J.S. Bach - The Seven Toccatas, BWV 910-916 (1708-14)

Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 - 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. He is known for instrumental compositions such as the Brandenburg Concertos and the Goldberg Variations as well as for vocal music such as the St Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor. Since the 19th-century Bach Revival he has been generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.
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The 7 Toccatas
1. Toccata in F# minor, BWV 910 (1712)
- No Tempo (0:00)
- (3:20)
- Fugue; Presto e staccato (9:34)
2. Toccata in C minor, BWV 911 (1714?)
- No Tempo (12:38)
- Adagio (13:50)
- Fugue (16:02)
3. Toccata in D major, BWV 912 (1710?)
- (Presto) (25:00)
- Adagio (27:58)
- Fugue (32:58)
4. Toccata in D minor, BWV 913 (1708?)
- No Tempo (37:33)
- (Presto) (40:23)
- Adagio (43:55)
- Allegro (47:07)
5. Toccata in E minor, BWV 914 (1710)
- No Tempo (51:55)
- Un poco allegro (52:27)
- Adagio (53:52)
- Fugue; Allegro (56:05)
6. Toccata in G minor, BWV 915 (1710)
- No Tempo (59:43)
- Adagio
- Allegro (1:01:11)
- Adagio - Fugue; Allegro (1:05:00)
7. Toccata in G major, BWV 916 (1714?)
- (Presto) (1:10:15)
- Adagio (1:12:40)
- Allegro (1:15:42)
PETER WATCHORN, pedal harpsichord
(Hubbard & Broekman after Ruckers/Blanchet/Taskin,
1990/after J.A. Hass, 1734)

[@peterwatchorn5618]

Some words of introduction from the performer. This recording was made in 2016 on a pedal harpsichord. This is a separate instrument played by the feet, which is placed under the main harpsichord. These instruments, both harpsichords and clavichords were commonly used for organ practice. The pedal instrument adds a special dimension to the performance of these early virtuoso works by the young Bach, famous as a keyboard virtuoso. The addition of the pedal makes these already challenging pieces even more of a mountain to climb. Of the seven surviving works called "Toccata", the G major one is, in fact, a three movement concerto. In performing these works on a pedal harpsichord, I follow my teacher in Vienna, Isolde Ahlgrimm, whose recording of these works from the 1950s set an especially high standard for those of us who came after. Peter Watchorn

[@annashole]

Nothing short of Marvelous! Thank-you!!! Might there be a chance to hear more about the instrument/maker w/ possible photos or a link to such?

[@Athompthomp]

oh that means the instrument had a set of keys at feet? interesting!never knew it existed

[@Souls_p_]

@@Athompthomp There's even pedal pianos which weren't too unpopular (not many were made but some composers needed it)

[@dbadagna]

The tuning you are using here sounds wonderful; is it a circulating temperament, and did you retune for each piece (since they're in different keys) so as to produce the most consonant intervals and harmonies for that key?

[@handle_unknown]

Your performance was striking, thank you!

[@commentingchannel9776]

Ah yes, "How the fuck is this a fugue subject?": The Collection The G minor toccata always gets me

[@davemiller7633]

This music is so high level it's crazy

[@windowsmizu416]

Love the e minor fugue, learning it

[@chasesutherland1168]

55:24 and then somehow at 55:48 it sounds like an orchestra is playing in the back. Enchanting

[@user-fu7zf4ck9z]

You can tell how Buxtehude's Stylus Phantasticus influenced the young Bach a lot. These toccatas pieces are criminally underrated and are among the very best keyboard literature has to offer!

[@southfloridaarcheryguy114]

Criminally underrated by whom?

[@user-fu7zf4ck9z]

@@southfloridaarcheryguy114 by every pianist who’s not playing them. Everybody knows the WTC and the Goldbergs. These pieces aren’t even obscure at all and rarely any people outside of Bach fans and Baroque enthusiants play them

[@MrPhil480]

je pense que c est mon oeuvre préféré de Bach pour le piano, meme si j aime tout le piano de Bach. je les ai beaucoup écouté dans ma jeunesse. elle sont sous estimées comme Bach est sous estimé de ceux qui ne le ressentent pas....

[@MrPhil480]

@@southfloridaarcheryguy114 par tout le monde, même de ceux qui disent aimer Bach. on parle plus des varitations Goldberg que de ces toccatas.

[@sparky6]

Buxtehude is indeed unknown. I remember some of his pieces played by maestro Ton Koopman in Luxemburg many years ago. Really emazing ....

[@Adeodatus100]

A huge thank-you to Peter Watchorn for making your recordings available here, and of course to the channel owner for the hard work of giving us the score to follow too.

[@NoiseOverMusic]

6:32 hypnotizing

[@violinstar5948]

I don’t know how Bach wrote so much music. It’s truely breath taking.

[@TheRobTV]

It's like he just channeled music to paper nonstop until death.

[@davidriggenbach6672]

And you would be shocked on the amount of music what was lost. We got lucky we got so much music!

[@incription]

There are estimates, from what I've seen 1/3 - 1/2 of his works are undiscovered/lost, but its hard to estimate@@davidriggenbach6672

[@caesare1968]

Simply, he transcribed to his talent the best music known at his time and then he added his own, presto. To bake pizza you buy the ingredients, add your labor, e voila. He was a Genius on top.

[@user-ol1ib1ss2b]

I can’t believe how great this music is.

[@benjaminpolcover9194]

I’ve been listening to Bach for nearly 60 years, somehow I never heard these. I love listening to Bach I never heard. My first Baroque album was E Power Biggs playing the pedal harpsichord . In the liner notes I read that one reason for the pedal harpsichord was to make it easier to play. There was no need to get people to work the bellows in the cavernous cold church Thank you much.

[@aaronpeta]

This is truly mind blowing work, both the composer and performer.

[@manfredgruenewald5706]

Die Toccatas sind meine Lieblingsstücke von Bach, gerade auf Harpsichord. Und die scrolling Noten sind erste Klasse!! Danke....

[@shin-i-chikozima]

In music, nothing is impossible for Bach

[@carlosmontes6568]

I find a perfect ambiance to enjoy these toccatas... Quite ineffable to describe its beauty..... 🎵❤️🎼🎵❤️🎼🎶🎵🎼🎼🎵🎶❤️🎵🎶🎼🎵🎶🎵

[@annashole]

Phenomenal Performance - extraordinary recording THANK-YOU!

[@thai-pc4jy]

THANK YOU I have been listening to these every day recently on gerubach’s channel

[@peterwatchorn5618]

This version is for pedal harpsichord, something you won't find anywhere else. Much more difficult to play in this format, where the feet are as important as the hands. PW

[@hugoclarke3284]

@@peterwatchorn5618 Such perfect use of the pedals. This is the first recording to make me desperate to play pedal harpsichord.

[@thai-pc4jy]

@@peterwatchorn5618 Thanks for telling me! I am actually a pianist so I wouldn’t have known this difference. Even though the piano is my instrument I would love to play the harpsichord every time I play baroque music, it’s really an amazing instrument.

[@alp9020]

thanks ! 👍

[@elmiramuradova561]

Как всегда шикарно. Я ,вообще, люблю больше фортепиано ,но иногда некоторые исполнения на клавесине очень нравятся. Спасибо ❤ Thank you . Nice.

[@notaire2]

Wunderschöne und detaillierte Interpretation dieser sieben fein oder perfekt komponierten Tastenwerke in verschiedenen Tempi mit klarem doch warmherzigem Klang des technisch fehlerlosen Cembalos und mit perfekt kontrollierter Dynamik. Wahrhaft intelligenter und vielseitiger Cembalist!

[@XenoghostTV]

1:11:09 YES!

[@DavidA-ps1qr]

Magnificent.

[@lorganiste8953]

very nice ! this must be a pedal harpsichord

[@davidthomson4610]

2, (12:38) 3, (25:00) 6 59:43

[@shin-i-chikozima]

This music almost sucks my soul away

[@schubertuk]

I think we can rest assured that your soul being sucked away would have been the last think JS Bach would have wanted. But your soul being temporally transported for a moment would perhaps be a joy?

[@shin-i-chikozima]

@@schubertuk Thankyou your comment I hope you are well

[@jowildcat40]

It's interesting to see where the musician plays trills in spots not marked for it. Is that based on what you would expect to play because of the era it was written, something that the composer would do, or is it something the musician chose to do solely from their own style?

[@tt4150]

Bach pretty much said figure it out yourself

[@ranchoelchamusquito3683]

are the instruments tuned to some crazy baroque hz?

[@user-sn4fj5el2b]

0:06 Beethoven's Appassionata Third Movement?

[@monteverdi1567]

By the second measure I was certain this was a Haase instrument. Nothing else sounds quite like them

[@user-fu7zf4ck9z]

08:45

[@usernameihavechosen289]

Does it have to be pitch-transposed?

[@peterwatchorn411]

It was recorded at A=415hz, a common pitch of the early to mid-18th century. Therefore to those used to A=440hz (the usual pitch standard of today) everything will sound a half-step lower. It does not need to be "Pitch-transposed". Modern ears need to simply get used to the difference, which does not take long. The temperament or tuning system is also subtly different from today's equal temperament. Also, an easy adjustment. PW

[@user-ju6ix1wd8j]

@@peterwatchorn411 Ah, the player himself answers :)

[@user-fu7zf4ck9z]

@@peterwatchorn411 Fantastic Performance my man!!

[@yj-nw7el]

聞こえて来る音と楽譜が半音ずれてるけど、どういうこと??

[@junwuwang5701]

バロックピッチっていうこと

[@christianindividual4550]

4:57

[@rominafunes1347]

1:15.. Harry Potter 🙃 plagio

[@oldrichcepelka296]

A darefull styl of the pianist, or a normal Baroque style?

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

piano? what are you talking about? Why would you even mention or think about pianos when listening this Bach performance? Would you also mention or talk about medieval fiddles or baroque viola da gambas when listening to Poulenc violin sonata or Schönberg string quartets? pianos are for piano repertoire.

[@user-fu7zf4ck9z]

@@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo You know what they meant...

[@user-fu7zf4ck9z]

This free style of playing and ornamentation is a fundamental part of Baroque performance, especially on harpsichord (pedalcembalo in this case), which these pieces are played on in this recording.