Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, organ

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smalin
December 10, 2005

Bach's most famous organ piece, with a bar-graph score. FAQ 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: Can I fol...

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

FAQ

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: Can I follow the person who made this video on Twitter?
A: Sure, Stephen Malinowski's Twitter ID is: musanim

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_...

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=ipzR9b...

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

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/ToccataAnd...

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/ProductionNote...

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 please do a MAM video of _________?
A: First, check my "to do" list:
http://www.musanim.com/all/MAMToDoLis... ...
If the piece isn't listed, read the "Could you please do a MAM video of _________?" item on my main FAQ:
http://www.musanim.com/mam/mamfaq.htm... ...
and if you think I'd consider doing it, email me (stephen at musanim dot com).
Q: How can I make this kind of movie?
A: Check out this:
www.musanim.com/player/

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/ViewersGui...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toccata_...

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.
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