5. It was released on November 3, 2017, through 222 and Interscope Records. This is the band's first album to feature multi-instrumentalist Sam Farrar as an official member, although he has featured on every Maroon 5 release prior and toured with them since 2012. It is also the final album to feature bassist Mickey Madden as a full member, making this their only album as a 7-piece band. The title of the album refers to the science fiction term of taking the red pill or the blue pill, which originated from the 1999 sci-fi film The Matrix. The album is the follow-up to their fifth studio album V (2014) and features guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Julia Michaels, SZA, ASAP Rocky, LunchMoney Lewis, Future and Cardi B.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memories (Maroon 5 song)</span> 2019 single by Maroon 5

"Memories" is a song by American band Maroon 5, released through 222 and Interscope Records on September 20, 2019, as the lead single from the band's seventh studio album Jordi (2021).

"Goodbye to Romance" is a song written by Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley and Randy Rhoads from Osbourne's 1980 album Blizzard of Ozz. A ballad, the song has been characterized as influenced by the chord progressions of Pachelbel's Canon by composer Johann Pachelbel.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Levine, Alexandra S. (May 9, 2019). "How 'Canon in D' became the wedding song". The New York Times . Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Colli, Ilario (September 1, 2013). "Canon fodder". Limelight .
  3. 1 2 3 4 Stone, Stephen C. (2018). Music Theory and Composition: A Practical Approach. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 431. ISBN   978-1-5381-0124-7.
  4. 1 2 3 Macdonald, Kyle (January 14, 2020). "Maroon 5's 'Memories' is a brazen reworking of Pachelbel's Canon". Classic FM . Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  5. Goldman, Matthew B. (2022). "Fragmented music copyright protection: A better arrangement". Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal . 40 (1): 732.
  6. "Pop mogul 'inspired by classics'". BBC News . October 7, 2002. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Denisch, Beth (2017). Contemporary Counterpoint: Theory & Application. Berklee Press. p. 95. ISBN   978-1-5400-1223-4.
  8. 1 2 3 Kim, Kristen Yonsoo (September 27, 2012). "One-Hit Wondering - Johann Pachelbel". Vice . Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 Morley, Paul (2021). A Sound Mind: How I Fell in Love with Classical Music (and Decided to Rewrite Its Entire History). Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 306–307. ISBN   978-1-5266-4455-8.
  10. Dome, Malcolm (August 8, 2016). "The top 10 best Moody Blues songs". Louder. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Rentoul, John (January 19, 2019). "The Top 10: Pop songs based on classical music". The Independent . Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  12. Heritage, Gareth (2016). "'It's Like a Mach Piece, Really': Critiquing the Neo-Classical Aesthetic of '80s Heavy Metal Music". In Brown, Andy R.; Spracklen, Karl; Kahn-Harris, Keith; Scott, Niall W.R. (eds.). Global Metal Music and Culture: Current Directions in Metal Studies. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315742816-5. ISBN   978-1-138-82238-2.
  13. 1 2 Guendelsberger, Emily (August 7, 2012). "Why "Hook" by Blues Traveler is actually a pretty genius work of metafiction". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  14. Laurence, Rebecca (August 6, 2014). "Pop music's classical inspiration". BBC Home. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  15. Chan, Lorne (December 18, 2014). "Trans-Siberian Orchestra dusts off The Christmas Attic". San Antonio Express-News . Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  16. 1 2 "The Pachelbel Canon: Classical music's most famous tune". www.celebratewithmusic.co.uk. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 24 Mar 2024.
  17. Copsey, Robert (May 24, 2010). "N-Dubz ft. Bodyrox: 'We Dance On'". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  18. "헬로비너스 "'차 마실래?' 너무 야한 게 아니냐고 물었죠"". The Chosun Ilbo . May 5, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  19. Hogan, Marc (January 2, 2014). "Hear Danny Brown defend his girl on Vampire Weekend's 'Step (Remix)'". Spin . Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  20. Warne, Jude (April 18, 2017). "Prog rock icons return with their 50th anniversary album". Observer . Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  21. Hà Thu (July 6, 2018). "'Beautiful in White' có MV sau 8 năm" ["Beautiful in White"'s music video released eight years after the song's debut]. VnExpress (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  22. "John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme - Series 6, Episode 3". British Comedy Guide. January 10, 2017. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  23. "NPR Music's 40 favorite albums of 2018 (so far)". NPR . June 26, 2018. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  24. Mason, Eric (June 5, 2023). "Christine and the Queens 'Paranoïa, Angels, True Love' Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 17, 2024.