These are not virtuosic, flashy numbers, but slow, magical pieces with wonderful chord changes.
These three toccatas, originally for organ, come from Frescobaldi’s Fiori musicali, published in Rome in 1635. Frescobaldi’s collection consists mostly of organ pieces intended for liturgical use, though this did not preclude the use of popular tunes such as “Girometta” or the “Bergamasca” in some of the canzoni. The mood of the three toccatas printed here is serious, sometimes quite intense; in particular, Frescobaldi’s harmonically rich pieces for the Elevation of the Host are among the earliest examples of an dramatic intensity paralleled in our own time in the music of Olivier Messiaen.
Sometimes the individual lines seem a little strange; however, as you learn the harmonic function of each note, it all (or most of it!) will make sense. In performing this music it is important to make a virtue of the dissonances, stretching them rather than avoiding them; it is obviously crucial to avoid breathing in the middle of a dissonant chord.
(Extract from original notes by Bernard Thomas)
The Three Toccatas from Fiori Musicali
- Toccata Avanti La Messa
- Toccata Per Elevazione
- Toccata Cromatica
