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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 f�r 3 Violinen mit Generalba�) (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-Fran�ois 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.

Ciacona (original key of F minor for organ) has been beautifully arranged for Tuba/Euphonium Quartet in G minor by Mark LaFratta. It is likely Pachelbel?s second most famous work, after the Kanon in D. As is typical for a Ciacona (Chaconne), there is a short simple tune in triple meter over a repeating bass ostinato that provides a vehicle for variation, ornamentation, and melodic invention and is somewhat similar to a passacaglia. There is a passage or two that even have hints of Bach's great Passacaglia, which didn't appear for many years in the future.

Pachelbel's Ciacona states an opening theme followed by 22 variations, the last of which is an almost exact repeat of the opening theme.

This fantastic 8-minute arrangement is appropriate for advanced performers and is scored for 2 Euphoniums and 2 Tubas.