Most of Bach's works for the organ date from his years
in Weimar (1708-1717). This period witnessed a
tremendous development in his compositional style,
particularly in the realm of the freely composed
preludes or toccatas and fugues -- those not based on
preexisting chorales.
The fugue and toccata of BWV 540 were each published
individually during the eighteenth century; many
believe the toccata to have been written apart from,
and probably after, the fugue -- a possibility that has
le...(+)
Most of Bach's works for the organ date from his years
in Weimar (1708-1717). This period witnessed a
tremendous development in his compositional style,
particularly in the realm of the freely composed
preludes or toccatas and fugues -- those not based on
preexisting chorales.
The fugue and toccata of BWV 540 were each published
individually during the eighteenth century; many
believe the toccata to have been written apart from,
and probably after, the fugue -- a possibility that has
led many to perform the pieces alone. This is not
difficult to justify, for each is a self-contained
masterwork. Together, they form what many believe to be
Bach's best composition in the prelude and fugue genre,
and they have both enjoyed great popularity.
It is possible the toccata was written for an organ
other than the one Bach used in Weimar; the highest
pedal pitch in the piece was not available on that
organ. It was, however, to be found in Weissenfels and
at one of the churches in Köthen. The piece is immense
and, at 450 measures in length, can hardly be heard as
a "prelude." Bravura passages for both the hands and
feet take the listener through various harmonic areas
in this expansive work, which derives its rhythmic
drive from a persistent, Italianate figure. Neapolitan
sixths, averted cadences, and sequences contribute to
the tension of a sustained climax in the second half of
the toccata.
The fugue is actually a double-fugue that presents a
stark contrast to the preceding toccata. Harmonic
daring characterizes the piece: an unresolved
dissonance in the second measure sets the precedent for
numerous other such instances, including accented
non-harmonic tones. After the four-voice exposition --
with both a subject and countersubject -- has run its
course, a complete counter-exposition begins. Instead
of continuing with an independent episode, Bach writes
another fugal section, with a new, lively subject,
featuring entries that move through minor keys,
including the dominant minor. Throughout this second
fugue, the pedal is absent, infusing the succession of
entries and episodes with a sense of anticipation, or
preparation, of something to come. This turns out to be
just the function of the section when the first subject
and its countersubject return, almost stealthily, in
the midst of the contrapuntal texture. The return of
the first fugue does not assert itself, however, until
its first answer, which is accompanied in the pedal
(finally) by the subject of the second fugue. Bach
truncates and distorts this second subject as six more
entries of the first subject float around the tonic
before a final statement, with a powerful pedal entry,
closes the piece.
PARTITION