Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565, two-part musical composition for
organ
, probably written before 1708, by Johann Sebastian Bach, known for its majestic sound, dramatic authority, and driving rhythm.
What was the purpose of Toccata and Fugue in D minor?
What is a Toccata and Fugue? The word “toccata” comes from the Italian toccare (to touch). This type of instrumental piece was designed
to highlight the performer’s technical ability—literally, how well the player could “touch” the instrument
. The toccata usually has a free form that sounds improvisational.
What was toccata written for?
toccata, musical form for
keyboard instruments
, written in a free style that is characterized by full chords, rapid runs, high harmonies, and other virtuoso elements designed to show off the performer’s “touch.” The earliest use of the term (about 1536) was associated with solo lute music of an improvisatory character.
When did Bach write the Toccata and Fugue in D minor?
Bach probably composed the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565,
between 1703-7, but no one is sure of the exact date
. It’s important to remember the BWV catalogue number as well – there are actually three pieces of organ music written by Bach with the same name!
What is the meaning of fugue in music?
fugue, in music,
a compositional procedure characterized by the systematic imitation of a principal theme (called the subject) in simultaneously sounding melodic lines (counterpoint)
. The term fugue may also be used to describe a work or part of a work.
What is the word toccata mean?
Definition of toccata
:
a musical composition usually for organ or harpsichord in a free style and characterized by full chords, rapid runs, and high harmonies
.
What instrumentation did Stokowski arrange the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor for?
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor for
Organ
, BWV 565, arranged for orchestra by Leopold Stokowski, 1882-1977. Scored for 4 flutes, 2-3 oboes, English horn, 2-3 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2-3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4-6 horns, 3 trumpets, 3-4 trombones, tuba, tympani, celesta, 2 harps, and strings.
What is the main theme of a fugue?
Subject
– the main theme of the fugue. Answer – subject imitated in another voice.
What is the principal element of a fugue?
A fugue usually has three main sections:
an exposition
, a development and a final entry that contains the return of the subject in the fugue’s tonic key.
What grade is Toccata and Fugue in D minor?
Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565 (
Grade 6–
diploma)
Who invented the fugue?
The famous fugue composer
Johann Sebastian Bach
(1685–1750) shaped his own works after those of Johann Jakob Froberger (1616–1667), Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706), Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583–1643), Dieterich Buxtehude (c. 1637–1707) and others.
Why are fugues important?
Fugal writing is a very complex form of counterpoint. In the Baroque it could also be considered a genre, as many pieces were composed as stand-alone fugues. The most important thing to remember is
the role of the fugue subject as the main melodic idea that is imitated throughout the piece.
Who wrote the first fugue?
The fugue became a very popular form of music in the Baroque period. It was often played after a prelude. The most famous composer of fugues was
Johann Sebastian Bach
. He wrote two books, each with 24 Preludes and Fugues, called The Well-Tempered Clavier (in German: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier).
Who created toccata and Fugue in D minor?
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565, two-part musical composition for organ, probably written before 1708, by
Johann Sebastian Bach
, known for its majestic sound, dramatic authority, and driving rhythm.
What does Troy stand for?
| Origin | Word/name Irish or Ancient Greek | Meaning “foot soldier” | Other names | Variant form(s) Troye |
|---|
What language is toccata?
Toccata (from
Italian
toccare, literally, “to touch”, with “toccata” being the action of touching) is a virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virtuosic passages or sections, with or without imitative or fugal interludes, …
How many movements are in Toccata and Fugue in D minor?
Although only 17 bars long, it progresses through
five tempo changes
.
How many voices are there in a fugue?
Most fugues are in
three or four voices
(“à 3” or “à 4”), but not all of these are used at any given moment; it is common for an episode to proceed in as few as two voices.
What is the historical period of fugue?
The fugue became an important form or texture in
the Baroque period
, reaching its height in the work of J.S. Bach in the first half of the 18th century.
What is episode in fugue?
An episode is
a connecting passage of music in a fugue
and is usually made up of a development of the music that has already been heard in the Exposition. … After the Episode in a fugue there is usually another entry (or entries) of the Subject.
What is the term used to describe a fugue theme that is heard at half its original rhythmic values?
Diminution
(rhythmic), the restatement of a subject in half its original note values (i.e., at twice the original speed).
What instrument was The Art of Fugue written for?
The Art of Fugue, German Die Kunst der Fuge, also called The Art of the Fugue, formally The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080, monothematic cycle of approximately 20 fugues written in the key of D minor, perhaps for
keyboard instrument
, by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Is Row Row Row Your Boat a fugue?
Row, row, row your boat
is not a fugue
and it often is done as a canon which is simply means a group of people singing the same song but each person starts the tune at different times. That is the simplest form of counterpoint.
When was the fugue invented?
The fugue is a type of polyphonic composition or compositional technique based on a principal theme (subject) and melodic lines (counterpoint) that imitate the principal theme. The fugue is believed to have developed from the canon which appeared during
the 13th century
.
Who expanded the Baroque fugue?
Although
J. S. Bach
was not well known as a composer in his lifetime, his influence extended forward through his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and through the theorist Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg (1718-1795) whose Abhandlung von der Fuge (“Treatise on the fugue,” 1753) was largely based on J. S. Bach’s work.
What is another word for fugue?
| amnesia blackout | fugue state memory loss | forgetfulness blankness | obliviousness blockout | blank paramnesia |
|---|
What is Baroque fugue?
A fugue is
a piece of music that uses interwoven melodies based on a single musical idea
. Fugues were most popular during the Baroque Period, ca. 1600-1750. They were based on an earlier idea from the Renaissance Period called imitative polyphony, where multiple singers would sing the same melody at different times.
What is a fugue in poetry?
To compose a fugue is
to involve a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme)
that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the course of the composition. …
What is the form of fugue in G minor?
The fugue is
in four voices
. During the episodes, Bach uses one of Arcangelo Corelli’s most famous techniques: imitation between two voices on an eighth note upbeat figure that first leaps up a fourth and then falls back down one step at a time.
Is fugue vocal or instrumental?
A fugue is the most complex polyphonic musical form, involving imitation among the parts (called “voices” whether they are vocal or
instrumental
). The word fugue comes from fuga, meaning to chase since each voice “chases” the previous one.
When was major and minor tonality created?
The Baroque period in European music lasted from
about 1600 to about 1750
. It was preceded by the Renaissance and followed by the Classical period. It was during the Baroque that the major/minor tonal system that still dominates Western Music was established.
What is the tempo of Toccata and Fugue?
Toccata and Fugue in D minor is played at
54 Beats Per Minute
(Largo), or 14 Measures/Bars Per Minute. Use our Online Metronome to practice at a tempo of 54BPM.
Who did Bach live with after his parents died?
By the time he turned 10, Bach found himself an orphan after the death of both of his parents. His
older brother Johann Christoph
, a church organist in Ohrdruf, took him in.
