Problems with Bach Tocatta in D minor BWV 565 sheet music

[villevilly]

I have just started working on Bach's Toccata in D minor but I'm having a bit trouble with reading the sheet music since I'm not that good it. I've added a picture of it. The notes circled in red are what I don't know how to play. I'm a bit confused since the clef changes. Also am I suposed to play the 8 bassa in both staffs or only the lower one.

[iansinclair]

Ye gods.  A piano transcription of that great ORGAN tocatta and fugue.  Well, the circled notes are played as written -- they are on the bass clef, so just read them on the bass clef.

The octava bassa is, in the original organ score, played as written, not octava bassa -- but is played on the pedal, not the manual, and is registered with full 16 foot diapasons, which sound an octave below the played note, as well as the usual 8,4,2,and mixtures.  So on a piano the only way you can even come close to the effect is to play it an octave lower, hence the octava bassa.  But only for that pedal D.  The rest of the notes are played as written.

You would do well, in my humble opinion, if you are going to play piano transcriptions of organ music, to get the original organ music as well, and study it thoroughly, to see what was originally intended.

A couple of tips on this, though.  The Tocatta is intended to be somewhat free with regards tempo, but not free in the romantic sense at all.  Whatever you do, don't rush it.  It's easy to turn it into a fierce demonstration of technical brilliance, and lose the clarity which is necessary.  Various sections of the tocatta were intended for different registrations (volume and tone colour) played on different manuals; this will be hard to achieve.  The fugue should not be too fast, either, and must be very even in tempo except right at the end, where it broadens somewhat (but not too much).  Again, in the organ score you will find that various bits are intended for different manuals, which helps tremendously in bringing out the counterpoint.

There are a number of good organ recordings of this thing; it's very popular (it's actually pretty easy).  Would be worth listening to some...

[j_menz]

Ye gods.  A piano transcription of that great ORGAN tocatta and fugue. 

LOL. There are actually quite a few of them. The best are actually surprisingly good (even to your organ trained ears I suspect) are Brassin, Busoni, Reger and Tausig, though these are no walk in the park.

You would do well, in my humble opinion, if you are going to play piano transcriptions of organ music, to get the original organ music as well, and study it thoroughly, to see what was originally intended.

Agreed, absolutely. And listen to a few versions of the original as well.

Not a bad idea for any transcription, really.