Johann Christoph Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” is among the most famous pieces of classical music ever.
We don’t know much about this piece, not even the exact year it was composed. Even so, it has risen in popularity and is one of the most performed pieces of baroque music. You can either love it or hate it, but it won’t go away.
We found a video of a guy who clearly hates it so much, he even created a medley called “Pachelbel’s Rant.” It’s quite hysterical and very honest—and judging by the YouTube comments section, the video appears to be relatable to musicians worldwide!
The mind of a comedian and the soul of a musician gives you the best of both worlds.
Rob Paravonian, an American self-employed comedian, musician, and writer, also declares himself as an official Pachelbel hater.
Recorded live at Penn State, this piece has been very popular with famous DJ Dr. Demento and it’s played frequently on his show. Rob Paravonian appears in the video with his guitar and starts the show with a few jokes about the big hit in the classical world, “Canon in D.” He reveals a little more information about him playing the cello before the guitar.
“There is no way to be cool when your instrument is larger than you” are Rob’s words to describe the childhood cello experience. That, of course, is not what hit him the most about that instrument. His problems began when he had to play the cello part of Pachelbel’s famous composition in the school orchestra. It consisted of eight quarter notes that he had to play 54 times! After hearing him tell it, you can almost understand his passionate hatred towards Pachelbel’s composition.
Rob recognizes Pachelbel’s sound in every song he hears and the way he describes it is hilarious.
The funniest part of his rant is how honest it is.
Rob is the kind of guy that can make you agree with him on anything… all while you’re dying of laughter. His comic approach to something we all subconsciously hear every day shows just how irritated he is. Good thing that he found art to channel all that hatred towards Pachelbel’s famous composition. When he starts to perform song by song, pointing out the Pachelbel part in each of them, the audience is screaming and laughing loudly. It’s priceless.
“I’ll see you in hell, Pachelbel!” is Rob’s final statement.
We checked out people’s opinions on Pachelbel’s canon and we were amazed to see so many hating it!
Most musicians agree that the part is simply torture to play, but it really seems like all cellists share that opinion! In the piece’s defense, we have to say that it’s a pretty recognizable part…
Regardless of where you fall on the issue, his rant got 16 million views!
“Pachelbel’s Rant” was uploaded in 2006, but it still has the absolute relevance when it comes to those who dislike the popular canon.
Pachelbel is often described as the one-hit-wonder of the Baroque era, but his music was well-known during his lifetime. It was then revived in the early 19th century and it’s now everywhere.
Since there’s no escaping it, as Rob said it himself, we could try and find some positive sides to it.
The piece definitely teaches us patience and tranquility, but we loved Rob’s comedic observations. Here’s to hoping he’ll keep up the comic work in the future!
Check out the full performance in the link below:
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