Bach - Toccata in F-sharp minor, BWV 910 (PDF Sheet Music / Digital Download)

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata in G minor, BWV 910, is one of his most harmonically adventurous and emotionally somber keyboard works. Composed during his early years, likely in Weimar, it exemplifies the stylus phantasticus through its unpredictable shifts in mood and texture. The piece begins with a dramatic, descending manual flourish that leads into a series of highly expressive, improvisational passages.

Unlike some of his more jubilant toccatas, BWV 910 is anchored by two substantial, rigorous fugues. The first is a chromatic, brooding section that demands intense rhythmic precision, while the final fugue is a massive, driving movement that utilizes a repeating subject to create a sense of relentless momentum. Between these fugues lies an Adagio section of profound pathos, where Bach uses dissonant suspensions and unexpected modulations to explore a depth of "sorrow" rarely seen in his early harpsichord music.

This edition is a reissue of music originally published by Edition Peters.