He studied in Nuremberg, Altdorf, and Regensburg before becoming the organist of St. Stephen's Cathedral Vienna, Austria, in 1674. By 1677 he returned to Germany as the court organist at Eisenach.

A year later he obtained the organist post at the Predigerkirche at Erfurt, remaining there for twelve years. He also served in the courts at Stuttgart (1690), and Gothe (1692). He returned to his hometown in 1695, as organist of St Sebald's.

Pachelbel wrote both free works (toccatas, fantasies, fugues, etc.) and chorale settings. His development of the 'cantus firmus' chorale is perhaps his greatest contribution. It consists of the chorale melody in long notes, one phrase at a time, each phrase preceded by fore-imitation in the accompanying voices. This compositional pattern influenced many other composers and eventually became a standard form.

Baptized in Nuremberg September 1, 1653

Johann Pachelbel began his musical instruction under Schwemmer and later at the Universities of Altdorf and Ratisbon. In 1671 Johann moved to Vienna where he became student and deputy organist to 1. Kerll at the Imperial chapel. In 1677 he was organist for one year in Eisenach--the city of Bach's birth eight years later.

The following year he moved to Erfurt, where his son, Hieronymus, was born. While in Erfurt he taught Johann Christoph Bach, Sebastian's older brother and guardian in Ohrdruf when the Bach parents died.

In 1690 Pachelbel became court organist at Stuttgart. Two years later Johann took his final post, in Nuremburg. Johann Pachelbel's repertory is the stylistic ancestor of J. S. Bach's, particularly his technique of chorale variation. Carl Philipp Emanuel named Pachelbel as a composer whose works his father had admired.