celebrated German organist, teacher, and composer; b. Nuremberg (baptized), Sept. 1, 1653;d. there (buried), March 9, 1706. Pachelbel studied music in Nuremberg with Heinrich Schwemmer. He received instruction in composition and instrumental performance from the German organist/composer Georg Caspar Wecker and pursued academic studies at the local St. Lorenz School. He also attended lectures at the Auditorium Aegidianum.

In 1669-70, Pachelbel took courses at the University of Altdorf and served as organist at the Lorenzkirche there. He subsequently was accepted as a scholarship student at the Gymnasium Poeticum in Regensburg and took private music lessons with Kaspar Prentz. In 1673, Pachelbel went to Vienna as deputy organist at St. Stephen's Cathedral. In 1677 he assumed the position of court organist in Eisenach. In 1678 he became organist at the Protestant Predigerkirche in Erfurt.

It was in Erfurt that Pachelbel established his reputation. He was a friend of the Bach family and teacher of Johann Christoph Bach, who in turn taught JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH. In 1681, Pachelbel married Barbara Gabler. She and their infant son died during the plague of 1683. He then married Judith Drommer in 1684, with whom he had five sons and two daughters.

In 1690 Pachelbel accepted an appointment as Württemberg court musician and organist in Stuttgart. However, with the French invasion in the fall of 1692, he fled to Nuremberg. In November of that year he became town organist in Gotha. In 1695, he succeeded Wecker as organist at St. Sebald in Nuremberg, a position he held until his death.

Pachelbel was one of the most significant predecessors of Bach. His liturgical organ music was of the highest order, particularly his splendid organ CHORALES. His nonliturgical keyboard music was likewise noteworthy, especially his FUGUES and VARIATIONS (of the latter, his Hexachordum Apollinis of 1699 is extraordinary).

Pachelbel was equally gifted as a composer of vocal music. His MOTETS, sacred CONCERTOS, and concertato settings of the MAGNIFICAT are fine examples of German church music. He was a pioneer in using pitch levels to correspond to the meaning of the words. Thus, his setting of the motet Durch Adams Fall is accomplished by a falling figure in the bass, exaltation is expressed by a rising series of arpeggios in a major key, steadfast faith is conveyed by a repeated note, and satanic evil is translated into an ominous figuration of a broken diminished-seventh chord. Generally speaking, joyful moods are portrayed by major keys, mournful states of soul by minor keys, a practice that became a standard mode of expression through the centuries.

His organ works include numerous chorales, 95 Magnificat fugues, 26 nonliturgical fugues, 16 toccatas, 7 preludes, 6 fantasias, 6 ciacconas, 3 ricercari, the set of arias with variations called Hexachordum Apollinis: sex arias exhibens... quam singulis suae sunt subjectae variationes (1699), 17 suites, and chorale variations. He also composed seven string and basso continuo PARTITAS.

Pachelbel's vocal works include several German motets for two four-part choruses, two Latin motets, sacred German concertos, ARIAS with basso continuo, music for Vespers, Magnificat settings, and two MASSES.