Free Sheet Music: Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D for Piano Solo

The Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel is well loved, and many people want to learn to play this piece of music. Here are 2 different sites where you can find this free sheet music and can download it for your use in teaching or learning the Canon in D yourself.

Canon in D Free Sheet Music for Intermediate Piano Solo found at MakingMusicFun.net

Canon in D Free Sheet Music for Piano Solo found at Free-Scores.com

Here is a bit of history about this very talented composer:

Johann Pachelbel was born in Germany, in the city of Nurnberg in 1653. His father enrolled him in the St. Lorenz High School and then realized Johann's musical talent and arranged for him to receive musical training. Johann also had impressive academic abilities, so he was allowed to attend various non-music classes at Nurnberg's Auditorium Aegidianum. Because of his abilities it allowed him to gain entrance to the Universitat Altdorf in 1669 at the age of 15. He also served as organist at the Pfarrkirche.

Due to financial difficulties, Pachelbel left the university and enrolled as a scholarship student at the Gymnasium Poeticum (high school) in Regensburg. The school's administration was very impressed by Pachelbel's academic abilities. They chose to admit him to the school even though they had already accepted their quota of students for the school year. He was also given permission to study music outside the Gymnasium with Kaspar Prentz. It is believed that this teacher helped to develop his interest in Italian music and church music.

In 1677, he returned to Germany where he accepted an appointment as court organist for Prince Johann Georg of Sachsen-Eisenach. During this time he became known as an important German organist and an accomplished composers. Pachelbel also became friends with the Bach family. He soon began to tutor Johann Ambrosius' children, which included Johann Sebastiaon Bach. In 1681 Johann Pachelbel married Barbara Gabler, and was a father by 1683. Later that year tragedy struck his family as a plague swept through Erfurt and only he survived. Several years later Pachelbel married again, taking Judith Drommer as his bride. One of their seven children would become an accomplished composer as well.

Johann Pachelbel is best remembered for his Canon in D. It is an example of one of his many works composed using variation forms and techniques. Other well-known works include Chaconne in F Minor and Toccata in E Minor for organ. His contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the Baroque era.