Canon in D is mainly composed of two composing techniques: the "Canon" created by 3 violins, and the "Basso Ostinato" created by the bass instrument(s). The title "Canon in D" mainly refers to the "Canon" which created by the violins.
Pachelbel's Canon. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Canon means different voices play the same melody but starting at different time-spots, resulting an overlapped and intertwined effect. It's a typical example of polyphonic music, meaning that the notes in each voice can be regarded as melody and harmony, creating a unique musical texture.
Basso Ostinato is a repeating bass-melodic-line in a piece of music. It is often used as an introduction, and is repeated throughout the piece until the end. The basso ostinato of Canon in D is made up of 8 notes (D-A-B-F#-G-D-G-A). It is known as the Romanesca Sequence, which was popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, often used in church music.
Classic FM. (24 May, 2019). How did Pachelbel’s Canon in D become the most popular wedding song?. Retrieved 26 January, 2023 from https://www.classicfm.com/composers/pachelbel/music/pachelbels-canon-d-facts/
Galaxy Music Notes. [n.d.]. Learn About “Canon and Gigue in D” by the Baroque Composer Johann Pachelbel. Retrieved 26 January, 2023 from https://galaxymusicnotes.com/pages/learn-about-canon-and-gigue-in-d-by-the-baroque-composer-johann-pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 26 January, 2023 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pachelbel%27s_Canon_-_Mus.MS_16481-8_Page_1.jpg.
Levine, Alexandra S. (9 May, 2019). “How ‘Canon in D Major’ Became the Wedding Song”. Retrieved 26 January, 2023 from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/09/fashion/weddings/canon-in-d-major-wedding-song.html
Schwarm, B. (16 May, 2020). Pachelbel’s Canon. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 26 January, 2023 from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pachelbels-Canon
Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer, the predominant musical figure during the transition between the Classical to Romantic eras. He occupies an unprecedented dominance in the history of Western music history, and has been widely regarded as the greatest, most influential and most popular musician who ever lived.
Beethoven's music inherited the artistic atmosphere of Haydn and Mozart, penetrated the desire for dignity, vented the anger tortured by fate, and demonstrated his determination to fight with fate.
Compared to other musicians, Beethoven is effectively to interact the philosophy of life with audience through music. Although he was not a romantic, he had become the object followed by other romantics.
As a musician, Beethoven suffered from ear diseases. However, he was unwilling to succumb to fate, vowing to take fate by the throat, and continue to complete his career. In the last ten years of his life, without hearing any sound, his compositions influenced the development of music for nearly two hundred years.