Desert Island Classics #6: Pachelbel's Canon
Jean-Francois Paillard and the Orchestre de Chambre Jean-Francois Paillard
Desert Island Classics #6
Pachelbel’s Canon in D: Orchestre de Chambre Jean-Francois Paillard, conducted by Jean-Francois Paillard. Recorded in 1968 (Erato/Warner).
First things first, you will notice that the title of this series has changed from Essential Classics to Desert Island Classics. To explain a bit, the dilemma I was faced with was whether to place my primary focus on the great classical works and then secondarily the recordings that best represent them, or whether to focus primarily on the best recordings first and foremost, and then trust that in doing so we will also cover the vast majority of the greatest works.
My conclusion is to go with the latter approach, and that it makes most sense to cover the best recordings out there, and as we go along we will very likely also get to most of the essential classical works. There will hopefully also be some pleasant surprises along the way in terms of new works, some crossover genre recordings that demand to be heard, and very likely some lesser known recordings of famous works. But the point is to identify those recordings that are just too good to miss, and to give more background on those recordings. The plan is to continue to give some background on the music itself, but the recordings will be the primary focus.
I feel it is important to share this change with you, so you can best determine if this newsletter continues to be of interest for you. I sincerely hope so, and later this summer I will also open up the newsletter for comments from readers so thoughts and opinions may be shared as well.
Paillard’s groundbreaking recording of Pachelbel’s Canon
Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) was a German composer and organist during the Baroque period. Pachelbel was quite popular and well-regarded in his lifetime, and was also quite influential as a teacher. He was a prolific composer of both sacred and secular works, and the overall excellent quality of his output in modern times has been overshadowed by the popularity of his Canon in D major (the full title of the work is Canon and Gigue in D major P 37, although the Gigue is often an afterthought).
In music, a canon is is a contrapuntal (counterpoint-based) compositional technique that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration, and so you have examples such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and “Frere Jacques” that are familiar songs often done as canons.
Pachelbel’s Canon was originally written for three violins and basso continuo. The basso continuo, especially in baroque music, provides an underlying harmonic and rhythmic structure with continuing chords under the melodic line or lines. The continuo can be played using harpsichord, bass strings or cello, or organ, but is most often heard with harpsichord and cello. On recordings we often hear Pachelbel’s Canon revised for orchestra or chamber orchestra, although there have been a wide variety of recordings with arrangements using any number of instruments. The date when Pachelbel completed his Canon is not known, but was certainly between 1680 and 1706.
Pachelbel’s music, including the Canon, fell out of favor for centuries and was essentially forgotten. Enter the French conductor Jean-Francois Paillard (1928 - 2013), who in 1953 had founded the Jean-Marie Leclair Instrumental Ensemble, which in 1959 became the Orchestre de Chambre Jean-François Paillard. In 1968 the orchestra recorded Pachelbel’s Canon, and it is this famous recording which is credited for almost single-handedly rescuing the work from obscurity and bringing it to great popularity. Since that time, Pachelbel’s Canon has exploded into western culture, being used quite often for weddings, the chord progression has been used for popular songs, and it has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies. It has become somewhat ubiquitous, for example when we arrived in our hotel room a few days ago here in Bangkok, Thailand, a piano version of the Canon was being played on a continuous loop on the welcome screen for the hotel. Quite pleasant, though after hearing it about 10 times it became a bit worn.
Of course today there are innumerable recordings of Pachelbel’s Canon, and so what is it that makes Paillard’s recording so special? If you listen to Paillard’s recording, you will notice that it is slower than most versions you will hear today, and it is done in what I would consider a romantic style. Paillard’s own basso continuo parts were added, and quickly became standard for the piece. Although part of the success for this recording is attributed to it being widely distributed through mail-order music clubs in the early 1970s, there is something about this particular performance that pulls at your heart and it still holds up remarkably well. The sound is perfectly good for the time period. You may also know this particular version of Pachelbel’s Canon from its use in the 1980 movie Ordinary People.
Listening to the Paillard recording again recently, there is a depth of feeling and sensitivity that the group achieves that is often missed in faster readings. This unabashedly romantic approach actually works well for Pachelbel’s Canon, despite its baroque origins, and although the danger is it tips over into schmaltz, when done right, as it is here, it reveals all the beauty and genius of the repetition as instruments are gradually added with no sense of rushing. The orchestration is perfect in my view, and you can hear the pizzicato on the strings and sparkle of the harpsichord to great effect. This is the opposite of a “period” performance, and is effective especially on an emotional level, even though it might be out of fashion these days.
It appears that Paillard and his orchestra have two different recordings of Pachelbel’s Canon available on streaming services. The classical streaming service idagio lists a recording from 1965 that is about a minute slower than the newer one made in 1968. The newer one is fresher, moves at a better pace, and still contains all the beautiful qualities of the earlier one. The more recent one, as near as I can tell, is the recording which became so beloved by listeners in the 1970s and beyond.
I find this Paillard recording one to savor and it certainly comes with me to the desert island not only for its sweet, lovely performance but also for its historical significance in bringing Pachelbel’s Canon out of obscurity. Still, Paillard’s more romantic approach won’t hit the mark for all listeners, and there are several other stellar recordings of this work which you may want to hear.
Other recommended recordings
The first recording of the Canon I had was by the Italian chamber group I Musici, recorded in 1983 in good early digital sound for Philips. It has many of the same wonderful qualities as the Paillard, but moves with a bit more pace. Also on modern instruments, it remains one of my favorites and is preferable to I Musici’s remake in the early 2000s.
My favorite period instrument recording of the Canon is by the Quebecois chamber music group Les Violons du Roy led by Bernard Labadie, recorded in 2010 on the ATMA label. This performance, while period in flavor, instruments, and pace, has great imagination and panache. It is faster to be sure (nearly half as long as Paillard), but never feels too fast, and Labadie brings out the sparkling rhythms and dance-like accents in a very satisfying way.
The versatile Orpheus Chamber Orchestra based in New York recorded a marvelous Canon in 1990 for the DG label. While on modern instruments, the Orpheus group employs brisk tempos and uses what might be considered period practices such as little vibrato on strings. There is a freshness and directness which is appealing and this group was made to play music such as this.
The period performance by violinist Andrew Manze and friends, recorded in 1993 on the Harmonia Mundi label is fast, but has some unique and interesting phrasing and uses accents and rhythms to create a very engaging performance. This is worlds away from Paillard, but still quite effective in its own way, and the added ornamentation is delightful. There is a lot of virtuosity and playfulness here, though certainly with less pathos.
Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields characteristically bring a solid performance with good recording quality, recorded in 1987 for Philips. This is again a modern instrument version, and while thicker sounding than I Musici, and less overtly romantic than Paillard, nevertheless it has a straightforward beauty that is impressive.
Finally, the 1989 recording on Virgin by Christopher Warren-Green and the London Chamber Orchestra nicely balances a more romantic sound with modern instruments with a pace that is middle-of-the-road. The sound is a bit distant and reverberant, but fine. The middle section that is quieter and more rhythmically pointed is handled splendidly, and then Warren-Green lets the sound build wonderfully from that point to the end. The latter part and conclusion make a great impact.
So here’s hoping too many weddings haven’t put you off of Pachelbel’s Canon, for it truly is a rich and rewarding piece of music.
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Notes:
Fink, Robert (2010). "Prisoners of Pachelbel: An Essay in Post-Canonic Musicology". Hamburg Jahrbuch.
"LA LETTRE DU MUSICIEN: Disparition de Jean-François Paillard". La Lettre du musicien. Archived from the original on 2013-04-30. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
Levine, Alexandra S. (9 May 2019). "How 'Canon in D Major' Became the Wedding Song". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
Nolte, Ewald Valentin (2001). "Pachelbel [Bachelbel], Johann". In Butt, John (ed.). Grove Music Online. Revised by John Butt. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_(music)