Toccata & Fugue in D minor (BACH, J.S.)

Dr David Pitches rehearses for http://www.medair.org Medair Charity fundraising appeal concert at Hammerwood Park. Please visit http://www.medair.org to help to support Dr Pitches' medical work in the Congo.

Bachs Toccata and Fugue is one of the most famous pieces of organ music ever written, though it probably was not written by Bach, is neither a toccata nor a fugue and was probably originally written in A minor for the violin! But its grand but foreboding style remind us that Congo has traditionally been known both as the Heart of Africa and the Heart of Darkness, prompting the famous novel by Joseph Conrad of the same name.

This 5 manual organ is installed at a country house both as an inspiration to the preservation of pipe organs by way of bringing the repertoire more into the wider public eye and also by its versatility and variety an inspiration to the building of new instruments.

It is one of the few instruments including Sydney Town Hall http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_FXoyr_FyFw&yt where one can hear a 64ft deep pedal stop. This one even has a 128ft stop and here http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=UmQFS2E2GE4 young Jacob pulls it out on this piece! We really like encouraging young organists such as Jacob and Luke http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FE70ZKBOnpI who will surely play at Sydney Town Hall one day . . .

Details of concerts at Hammerwood Park are on http://www.hammerwood.mistral.co.uk/concerts.htm

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Dr
• David
• Pitches
• Bach
• Toccata
• and
• Fugue
• in
• Minor
• Organ
• BWV565

[latribe]

:-) So what areas in this piece are not as intended and should other performers performers avoid?

[patrikjonsen81]

Hello!

I think the organ sounds incredibly good! You can see that David is a very talented organist but it seems like he has not practiced very much. He still reads from the sheet and misses a little bit sometimes. It is also a pity that he did not use the 64ft and 128ft stop.

It would be interesting to hear what eg Ton Koopman thinks about this organ. :)

Again latribe, I am very impressed with the organ!

[latribe]

Thanks for your compliments about the organ. It's really intended to be inspirational as a concert instrument for the repertoire as well as an experimental breadboard for organists to try different styles and combinations of stops . . . to inspire real pipe organ building, and for practice for major concerts.

David - WOW he really IS AMAZING. He works as a doctor in the Congo for 11 months of the year and can practice in Kampala once every three months. He really wants a pedalboard in Congo.

[willowthebored]

Quite honestly, I think this is one of those pieces that's almost impossible to criticize unless the organist blatantly sucks. Let's face it, this is very unusual for Bach (and indeed may not be Bach at all), and it's one of those few pieces attributed to him that actually allows expression and variance-and in this case, a LOT of it. I rather like some of the things he's done with it, truth be told. As far as I'm concerned, with TFDmoll, the organist can go anywhere he damn well pleases.

[carteru93]

For sure, it deserves 5, exactly what I gave it.

Some people just don't seem to understand the word "interpretation".

"it's too fast, it's too slow, the registration is wrong..." just a couple of the favorite comments by organists here, all related to PERSONAL taste.

[Databamse]

At 1:19 the sequence that begins there is used as music in the computer game called "Rick Dangerous", it is an old game on the commodore 64 and commodore Amiga

[willowthebored]

@latribe

I've seen that video! I tool the liberty of converting it to an MP3 and put it on my iPod. It's an excellent rendition (and that organ is a monster).

[latribe]

@willowthebored It's worth searching St Maximin Bach for another interpretation of this piece on an amazing instrument.

[latribe]

@willowthebored Hi! It's worth searching St Maximin Bach for another interpretation of this piece on an amazing instrument.

[latribe]

@willowthebored Hi! It's worth searching "St Maximin Bach" for another interpretation of this piece on an amazing instrument.

[sailing19100]

it's a toccata. its meant to show off the organist's technical skills according to his own interpretation.

[TimeSeeker333]

Five stars, for it is not an easy piece, and someone worked a lot to get here. Bravo! and keep it going! I agree with the interpretation comments. I also have the same problem sometimes, only on classical guitar. But the organ is my favorite instrument of-all! I don't think I'm ever going to have the chance to study this instrument, but still... Music is Music, and J. S. Bach is GREAT! :D All the best regards! :) Interesting organ tho'... (Electronics everywhere :)), but I like it! )

[jodaseporfavor]

so faril

[accousticdecay]

Toccata & Fugue in D-minor... NOT Bach? What heresy...what drivel! Perish the very idea! I think I'm going to faint.

[ConsiderChange]

Great sounding organ - and a VERY talented doctor - Medicine AND Music??

Wow.