Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, organ

Bach's most famous organ piece, with a bar-graph score.

FAQ

Q: Can I download a version to play on my computer/iPod/iPad/iPhone/etc.?
A: Yes, you can get that here:
http://musanim.cerizmo.com/items/6950-bach-toccata-and-fugue-in-d-minor

Q: Where can I get free sheet music for this piece?
A: Sheet music for this can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/243oyo

Q: Who wrote Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor?
Q: Isn't that like asking who's buried in Grant's Tomb?
A: Heh-heh. A theory has recently (1981) been put forth that J. S. Bach did not write this piece. A brief summary of the supporting evidence for this theory can be read here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toccata_and_Fugue_in_D_minor#Attribution

Q: What's wrong with synchronization?
A: I don't know, but it appears that if you use this URL, it works better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipzR9bhei_o&fmt=18

Q: Where can I get the mp3 of this?
A: You can download it here:
http://www.musanim.com/mp3/BachToccataAndFugueInDMinorMalinowski.mp3

Q: What does the piece look like as a whole?
A: There are versions you can print out here
http://www.musanim.com/printouts
The 'scroll' version is for cutting out and taping together to form a long strip.

Q: Where can I get the MIDI file that this was made from?
A: I'm not sure it's exactly the same, but the closest I could find was this:
http://www.musanim.com/mid/ToccataAndFugueInDMinor.mid

Q: Hey, what happened to my question/comment?
A: Questions answered in the FAQ, and comments with nothing to do with the video ("spam"), are removed. If you posted a comment and don't know why it's gone, email me (stephen at musanim dot com) with "YouTube comment" in the subject line.

Q: How did you make this video?
A: You can read about it here:
http://www.musanim.com/ProductionNotes/ToccataAndFugueInDMinor.html

Q: How can I make videos like this (or at least see MIDI files this way)?
A: Check out this:
http://www.musanim.com/player/

Q: What is the BWV number for this?
A: BWV 565

Q: Where does the toccata end and the fugue begin?
A: The fugue starts at 2:51 and the toccata returns at 7:12, but between these two points, parts which are strictly fugal alternate with episodes that are more toccata-like, so it's not 100% clear-cut (like in some other toccata/fugue pairs he wrote).

Q: What do the colors mean?
A: Each "stop" on the organ was played on a separate MIDI channel, and each MIDI channel was assigned a color.

Q: What is a fugue?
A: Here is a good introduction:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugue

Q: Can I get a DVD with this video (or others like it)?
A: Yes:
http://www.musanim.com/mam/video.html

Q: Could you do a MAM video of _________?
A: Please read this:
http://www.musanim.com/all/MAMRequests.html

Q: The audio/video isn't very good; can I get the original?
A: Yes, you can get it here (you have to sign up, but then you can download it):
http://www.vimeo.com/user=musanim/clips

Q: Where can I read more about this piece?
A: Here are a couple of places:
http://www.musanim.com/pdf/ViewersGuideMAM1996.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toccata_and_Fugue_in_D_minor%2c_BWV_565

Q: Why does this piece of music remind me of horror movies?
A: Because it was used in the 1962 version of The Phantom of the Opera. Before that, it did not have that connotation. When Walt Disney and Leopold Stokowski used it in the 1940 film Fantasia, they considered it to be a purely abstract piece --- "absolute music" --- which brought to mind expressionistic forms and lines.
.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• music
• animation
• visualization
• classical
• bach
• organ
• toccata
• fugue
• sheet
• score
• baroque

[epicraz]

Made in 2005 = epic.

[smalin]

@epicraz Yeah, way back then, just moments after the Big Bang.

[clemencibus]

he would hate it .. :)

[Georgi3423]

This is one of the best musics of the world !!!

[marka10ant]

I love this visual representation of the notation: just a couple of disappointments. (message continues - ran out of characters)

[marka10ant]

When the deep pedal notes come in I want them to show up with the right degree of vertical depth from the top; I know you would need a screen that was six foot deep to do this properly. Also, having synæsthesia, I would be happier if the colours coincided with the notes, but there is some disagreement even amongst synæsthetes as to which colour represents which note.

Generally deeper shades are attributed to deeper notes, so just a really dark colour would help.

[18fosterbn]

fing lov this song

[SocoSimple]

@smalin Amazing:) love J.S.Bach

[WinGuysd]

I watched this on my local ARTS channel! Awesome. Liked and Faved.