I can't remember when I first heard Pachelbel's "Canon in D" but it seems as if I've known this piece all of my life. I do love it. It's been a great classical music favorite of mine.
Today, I learned I was all wrong.
The piece we typically call Pachelbel's "Canon" is, in fact, a passacaglia. Since I just learned about what a passacaglia is, and what a canon is, a couple of weeks ago, the distinction is now clear. So I was wrong -- it's not a canon. Oh well, I still love it.
My latest Great Course is also teaching me that "baroque" music is different from "classical" music, and Pachelbel's piece is actually baroque, not classical. So I was wrong again, but I still love it.
Then the teacher demonstrated how this piece of music differs from great passacaglia compositions, such as a Bach passacaglia we heard when learning about the term (I forget what it is called; I will try to come back and modify this post when I find the name) and now I can see how, musically speaking, Pachelbel's "canon" is not particularly "great."
But you know what? I still love it. I'm glad I learned more about it, but though the piece is neither "classical", a "canon" nor "great," it is still soothing and restful, and has been arranged in so many different ways, I will still appreciate it. I will simply know more about it than I did before.
Learning is great.
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