Johann Christoph Pachelbel

By: Javier BieraMiguel Iriarte

Index His life

o Youth and educationoCareeroFinal years

Family Compositions

o Keyboard musicoChamber musicoVocal music

Curiosities

His life (youth and education)

Was born in Nuremberg (Germany) in 1653.

We don’t know the exactly day of his birth, but we know he was baptized on September 1.

In his early youth he had some music classes from Heinrich Schwemmer and Georg Caspar Wecker.

These two musicians were student of Johann Erasmus Kindermann.

His life (career)

In 1673 he went to Vienna where he became an

organist of the St. Stephen Cathedral.

In 1677 he moved to Eisenach and he found a work as court organist.

In June 1678 he was employed as organist of Predigerkirche in Erfurt and he remain there for 12 years.

His life (final years)

September 1 in 1690 he was a musician-organist in the Württemberg court at Stuttgart.

In 1692 he published his first liturgical music collection (Acht Chorale zum Praeambulieren).

In 1695 he moved to Nuremberg.

Finally he died in 1706 in Nuremberg at the age of 52.

Family He married twice.

The first time he had a child, but in 1683 during a plague his wife and his son died.

The second time he married Judith Drommer.

He had five sons and two daughters, two of his sons also became organ composers.

Compositions (keyboard music)

Is relatively simple written for manuals organs.

Only two volumes of Pachelbel organ music were published.

The Chorales constitute almost the half of Pachelbel works.

Compositions (chamber music)

The Cannon in D is the most famous composition of this genre.

The Musicalische Ergötzung is a set of six chamber suites.

It was published in 1695.

Compositions (vocal music)

The most famous compositions of this genre are:

o So its denn dies der Tago So its denn nur die Treu

These works were composed in Erfurt in 1679.

Curiosities Pachelbel had a very near relation with the

Bach family.

He taught J. Christoph Bach, brother of J. S. Bach.

And he was godfather of one of his sisters.

END