Johann Pachelbel : Canon in D - original version

Pachelbel's Canon is a very famous work which you will hear frequently on its own, though it is part of a bigger work called the Canon and Gigue in D. It is scored for 3 violins and "basso continuo". In Baroque music the "basso continuo" is the bass part of the music and is usually played by a cello or cellos and a keyboard such as a harpsichord. In the case of this "Canon in D" the bass part repeats the same sequence of 8 notes lasting 2 bars repeated throughout the whole work, this repeating sequence being called a "ground bass". So the cello part is this simple repetition, and the keyboard part has been expanded to double the other instruments as much as possible. The 3 violins start off playing "in canon" which means playing the same notes though delayed by 2 bars like a children's round, though the music morphs to become a set of variations. Here is the Full Score, plus parts for Violin 1, Violin 2, Violin 3, Cello (if needed), and Keyboard (suggested expansion).

On mfiles we also have alternative arrangements of the this piece for Violin and Piano (with alternative solo parts for cello or clarinet replacing the violin), for Piano Solo and for four SATB recorders meaning Soprano (or Descant), Alto, Tenor and Bass Recorders.