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Fingering - Toccata & Fugue in D min

gvballa

New member

Hi All,

I trust that we are all doing well.

I have made myself a challenge to start practicing "Toccata and Fuguein D-minor" (BWV 565)...

It will not be for a performance but to satisfy my desire to play thisbeautiful and challenging piece. I have the Barenreiter collection.

I need to ask you for HELP with the fingering of this piece... I never had professionaltuition... I am a self-taught organist who had a few lessons from other goodorganists which I am thankful for...

I am sure many of you had practiced this piece... I am only asking if anyonehave this piece with the fingering notes... Please be so kind to forward me a copyof this piece with the fingering.

I will really appreciate all the HELP!

I am thanking you in advance already...

 

Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Rear Admiral Appassionata (Ret)
Hi GVBALLA ,

Dufficult task you chose for a self taught organist.... hmmmm
It depends on how much practicing you're doin'. Of course I presume that your teachers had showed to you the basic fingering and you don't just play the notes as you feel like....

So if you know basic fingering there's no problem. You can practice any piece you feel like without fingering shown up on score.
For 565 I'm using Novello edition and also got the Dover one. None has fingering typed. Kinda natural.
In my novello score I just added with pencil some things I personally must pay attention when playin' the piece, so it is not much of a help for you.

Where exactly do you need specific fingering ? On toccata? on fugue (probably.... he he)? where on fugue?

But either way I believe it's kinda difficult for this type of help from forum posts.
It is a qualified teacher who actually does this fingering adds to the student's score when learning...
Mines from my Odeon days are full of.... :)

Best
Panos
 

gvballa

New member
Dear Panos,

Thank you very much for replying...

I practice every evening for max 2 hours at home. Sometimes longer... depending how early the kids go sleep... my eldest are 4... Friday evenings and Sunday's are the only days I don't really practice - I utilized to spent time with the family...

Yes, I agree! for I self-taught organist it will be hard, hard and hard work with tremendous hours of practising...

I usually start practicing with separate hands until I do not make mistakes before joining them...

The same apply to my pedalling... sometimes I "cheat" with the higher notes on the pedal-board... (because of my height) :)

I will then practice each hand with the pedals... until I play them ALL together. It's a l-o-n-g process but it usually works for me.

I only started with my goal last week - so far I only started on the toccata - seperate hands... I definitely will need some "guidelines" on fingering.

I just find it a great help with fingering add-ons - it really does improve mine...

I will really appreciate a copy even it is full of notes, etc... that always have improved my knowledge of music...

BR,
G
 

Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Rear Admiral Appassionata (Ret)
Hi BR, G !

2 hours max maybe more it's goood. More good to spend time with familly, familly's very good !
Here I'm on headphones when practicing, ain't wanna disturb them with the same passages on an' on... he he, full speakers when ready.
This with fuga/toccata stuff, with piano/clavichord/harpsichord it's always on... why's that? I'll never gonna know :)

Each hand/feet at a time it's good on some kinda works, but there are some others that need all together on from the first notes, or the game is lost. On 565 I did all together from the start as I wanted soooo bad to play it !
Once you got inside the .."row", toccata will run like a dream . On fugue issues maybe encountered with left hand feet synchronization . Fugue is so loose written by the GrandMaster so it must be performed with this loose way, IMHO.

I can try scanning for you my two pages of the toccata, but there are no finger indications just notes and rounds and circles... I'll try to put some for you to try, but in the end it's your decision where goes which.
We must do this in PM as my novello edition is still on sales here.... :)

have fun
Panos
 
Last edited:

gvballa

New member
Dear Panos,

I honestly appreciate your reply again...

You are making excited... for my new challenge...

I will await your reply...

Thank you, thank you and thank you!
 

Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Rear Admiral Appassionata (Ret)
gvballa, hi.

Just much work at.... work, sorry
I'll try to scan tomorrow and PM you. But I promise I'll do it anyway!

Best
Panos
 

Have a go

New member
How's it going?

Hi GVballa,

Just wondered how you're getting on with the Toccata & Fugue? I came to this website with the same idea of trying to find some suggested fingering.

If it's any help, I had a look at Karl Richter on You Tube, where there's a close up of his hands and I picked up a few tips for the Toccata (I've not got onto the Fugue yet).

I did Grade 8 piano many years ago and also had a few organ lessons about 10 years ago (until my teacher emigrated and that was the end of that, sadly), so I know a few basics about the weird fingering that works on the organ.

In bar 3, I use my RH thumb on the A in the bass clef, which means I can then hold all the notes down for the whole chord for a smooth transgression.

I noticed in bar 11 that Karl Richter uses a 4th finger in the RH for the top note of the chord, then swings his 5th finger under, to start the scale, which works and leaves your hand free for the trill.

If anyone knows of any other tips, that would be great and I'd also love to have some help with the fingering in Bach's second prelude, as I play it ok, but I think it could be smoother.
 
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