Though Johann Sebastian Bach's works are among the most
widely known of any composer, there are several
compositions in his oeuvre which a relatively
underplayed. This work, the Toccata in d minor, is no
exception. Though the pedaliter toccatas (or toccatas
intended for organ with pedal) have received great
attention, the manualiter toccatas (for hands only) do
not attract many performers. Though this work is very
early, probably dating before 1712, Bach cared enough
about it to revise it, rewor...(+)
Though Johann Sebastian Bach's works are among the most
widely known of any composer, there are several
compositions in his oeuvre which a relatively
underplayed. This work, the Toccata in d minor, is no
exception. Though the pedaliter toccatas (or toccatas
intended for organ with pedal) have received great
attention, the manualiter toccatas (for hands only) do
not attract many performers. Though this work is very
early, probably dating before 1712, Bach cared enough
about it to revise it, reworking some of the passages
to create greater contrapuntal interest.
This particular toccata was the first of its kind to be
put into print (though long after Bach's death) in
1801. The piece opens with a relatively stark solo
passage which is reminiscent of the opening pedal solos
in many of Bach's organ works. Continuing, Bach writes
more idiomatic virtuoso writing, with grand scales and
arpeggios. The piece then moves to a four-part
contrapuntal section, the form of which is based on the
German motet. In contrast with the relatively
transparent opening, this section passes through many
harmonic regions and uses a rather dramatic rhetoric.
After concluding soundly, Bach writes a rather unusual
fugue which is labeled in some sources as "Thema." This
seems to suggest that the subject was borrowed from
some other source (a technique common to the Baroque,
and one which was considered a form of flattery rather
than plagiarism). The fugue rather well worked out, in
comparison with other early fugues. The strict
counterpoint gives way to a freely composed fantasia
section, much like the opening. An adagio follows
(marked adagissimo in the manuscript), which again
contains common Baroque rhetorical gestures (such as
the "sigh"). It concludes with a brief passage marked
"presto" which sets up the final fugue. This final
fugue, which is unusual in that it states the subject
and countersubject initially (like the first fugue in
the Toccata in D major BWV 912), is closely related to
the first one in that the opening subject is quite
similar to the earlier one. Unlike many of Bach's later
fugues, this one, towards the end, begins to break down
into a more homophonic texture, building the dramatic
intensity to climax before conclusion (though it
reverts back to contrapuntal form before the end).
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