VEGANGELICA

I agree Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings is a moving piece because it has a lovely, though short, theme, and a deeply somber mood...which fits well the video of the Sept. 11th attacks. However, I feel the piece goes on much too long. It also feels melodramatic to me...perhaps because it does go on so long, repeating the short theme again and again and again. I do very much like the buildup to the resolution around 6:50.

So, I prefer Pachelbel's Canon in D. I like the longer theme and its overlapping repetition (the canon structure), which satisfy me intellectually more than the Barber piece. More important, though, to me is the feeling of the song. Pachelbel's Canon feels exquisite to me. The structure seems invisible and effortless beneath the piece's feeling of supreme joy touched with sadness. Pachelbel's Canon in D epitomizes uplifting music, while Barber's adagio emphasizes tragedy: quite opposite pieces in this regard, really.

Like others in the thread said, Canon in D is played very frequently...yet I understand why. It is a beautiful and extremely well-crafted, succinct piece. I even played it on my violin as part of a quartet at my own wedding, which was fun not only because I always liked playing Pachelbel's Cannon, but also because I liked breaking the rule about "not seeing the bride" before the ceremony.

Now we can have a "sound-off" and you can listen to this version of Pachelbel's Canon in D to compare with Barber's Adagio for Strings. Can I lure you back to the Pachelbel fold?

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