Guitar Quartet Joseph Ray Tolentino Ferdinand Medina Jeffrey Malazo Roneil Santos Pachelbel's Canon in D major, a piece of chamber music scored for three violins and basso continuo and originally paired with a gigue in the same key, experienced a tremendous surge in popularity during the 1970s (believed to have originated through a recording by Jean-François Paillard in 1970), which made it a universally recognized cultural item; it is one of the most recognized and famous classical compositions. Numerous musical adaptations and arrangements of the canon for diverse ensembles exist and the main theme (or the associated harmonic sequence) is frequently adapted by pop music artists, much like the opening of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565. The gigue that originally accompanied the canon never received the same amount of popularity, even though it is a lively energetic dance. LAGQ is known for their affinity for different musical styles and for exploring striking, unprocessed effects for nylon-string guitars. Compositions like "African Suite" and "Gongan," from their eponymous Sony debut, find the boys attaching staples, alligator clips, aluminum foil, and strips of leather to their guitar strings to evoke the sounds of African kalimbas and a gamelan ensemble. The groups take on Pachelbels Canon ("The Pachelbel Loose Canon," from their For Thy Pleasure CD) begins with an eloquent statement of Pachelbels beloved theme and then quickly digresses with a set of droll variations that move through 70s funk, swing, reggae, bluegrass, and the Gipsy Kings.
