The Complete Vocal Works Johann Pachelbel is known today as a composer of organ music and of a world-famous instrumental canon which frequently features in concert programmes and recording catalogues. However, the same can be said of only a few of his vocal compositions. At most, the motets appear occasionally in church music repertoire. Pachelbel's arias, vocal concerti and large-scale Magnificats have received little attention up to now.

Church musicians and musicologists have long wished for a critical edition of these important works, which survive in Pachelbel's manuscript and were largely composed in his main places of work, Erfurt and Nuremberg. As always with such ventures, new discoveries are to be expected regarding the body of works, source material and the context of the works. This concerns not only beautiful music, but rather a deepening of our understanding of Pachelbel as a key figure between southern and central German traditions, and the recognition of an oeuvre which has all too often been pushed into the shadows by the mighty Bach.


The Critical Edition

The edition aims to make available all of Johann Pachelbel's surviving vocal works in the best possible form. It is edited by the Institut für Musikwissenschaft at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and the Institut für Kirchenmusik at the Kunstuniversität Graz.

Two volumes per year are planned.

As a chronological order is not possible in many cases, the individual works have been arranged according to scoring within their groups. Fragments and works where Johann Pachelbel's authorship is doubtful appear at the end of the respective group.

Each volume includes an introduction (Ger/Eng) and a Critical Commentary (Ger). Format 25.5 x 32.5 cm; cloth-bound