Toccata and Fuge in d-Moll BWV 565 for Violin & Viola, Ver.2
by Johann Sebastian Bach
String Duet - Digital Sheet Music

Instrumental Duet,Viola,Violin - Level 5 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1402228

Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Arranged by Kamada, Mikio. Baroque. 19 pages. ACORDO Sheet Music #985435. Published by ACORDO Sheet Music (A0.1402228).

"Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565" by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is a famous piece for the organ. Surprisingly, it wasn't very popular when Bach was alive. It was first published in 1833 by Felix Mendelssohn in a collection called "noch wenig bekannte Orgelcompositinen". Mendelssohn performed it in 1840, which made it more well-known. This piece is different from Bach's later works in style and composition; for example, the fugue is relatively simple. Music expert Peter Williams suggested in his 2003 book "The Organ Music of J. S. Bach" that it might have originally been written for solo violin. Following his idea, some people tried to adapt it for solo violin, with some versions in A minor based on his suggestion.

While it's unsure if Williams' idea is correct, it implies that this piece might work well for string instruments. We decided to arrange it for a Violin and Viola Duet, trying to stay close to the original organ version. However, because of technical reasons, we had to remove some parts. Our first arrangement was liked at a small concert in 2022. During this, we realized that the music could be good for string ensembles. We also found that removing some notes made the remaining ones stand out, sometimes making a special beauty. This suggests that the music might have been meant for string instruments originally.

We first planned to publish this arrangement in 2020, but we changed our minds. We wanted as many people as possible to enjoy this wonderful piece, so we decided to publish two versions. Version 1 is similar to the organ score, sounding familiar but being technically hard. In contrast, Version 2 skips some notes, making it easier technically. Players will still experience the unique beauty of string ensembles with intentional note removal. The choice between the two depends on what players prefer and their skill level.

To help players understand better, we've used colored notes. Different colors show different voices, helping players know each instrument's role. In Version 2, green notes show parts where both instruments play the same thing. While these notes are optional, playing them will help synchronize the two parts.

Turning pages can be hard because there aren't many rests. We suggest using a tablet or arranging music stands side by side with all six pages in a row. If that's not possible, we suggest connecting pages 1-3 and 4-6 horizontally with cardboard. Put pages 1-3 in front and 4-6 in the back. For specific instructions during the piece:

- The Violin plays the Viola part in bar 74, shown by solid parentheses. Turn the page after playing the third beat of bar 75 and don't play the Violin part in bar 76 (marked with dashed brackets), as the Viola will play it.

- The Viola turns the page right after playing bar 73. Instead of playing the part in dashed parentheses in bar 74 (which the Violin will play), play the Violin part of bar 75 (marked with actual parentheses).