The German organist and composer Johann Pachelbel was born in Nuremberg in 1653 and died there in 1706. He held a number of posts and was deputy organist at St. Stephen�s Cathedral in Vienna, but perhaps the most interesting post he held was at the Eisenach court, where he became friendly with Bach�s father and others of the family; he was one of the young Bach�s early models in composition. His prodigious output includes some 70-organ chorale preludes but his Hexachordum Apollinis (1699), six sets of variations, is considered his best work.

This series of arrangements for string quartet is aimed at string quartets� that are building a repertoire of incidental popular classics and �easy listening� music for social functions of every kind. In preparation also at the time of writing is a collection of the most popular hymns taken from the English Hymnal for string quartet with optional chamber organ. From time to time I shall add further pieces thus building the availability of music that is well known to the general public. String quartets should contact me if they have any particular requests, but here I must stress that strict copyright restrictions may apply for certain commissions.