Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, organ

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

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/ToccataAnd...

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

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 video of _________?
A: See:
http://www.musanim.com/requests/

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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  Music

[Emiliano Salomon]

Did you play this yourself?

[smalin]

Please see "How did you make this video" in the FAQ.

[SanTolorio]

After i watched the full video with it's animatet notes i saw that the screen is making some weird waves like in an optical illusion. Try it yourself maybe you'll see what i mean.

[smalin]

See the Wikipedia article for "motion aftereffect" ...

[theMuritz]

This music was't written to last for centuries, but for eternity. If there was anything coming close to god in music, then be part of it and enjoy, here it is. And imagine how the believers, mostly illeterate must have felt centuries ago, hering this performance of true clarity and beauty live from the master himself.

[smalin]

The musicians of Bach's day respected him, but the average person who heard his music didn't really understand it. This was definitely the case for his church employers (who had to tell him to tone it down --- that his music was too complicated for the average parishioner). During his life, he was most respected as an organist, not as a composer; his compositions were considered old-fashioned and unduly dense. There are many more modern listeners who understand and appreciate his music.

[Alex H]

1:20 Eddie Van Halen does tapping similar to this in live versions of eruption

[DaSurreal1da]

I see that Sabrewulfs theme is loosely based on this ......Hail to the master Bach

[jrssjdca]

You might be right...for eternity, or something reasonably close to it...relatively speaking. Bach didn't write this for longevity, though that's exactly what's wound up happening. It's got more fuel now than it did pre-internet. Whatever his intentions were (the debate as to its authorship notwithstanding), he composed something that causes a jolt in the listening experience of modern ears. Those of his time, maybe not so much. But that's irrelevant. Enjoy the power of this masterpiece.

[Donovan Balmeo]

I like the pink bar sounds.