[129] Several essays in John Butt's Cambridge Companion on Bach discuss the attribution problems of BWV 565. These included, but were not limited to, the following, all either unique or extremely rare for organ music of the period the toccata is allegedly from: In 1998 the issue was explored in a book-length study by the musicologist Rolf-Dietrich Claus.
Among them was a virtuosic version of the Toccata and Fugue, which tries to replicate the spirit of the original organ sound. The counterpoint here is not encumbered by the complexity or rigor found in fugues such as those comprising the two volumes of The Well-Tempered Clavier. [91], In his 1999 Bach biography, Klaus Eidam devotes a few pages to the Toccata and Fugue. The name "Toccata" is most probably a later addition, similar to the title of Toccata, Adagio and Fugue, BWV 564, because in the Baroque era such organ pieces would most commonly be called simply Prelude (Praeludium, etc.) [57] US record companies seemed faster in putting BWV 565 forward as Bach's best known organ piece. From the toccata emerged what is known as prelude and fugue, instrumental music beginning with a short, freestyle piece (the prelude), followed by a … Although technically a four-part fugue, most of the time there are only three voices, and some of the interludes are in two, or even one voice (notated as two). [83] In Karl Hermann Bitter's 1865 Bach-biography, BWV 565 is only listed in an appendix.
In the mid-1990s, Fred Mills, then trumpet player for Canadian Brass, created an adaptation for brass quintet that became a worldwide standard for brass ensembles.[147][148]. [58], Hans-Joachim Schulze describes the force of the piece on a record sleeve:[59]. He feels that the crescendo that develops through arpeggios, gradually building up to the use of hundreds of pipes at the same time, can show exactly at what point the wind system of the organ might become inadequate. It represents a musical form for keyboard instruments that is intended to show off the performer’s keyboard virtuosity. The only near-contemporary source is an undated copy by Johannes Ringk, a pupil of Johann Peter Kellner.
[18], In 1948, Hermann Keller wrote that the Toccata and Fugue was uncharacteristic for Bach, but nonetheless bore some of his distinguishing marks. In a way, the Toccata and Fugue in D minor is the perfect piece of Halloween music. References consisting of a last name and date refer to an entry in the Sources section below: "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" redirects here. More than twenty thousand copies of the adaptation by former member Fred Mills have been sold to date through the Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation, and the work is recorded on several of their CDs, the most recent being Takes Flight released in 2012.
Toccata and Fugue in C major • 6. The first part of Bach’s piece is a toccata, derived from the Italian toccare, meaning “to touch”.It represents a musical form for keyboard instruments that is intended to show off the performer’s keyboard virtuosity. He saw more north German characteristics (Buxtehude's restless style) in the form of the Toccata, rather than south German (Pachelbel's simple and quiet approach). "BWV 565: a toccata in D minor for organ by J. S. There are a few notable examples, however. [34] David Schulenberg feels that the attribution of BWV 565 to Bach is doubtful. Spitta considered the fugue "particularly suited to the organ, and more especially effective in the pedal part."
Despite Mendelssohn's opinion that it was "at the same time learned and something for the people",[20] followed by a fairly successful piano transcription in the second half of the 19th century,[21] it was not until the 20th century that it rose above the average notability of an organ piece by Bach. In 1955, E. Power Biggs recorded the Toccata 14 times, played on different European organs, and Columbia issued those recordings on a single album.