I`ve heard many orchestras play it at 440 Hz, but isn`t it supposed to be played at 415 Hz? If you play it, what frequency (for A4) do you use?

its canon, n wot r u tlkin bout?

Sorry...yeah, it`s Canon in English.

What am I talking about? If you really want to know then read this:
http://www-math.cudenver.edu/~jstarret/tuninghist.html

Although it is supposed to be played at 415hz, many orchestras (or quartets...etc) play it to the 440 becuase:

A) Its easier to tune to a metronome, since most metronomes give off a 440hz "A"
B) You can adjust your intonation easier to 440, since thats what most people (I`m making an assumption) use as an "A"
C) If you`re playing pieces after the Kanon, then theres no point re-tuning the whole orchstra.

u people r confusing me ne way I and in the 7th grade and I played the pachabell cannon with my ensemble at a wedding last year in houston texas

Not that much younger than me. I played it in grade 6, and im in grade 9 now...

yo what`s the big deal? just play!

The big deal is maintaining authenticity.

The authenticity thing... I read a whole lot of books on music philosophy last year, and one idea that really struck me was that we could never hear a performance as the people of the time heard it, because to their ears it would have sounded quite new, but to our ears it sounds "old" and sometimes rather unadventurous.
Similar to this line of thought is my thought that although the Canon may have been written at 415Hz, I have heard it played at that pitch and it sounds like Db instead of D. The people of the time would have perceived music played at that pitch much the same as we perceive music played at 440Hz- our concept (for those of us who are key-sensitive) of D major has changed in the past few hundred years.

what are the notes? i can only play by ear on the piano viola notes not violin

The viola part is the same as the first violin part, just 4 measures later.

hey. Pachelbel, as you spell it is actually spelt Pachabel. Just to let you know
Jen.

It`s not uncommon. Even pianists do that to their piano. Esp if the piano is to be used for exams or full length concert recitals...They just tune slightly higher.

WHAT???