Description
This keyboard piece by Pachelbel is based on the chorale melody Werde munter, mein Gemüte, the same tune Bach later used for the famous chorale known as Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. Though it lasts only about two and a half minutes, it contains more than fourteen hundred notes, demanding advanced technique to carefully voice its dense contrapuntal texture.
Chorale settings by Bach, weaving intricate counterpoint around hymn melodies into solemn, prayerful music.
About the Composer
Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)
Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) was a German Baroque composer and organist. While best known today for his 'Canon,' he was also a significant composer of chorale preludes and fugues for keyboard, influencing the Bach family of musicians. This site includes four of his works, including a fugue on the Magnificat.
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