Pachelbel's Canon: the Gateway Piece

When getting to know someone and the discussion of music arises, whether they are a fellow musician or not, the conversation is always steered (by yours truly) to classical music.  A fellow musician and I will normally completely geek out and get into debates of which Beethoven Symphony is our favorite (in case you forgot, mine's Number 7).  Non-musician friends sometimes surprise me with how much they know and enjoy classical music.  However, more often I'm met with the answer, "Classical?  Like Canon in D?  Sure!  I like classical!" which is immediately followed by a faint groan of cellist heard the world-round.

What's so wrong with liking Pachelbel's Cannon, you say?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  I can remember hearing it for the first time: my best friend's childhood quartet was playing it... I was probably 12 and happened to be around for a rehearsal.  I immediately fell in love with the cello's melancholic bass line.

I continued listening to classical music throughout my middle school/high school years and especially loved Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet.  I noticed a trend in that anytime I found a piece that I especially loved, it would lead me to discover even more great music.  For example, while on a college music conference trip, I purchased a Tchaikovsky CD that featured pieces I knew I already loved as well as ones I did not yet know.  One of the new pieces was a piece written for solo piano, June: Barcarolle from his collection called The Seasons.  I completely fell in love with the piece and ended up learning several from the collection for various recitals.

So back to Cannon.  Pachelbel's Cannon has a recognizable melody and clean harmonies which help make it an easy-listening piece.  After once again having the conversation with a friend that they didn't really care for classical music (but still liked Canon), I thought to myself, "Well... maybe it's because they haven't been exposed to the right pieces.  Maybe they need someone to help guide them to discover more great classical music."  So, I decided I would do a blog series on beautiful classical pieces that even those who don't love classical music would enjoy.  My hope is that through this series more people will develop a deeper love and appreciation of classical music.

The first piece in this series is a piece that was originally a song, meaning it had words that were sung.  Franz Schubert's beautiful song, Serenade has a melody is so beautifully written that over the years artists have transcribed it for piano and orchestra.   Below are recordings of both the song version and the piano version, transcribed by Franz Liszt.

Ständchen by Franz Schubert (translated from German)

Through the leaves the night-winds moving,

Mumur low and sweet,

To thy chambers window roving

Love hath led my feet.

Silent pray'rs of blissful feeling,

Link us though apart,

Link us though apart, 

On the breath of music stealing,

To thy dreaming heart,

To thy dreaming heart.

Moonlight on the earth is sleeping,

Winds are rustling low,

Where the darkling streams are creeping,

Dearest let us go.

All the stars keep watch in heaven

While I sing to thee,

While I sing to thee,

And the night for love was given,

Dearest come to me,

Dearest come to me. 

Sadly in the forest mourning,

Wails the whipporwill

And the heart for thee is yearning

Bid it love be still

Bid it love be still

Bid it love be still.