Ciacona in D Minor, T. 204

Johann Pachelbel (baptised September 1, 1653 – buried March 9, 1706) brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque era.

His music was influenced by southern German composers, such as Johann Jakob Froberger and Johann Kaspar Kerll, Italians such as Girolamo Frescobaldi and Alessandro Poglietti, French composers, and the composers of the Nuremberg tradition. He preferred a lucid, uncomplicated contrapuntal style that emphasized melodic and harmonic clarity. His music is less virtuosic and less adventurous harmonically than that of Dieterich Buxtehude, although, like Buxtehude, Pachelbel experimented with different ensembles and instrumental combinations in his chamber music and, most importantly, his vocal music, much of which features exceptionally rich instrumentation. Pachelbel explored many variation forms and associated techniques, which manifest themselves in various diverse pieces, from sacred concertos to harpsichord suites.

I undertook a very elaborate registrational scheme for this piece, but I think that everything is completely justified. The variations, of which there are 34 (although they are actually "paired" in twos) builds to two climaxes, and all the registrations reflect that structure.

ALL of these registrations could be accomplished on the real organ! In this performance, in a few cases, it was not possible to make the changes perfectly on the downbeats, but I've tried to make even these additions or subtractions work in ways that enhance the music.

The highly unique sounds of the Trost organ really bring this music to vibrant life!

This performance is dedicated to Professor Helmut Maier, owner of OAM, for his commitment to excellence in the sample sets that he provides. THANK YOU!