Johann Pachelbel (1653—1706) was one of the great organist-composers of his day, a man who could count Bach’s teacher among his pupils. His life was tinged with tragedy and hardship — his first wife died with her baby son in the plague of 1683, and he had to flee from the French invasion of Stuttgart in 1692 — but he settled in Nuremberg and his second marriage produced seven children, two of whom became musicians, one an instrument maker and one a painter. His famous ‘Canon in D’ was written in 1680 and has been used in the films Father of the Bride and Ordinary People, TV adverts for Ambrosia, Threshers Wines, Pure New Wool and British Gas, as well as the Coolio rap single in 1997, Aphrodite’s Child single Rain and Tears, The Farm single All Together Now (used for Euro 2004) and Go West by The Pet Shop Boys!