Music Analysis of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565 | EP 6

Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565 is one of the most iconic and enigmatic works in the Baroque organ repertoire. This piece showcases exceptional innovation in both dramatic toccata writing and experimental fugue construction. The Toccata is filled with dramatic silences, bold melodic runs, and intricate motivic development, while the Fugue stands out as one of the most unconventional examples of the genre. The absence of any similar compositions from this period—by Bach or any other composer—along with the lack of an autograph manuscript (we only have a copy by Johannes Ringk) has led musicologists to question whether Bach actually wrote the piece (most prominently by Williams, 1981). Yet, regardless of its true authorship, the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor has become a canonical work in Western classical music that has stood the test of time.

I’m Dr. Bohdan Syroyid and if you would like to study music composition with me, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email to [email protected] I would like to build a community of people interested in music composition and analysis so please feel free to introduce yourself to other viewers by telling a bit about your musical background and interests.

Timestamps
00:00:00 Welcome and introduction. Present yourself in the comments
00:03:24 Overview of Wikipedia article. Authorship problem
00:13:57 Discussion with ChatGPT. Incorrect musical analysis
00:20:31 Overview of the Toccata, commented performance
00:26:37 Analysis of Exposition (mm. 1-3) from the Toccata
00:38:18 First development (mm. 4-12) from the Toccata
00:51:20 My analysis of silences presented in my Doctoral Dissertation
00:55:27 Second development (mm. 13-30) from the Toccata
01:28:49 Overview of the subject entries in the Fugue and overall structure
01:48:05 Fugue. 1st part (four parts). Exposition in D minor (mm. 31-53)
02:11:56 Episode 1 (mm. 54-57)
02:17:26 Fugue. 2nd part (lighter). Short expo in F major (mm. 57-59)
02:18:25 Episode 2 (mm. 59-70). First solo (monody)
02:24:48 Short expo in D minor (mm. 70-72)
02:27:45 Episode 3 (mm. 72-86). Second solo (monody)
02:37:48 Fugue. 3rd part (dense). Exposition in C minor (mm. 86-95)
02:45:19 Episode 4 (mm. 95-16). False entries
03:01:31 Fugue. 4th part (mix). Last exposition in D minor (mm. 105-127)
03:13:22 Coda (mm. 127-143)
03:32:30 Closing thoughts of the uniqueness of the composition

If you’d like to access additional resources, including an annotated PDF of the analysis featured in this video, visit   / ep-6-toccata-and-fugue-in-d-minor-bwv-471768  

If you want to listen to my music, check out @syroyid

There are some interesting recordings you might want to check out:

Violin version by @ahmedhermessi6025:    • J. S. Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D minor,...  
Busoni’s piano version with score by @thenameisgsarci:    • Bach-Busoni - Toccata and Fugue in D minor...  
Scrolling score for study by @gerubach:    • BWV 565 -Toccata & Fugue in D Minor (Scrol...  

#bach #musiccomposition #musicanalysis #syroyid #baroquemusic

© Copyright 2024, Bohdan Syroyid. All rights reserved.