Johann Sebastian Bach: Sämtliche Klavierwerke I - Toccaten

Toccatas

Album notes by Marco Beccari

The term “toccata” refers to an instrumental composition combining virtuosity with freedom of form. Depending on the period, toccatas have been written for lute, organ, harpsichord or piano. Their introductory function and improvisatory character allowed brilliant virtuoso passages to coexist with more meditative or strictly polyphonic writing. The word first appeared in print in 1536, in an Italian collection of lute music. It was only in the 1590s that the term became more widely used for keyboard pieces demanding dexterity in scales and arpeggios.

Andrea Gabrieli (c. 1533–1585) and Claudio Merulo (1533–1604) are among the early masters of the keyboard toccata. Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583–1643) subsequently brought the genre to a remarkable level of achievement, before its further development in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. In Bach’s hands, a generally free structure could encompass fugal sections while preserving the elaborate runs and arpeggios associated with the earlier, prelude-like tradition. His organ music also includes monumental examples of the genre.

The seven keyboard toccatas, BWV 910–916, are youthful works whose dating remains uncertain; proposed dates extend from approximately 1706 to 1717, overlapping substantially with Bach’s service as court organist in Weimar. They were not published during his lifetime. No autograph manuscripts survive: the works are transmitted through copies made within the circle of his pupils and followers. They do not constitute a unified cycle, but seem instead to explore an experimental field. Their structures are varied and intricately articulated, combining contrasting styles, rhythms and musical solutions. Free invention and virtuoso display coexist with a concertante style suggesting dialogue between solo and tutti. Energetic fugal episodes appear within the pieces or at their conclusions, without always adopting the rigorously developed designs of Bach’s later works.

Bach does not specify a particular instrument for these toccatas. Besides the organ and harpsichord, he played the clavichord, a gentle and intimate instrument that he especially valued. The brilliance and grandeur of the works nevertheless lend themselves particularly well to the harpsichord.

Here Bach gives free rein to his musical imagination. The toccatas offer a vivid impression of his celebrated ability to improvise; they can be heard as written reflections of that spontaneous creativity. These are outstanding keyboard works, largely free of didactic purposes, predetermined formal or stylistic constraints, and the specific demands of church or court. They invite comparison with his fantasias, and are by no means diminished by it.

Their spontaneity, confident display of exceptional keyboard skill, exploration of musical ideas without excessive concern for formal balance, and taste for surprising juxtapositions reveal a fascinating side of Bach that is less apparent in his mature music. The personality is passionate and irrepressible, yet already shaped by the example of illustrious predecessors: Frescobaldi, Froberger, Buxtehude, the French harpsichordists and the masters of the Italian instrumental concerto.

A broadly recurring design begins with free, virtuoso, improvisatory writing, reminiscent of the Chromatic Fantasia, followed by an alternation of lively fugatos and expressive slow sections. The slow passages introduce daring harmonic progressions, repeatedly revealing the breadth of the musical imagination behind them. Even when they seem unusually extended, they may be understood as written traces of Bach’s seemingly inexhaustible creativity and improvisatory command.

Toccata in D minor, BWV 913

The D minor Toccata was the first of the group to be published, in the early nineteenth century. It contains two fugues. Its introduction is less cadenza-like than those of some of the other works, while retaining an overall rhapsodic character. An expressive slow section in four parts precedes the first radiant fugue. The second slow passage is more intensely expressive: a concise motif is developed through a continuous sequence of modulations, appearing in a remarkable variety of harmonic lights and shadows. A brilliant final fugue brings the work to its conclusion.

Toccata in E minor, BWV 914

Possibly composed around 1707–1710, this is the shortest of the seven toccatas and one of the best known. A brief, freely conceived prelude introduces a light fugato: a double fugue in four voices. The Adagio takes the form of a recitative, with short instrumental gestures and a strongly improvisatory character. It is followed by a concluding three-voice fugue on a more extended subject. Some scholars have suggested that this virtuoso fugue may originally have been conceived for the organ.

Toccata in F-sharp minor, BWV 910

Usually dated to around 1709–1712, this substantial work comprises five sections, including two fugues. The free introduction leads directly into one of the most moving passages in the collection. The section in 3/2 is intense and luminous, its descending chromatic motion sustaining a melancholy character. A theme with the character of a passacaglia bass becomes the principal melodic voice. The first fugue, marked Presto e staccato, displays remarkable imitative craftsmanship. A moderately paced section between the two fugues provides a meditative interlude, leading to the exuberant concluding fugue. Closing arpeggios recall the opening.

Toccata in G minor, BWV 915

The transmitted score includes piano and forte indications. An introduction in the unusual metre of 24/16 establishes the frame of the work. A grave and majestic slow section in 3/2 leads to the first fugue, in B-flat major, which brings together two subjects: one proceeding by leaps and the other by step. A short recitative-like passage separates the two fugues. The final fugue has the character of a gigue; it is notated in editions either in 12/8 or in common time, with dotted figures understood in a ternary rhythm.

Toccata in D major, BWV 912

This work has often been dated to 1705–1708, before Bach’s arrival at the court of Saxe-Weimar. Rapid scales and arpeggios open the piece. The following Allegro is playful and imposing at the same time. A transition of approximately a dozen bars leads to a double fugato, followed by a section marked Con discrezione, allowing considerable rhythmic freedom. The final section is a double fugue in 6/16. Once again, the gigue provides the underlying character of this fast-moving music.

Toccata in C minor, BWV 911

A beginning reminiscent of the Chromatic Fantasia opens this expansive toccata, which contains one of the collection’s most striking fugues. The Adagio is grand and noble, almost spiritual in character. It gives way to a technically demanding yet joyful fugue.

Toccata in G major, BWV 916

The opening is less improvisatory than those of the other toccatas, resembling the first movement of a concerto. Both the instrument’s brilliance and the performer’s virtuosity come to the fore. A charming, melodic section follows in E minor. Although its polyphonic writing is less elaborate than that of some of the collection’s other slow movements, it remains an impressive passage. The concluding fugue is likewise less intricate than several of its companions, but no less engaging.

Recording credits

Pietro Soraci, piano. Recorded at Griffa & Figli Studio on a Steinway & Sons Model D. Digital recording and editing: Emanuele Rossi. The project was created and coordinated by Edmondo Filippini and Pietro Soraci under the patronage of Bärenreiter. Cover photograph: Itsukushima Jinja, Miyajima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Design, art direction and production: Osaka Mozart Association. Phonographic and artwork copyright: Da Vinci Classics. Manufactured in Japan.