Pachelbel's Canon is the common name for an accompanied canon by the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel in his Canon and Gigue for 3 violins and basso continuo (German: Kanon und Gigue für 3 Violinen mit Generalbaß) (PWC 37, T. 337, PC 358), sometimes referred to as Canon and Gigue in D or Canon in D. Neither the date nor the circumstances of its composition are known (suggested dates range from 1680 to 1706), and the oldest surviving manuscript copy of the piece dates from the 19th century.

Pachelbel's Canon, like his other works, although popular during his lifetime, went out of style, and remained in obscurity for centuries. A 1968 arrangement and recording of it by the Jean-François Paillard chamber orchestra gained popularity over the next decade, and in the 1970s the piece began to be recorded by many ensembles; by the early 1980s its presence as background music was deemed inescapable. From the 1970s to the late 2010s, elements of the piece, especially its chord progression, were used in a variety of pop songs. Since the 1980s, it has also been used frequently in weddings and funeral ceremonies in the Western world.

The canon was originally scored for three violins and basso continuo and paired with a gigue. Both movements are in the key of D major. Although a true canon at the unison in three parts, it also has elements of a chaconne.

Amazing Grace (unaccompanied violin) MO174

Unaccompanied Violin

Music by Mark O?Connor

2 pages - 3:00 minutes in length



Amazing Grace is a centuries-old hymn whose melody comes from a 500 year-old pipe tune before coming to South Carolina. In the early 1800s, South Carolina choral master William Walker paired it with the lyrics of slave ship captain John Newton?s lyric ?Amazing Grace?. O?Connor?s unaccompanied arrangement in the key of F major with double stops and grace notes has become a violin favorite for decades and appears on his Sony Classical release?Midnight On The Water?. The music is suitable for the advanced level.