Listening: Canon in D

Johann Pachelbel was a composer in Germany during the late 1600s (the Baroque period).  One of his most famous songs is "Canon in D".  Actually this piece was lost for a while and only published in 1919!1
   A canon is like a round.  The 1st voice is the leader and everyone who comes after him imitates the same melody or creates a variation.
   In Pachelbel's "Canon in D", the cello plays a part underneath the melody that repeats over and over again.  The notes aren't hard to play, and a cellist can get bored if he has to play it a lot!  

   A string quartet, called Pagagnini, decided to make a joke about the cello part.  Watch this video of them playing the Canon.
 Pagagnini: Canon in D
(To skip the introduction, go to the 30 second mark.)

Questions to answer for your next lesson:
What instruments make up a string quartet?
How many variations of the Canon did you hear?
Bonus Question: What is it called when string players pluck the strings with their fingers?


Pagagnini's Official Website: Click Here


1Source: Wikipedia