April 13, 2008

Gratuitous Musickal Observation

Heard some new-to-me Pachelbel this morning, a Kyrie and Gloria.

I must say that it was pretty C-3 stuff- I could readily believe it was written by the same fellah who penned that unfortunate Canon which has lodged itself in the popular culchah and over which people swoon so mysteriously.

At the same time, I must also say that Baroque musick must be very, very bad before I won't derive at least some pleasure from listening to it, and this certainly wasn't as bad as all that. I would much prefer to listen to mediocre Baroque than all but the best of just about any other period.

Posted by Robert at April 13, 2008 03:18 PM | TrackBack
Comments

J.S. Bach loved Pachelbel and based his style on his predecessor's work. In fact, Pachelbel taught J.S. Bach's eldest brother, and J.S. Bach himself actually met Pachelbel when he was a boy of nine.

The Canon in D is a wonderful piece, but it's been hopelessly over-played, and it's a shame that it has smothered Pachelbel's other work. You should check out the wikipedia entry on him. His output was vast and his influence deep.

Posted by: Angus Dei at April 15, 2008 10:27 AM