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Re[2]: GG: Italian Concerto
This is an excellent point you make about the toccatas.
They belong generally to the very broad class of
"through-composed" pieces: pieces that do not follow any
prescribed form but are simply written as the composer
pleases. The word "toccata" means "to touch" so it
particularly refers to any keyboard piece written in an
improvisatory style or any other instrumental piece written
in the style of keyboard improvisation. I think you're
probably right that toccatas do not currently enjoy the
popularity of other Bachworks, probably because they are not
usually as heavily contrapuntal. But when you consider the
value that 17th and 18th century musicians placed on
improvisation and the improvisatory style, you have to agree
that these are very, very important works . . .
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Subject: Re: GG: Italian Concerto
Author: "K. Berry" <kb@cs.umb.edu> at internet
Date: 3/6/97 11:59 AM
that I associate with early pieces like the D-major toccata.
I love the D major toccata. In fact, that was the piece that first got
me interested in Gould and Bach keyboard music :-).
It seems hardly anyone else in the world really likes the toccatas,
Gould certainly never expressed any enthusiasm for them (although, no
surprise to anyone on this list, his renditions seem about a million
times better than anyone else's to me :-). Personally, I find them to
be some of the most emotional works Bach ever wrote ...
K