Editing Johann Pachelbel (section)

====Fugues====
Pachelbel wrote more than one hundred fugues on free themes. These fall into two categories: some 30 free fugues and around 90 of the so-called Magnificat Fugues. His fugues are usually based on non-thematic material, and are shorter than the later model (of which those of [[Johann Sebastian Bach|J. S. Bach]] are a prime example). The contrapuntal devices of [[stretto]], diminution and [[Inversion (music)|inversion]] are very rarely employed in any of them. Nevertheless, Pachelbel's fugues display a tendency towards a more unified, subject-dependent structure which was to become the key element of late Baroque fugues. Given the number of fugues he composed and the extraordinary variety of subjects he used, Pachelbel is regarded as one of the key composers in the evolution of the form. He was also the first major composer to pair a fugue with a preludial movement (a toccata or a prelude)&nbsp;– this technique was adopted by later composers and was used extensively by J. S. Bach.

The Magnificat Fugues were all composed during Pachelbel's final years in Nuremberg. The singing of the [[Magnificat]] at [[Vespers]] was usually accompanied by the organist, and earlier composers provided examples of Magnificat settings for organ, based on themes from the chant. Pachelbel's fugues, however, are almost all based on free themes and it is not yet understood exactly where they fit during the service. It is possible that they served to help singers establish [[Pitch (music)|pitch]], or simply act as introductory pieces played before the beginning of the service. There are 95 pieces extant, covering all eight [[church modes]]: 23 in ''primi toni'', 10 in ''secundi toni'', 11 in ''tertii toni'', 8 in ''quarti toni'', 12 in ''quinti toni'', 10 in ''sexti toni'', 8 in ''septimi toni'' and 13 in ''octavi toni''. Although a few two- and four-voice works are present, most employ three voices (sometimes expanding to four-voice polyphony for a [[Bar (music)|bar]] or two). With the exception of the three double fugues (primi toni No. 12, sexti toni No. 1 and octavi toni No. 8), all are straightforward pieces, frequently in [[common time]] and comparatively short&nbsp;– at an average tempo, most take around a minute and a half to play.

[[File:Pachelbel-mfugues-subjects.png|right|thumb|300px|Fugue subjects from Magnificat fugues: secundi toni 7, octavi toni 10, primi toni 16, sexti toni 10, quarti toni 8 and octavi toni 13]]

Although most of them are brief, the subjects are extremely varied (see Example 1). Frequently some form of note repetition is used to emphasize a rhythmic (rather than melodic) contour. Many feature a dramatic leap (up to an octave), which may or may not be mirrored in one of the voices sometime during an episode&nbsp;– a characteristic Pachelbel technique, although it was also employed by earlier composers, albeit less pronounced. Minor alterations to the subject between the entries are observed in some of the fugues, and simple countersubjects occur several times. An interesting technique employed in many of the pieces is an occasional resort to ''[[style brisé]]'' for a few bars, both during episodes and in codas. The double fugues exhibit a typical three-section structure: fugue on subject 1, fugue on subject 2, and the [[counterpoint]] with simultaneous use of both subjects.

[[File:Pachelbel-fugue-subject-gmin.png|right|thumb|300px|A typical Pachelbel repercussion subject. {{Audio|Pachelbel G minor fugue subject.ogg|Listen}}]]

Most of Pachelbel's free fugues are in three or four voices, with the notable exception of two [[Bicinium|bicinia]] pieces. Pachelbel frequently used repercussion subjects of different kinds, with note repetition sometimes extended to span a whole measure (such as in the subject of a G minor fugue, see illustration). Some of the fugues employ textures more suited for the [[harpsichord]], particularly those with broken chord figuration. The three [[ricercar]]s Pachelbel composed, that are more akin to his fugues than to ricercars by [[Girolamo Frescobaldi|Frescobaldi]] or Froberger, are perhaps more technically interesting. In the original sources, all three use white notation and are marked [[alla breve]]. The polythematic C minor ricercar is the most popular and frequently performed and recorded. It is built on two contrasting themes (a slow chromatic pattern and a lively simplistic motif) that appear in their normal and inverted forms and concludes with both themes appearing simultaneously. The F-sharp minor ricercar uses the same concept and is slightly more interesting musically: the key of [[F-sharp minor]] requires a more flexible tuning than the standard [[meantone temperament]] of the [[Baroque]] era and was therefore rarely used by contemporary composers. This means that Pachelbel may have used his own tuning system, of which little is known. ''Ricercare in C major'' is mostly in three voices and employing the same kind of writing with consecutive thirds as seen in Pachelbel's toccatas (see below).

Pachelbel's use of repercussion subjects and extensive repeated note passages may be regarded as another characteristic feature of his organ pieces. Extreme examples of note repetition in the subject are found in magnificat fugues: quarti toni No. 4 has eight repeated notes, octavi toni No. 6 has twelve.{{refn|The most extraordinary example of note repetition, however, is not found in Pachelbel's fugues but in his first setting of the ''Vom Himmel hoch'' chorale, where a string of 30 repeated 16th-notes occurs in bars 15 and 16|group=n}} Also, even a fugue with an ordinary subject can rely on strings of repeated notes, as it happens, for example, in magnificat fugue octavi toni No. 12:

[[File:Pachelbel-mfugue-8-12.png|center|thumb|700px|Excerpt from ''Magnificat Fugue octavi toni No. 12'' (bars 15–18). Fugue subject that appears once in this excerpt is highlighted.]]
{{listen|type=music|filename=Pachelbel C major fugue.ogg|title=Fugue in C major for organ|description=One of Pachelbel's many C major fugues on original themes, this short piece uses a subject with a pattern of repeated notes in a manner discussed above.}}