# Identify this classical song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2005, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487 "2005-08-03T22:27:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aceospades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Aceospades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aceospades)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/1 "2005-08-03T22:27:56Z")
I was listening to the classical radio station today and heard a beautiful song that nearly brought me to tears. I’ve herd bits and pieces of it before but never the whole thing. After the song the DJ said the name of the song was Cannon by Yaohan Pocom Bell. She only said it once and I was driving so I could not write it down so I hope this is enough for identification. I tried goggle and got nothing. Please help. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/2 "2005-08-03T22:29:04Z")
Try Canon (or the German spelling, Kanon) by Pachelbel. ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/3 "2005-08-03T22:33:47Z")
Johann Pachelbel [Canon in D](http://www.helander.se/stefan/pachelbel/) ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/4 "2005-08-04T01:12:51Z")
Truly, one of the most beautiful pices of classical music ever. May I also suggest \*\*Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring \*\* by Bach? If you like Pachelbel’s Canon, you are sure to like this as well. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/5 "2005-08-04T01:16:18Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > May I also suggest \*\*Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring \*\* by Bach? If you like Pachelbel’s Canon, you are sure to like this as well. That might generally be true, but I find the Canon pleasant and would never willingly listen to Bach. I love being difficult! ---
**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/6 "2005-08-04T01:16:52Z")
You might also try Chopin’s Piano Concerto number 1 ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/7 "2005-08-04T01:23:55Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > That might generally be true, but I find the Canon pleasant and would never willingly listen to Bach. And I love Bach (although ask me when I’m going crazy trying to play a Bach chorale written in four different clefs and I will tell you he was evil) and think Pachelbel’s Canon is dreck. It can be played so that it’s pretty, but I don’t find much that’s interesting in the notes themselves. Maybe it was innovative at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/8 "2005-08-04T02:33:44Z")
Warning: Geeky musical nitpickery ahead! It’s not really a Classical piece as typically categorized, but a late-baroque piece, contemporary with JS Bach, also mentioned above. Also, it’s not really a Canon at all, but a Passacaglia. The giveaway is the repeating descending bassline over which the theme and variations are played. See also, Dido’s Lament from Purcell’s _Dido and Aeneas_. Anyways, given the choice between Bach and Pachelbell, I’ll take Back anyday (esp. played by Glenn Gould). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/9 "2005-08-04T16:58:19Z")
Every time I hear Pachalbel’s _Canon_, I feel like singing _Jolly Old Saint Nicholas_. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/10 "2005-08-05T00:39:13Z")
I loathe loathe loathe Pachelbel’s Canon, but then I used to be a cello player. The cello part for that piece (which I had to play more times than I can count) consists of eight notes repeated over and over and over and over. And over. I used to make one of the violinists catch my eye when it was almost over so I knew when to stop playing. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/11 "2005-08-05T01:22:37Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > …I find the Canon pleasant and would never willingly listen to Bach. We each have our own opinions and musical tastes, fair enough. But I can’t help but wonder by the wording of your post if you have ever heard **Jesu**. If you have never “willingly listened to Bach,” perhaps you are not familiar with this piece? ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/12 "2005-08-05T01:50:14Z")
> [@smeghead](#): > > I loathe loathe loathe Pachelbel’s Canon, but then I used to be a cello player. The cello part for that piece (which I had to play more times than I can count) consists of eight notes repeated over and over and over and over. And over. I used to make one of the violinists catch my eye when it was almost over so I knew when to stop playing. 24 times, I think. The interesting thing is that you could drop several of the repeats and maybe mix up the sequence of the variations and I’d doubt anybody would even notice. I think that’s a function of the limitations of both the passacaglia form and Pachelbel’s compositional skills. For far better examples of the form check out Purcell’s _Dido’s Lament_ (as I already mentioned above) or Bach’s _Passacaglia in C Minor for Organ_. And since we’re naming favourite Bach pieces, his _Goldberg Variations_ are gorgeous examples of his seemingly infinite ability to create complex and beautiful variations on a single simple melody. And that barely scratches the surface of his polyphonic prowess. On the other hand, has anybody ever even heard anything else by Pachelbel? I’m genuinely curious. I know I haven’t and neither has anybody I’ve ever asked. ---
**Author:** ![smaft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@smaft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smaft)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/13 "2005-08-05T03:17:46Z")
> [@Hodge](#): > > On the other hand, has anybody ever even heard anything else by Pachelbel? I’m genuinely curious. I know I haven’t and neither has anybody I’ve ever asked. I have part of an book of his organ music- the copy I have is just a Ciacona and a Fantasia. I don’t know what else the book contained, but these are numbered as the 19th and 20th in the book. Anyway, I’ve heard recordings of that particular chaconne several times; I haven’t heard the Fantasia, but I’ve played it (on piano). I prefer both to the Canon. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/14 "2005-08-05T04:59:16Z")
There was a thread about Pacelbel’s Canon in D Major a few months ago. I’d say more people hated it than liked it. I like it a _lot_. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/15 "2005-08-05T05:29:23Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > We each have our own opinions and musical tastes, fair enough. But I can’t help but wonder by the wording of your post if you have ever heard **Jesu**. If you have never “willingly listened to Bach,” perhaps you are not familiar with this piece? I used to play it on the piano. I simply dislike Bach. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/16 "2005-08-05T16:14:34Z")
I don’t care for the Pachelbel Canon, and for a very dumb reason. It reminds me ot _Testament_, the post-apocalyptic movie starring Jane Alexander, where it was used in the last scene. Can’t stand being reminded of movies like that! but I watch them anyway… ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/17 "2005-08-05T16:29:48Z")
> [@Hodge](#): > > Anyways, given the choice between Bach and Pachelbell, I’ll take Back anyday (esp. played by Glenn Gould). Oh yeah. About 10 years ago I was very much into Baroque and Renaissance lute music (on the guitar), and I’m just getting back into it. At the time I could play, passably well, several movements from the four Lute Suites, but since then I"ve let it all slip away. I don’t know why we do this…learn difficult pieces and then allow ourselves to forget them. Just in the past few weeks, though, I’m getting back into it. I’m generally the first one up in my house, so I’m putting the solitude to good use. I’m hoping that after I’ve refamiliarized myself with where the notes are on the guitar, the music will start coming more easily. [aside] I was so naive when I started learning this music! I learned only the first half of the Gigue from the first Lute Suite, because I’d reached the bottom of the page and I thought that was all there was. I didn’t realize that the standard Baroque movement has two sections. [/aside] ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/18 "2005-08-05T16:50:32Z")
> [@Hodge](#): > > On the other hand, has anybody ever even heard anything else by Pachelbel? I’m genuinely curious. I know I haven’t and neither has anybody I’ve ever asked. Yeah, I bought a recording of the canon that featured a few of his other pieces. They kinda sound a lot like the canon, so if you like it, you’d probably like his other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/19 "2005-08-05T16:53:14Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > I loathe loathe loathe Pachelbel’s Canon, but then I used to be a cello player. The cello part for that piece (which I had to play more times than I can count) consists of eight notes repeated over and over and over and over. And over. I used to make one of the violinists catch my eye when it was almost over so I knew when to stop playing. Ever heard comedian [Rob Paravonian’s](http://www.paravonian.com) “Pachelbel”? He mentions the same thing, plus a lot of other common popular songs that work with the same chord progression as the Canon (such as Green Day’s “Basket Case”). It’s pretty funny how many of them there are! ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487/20 "2005-08-05T17:14:45Z")
All you people who “hate” the Canon are nuts. It may be overexposed and overplayed. It maybe simplistic. It’s certainly not as good as the combined works of JS Bach. But the reason it’s so popular and enduring it’s because it’s a totally lovely piece of music. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-classical-song/315487.md?page=2)