October 2026
Toccata & Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is one of the most important composers of the Baroque Period (1600-1750). In his day he was best known for his impressive organ playing. Bach built organs. He worked as a court musician and for various churches as a musician, composer and director. He also was a private music teacher. In the 1800s musicians started to dig in to his compositions and they were recognized as masterpieces. Some of his most beloved works include: “The Well-Tempered Clavier,” “Brandenburg Concertos,” “Toccata & Fugue in Dm,” “Air on the G String” and “St. Matthew’s Passion”.
A fugue is a piece of music that has several melodies (or voices). It comes from the Italian word “fuga” which means flight. Toccata comes from the Italian word “toccare,” which means “to touch.” A toccata is usually a flashy piece that shows off a musician’s skill and quick fingers. Xaver Varnus plays “Toccata & Fugue in Dm” from memory with great dexterity and artistry. The rich sound of the organ just washes over you. He does not rush those powerful chords.
You’ll notice that the organ in the video is very different from a piano. It has many keyboards, has lighter key action and has many different buttons on the left and right panels. These buttons are called “stops” and they let the performer choose different sound effects. You can set different “manuals” or keyboards with different sound effects. Another very big difference is that while a piano is a percussion instrument (strings are struck by hammers) the organ is a wind instrument. When you press a key, air is sent through a metal pipe that vibrates at the right pitch. That is why the sound doesn’t fade away like a piano, but rather sustains as if you were singing a note.
September 2026
Intermezzi Op. 117, No. 1 (You only need to listen to minute mark 4:06 – but you can listen to all of them if you like! 🙂 )
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was born in Hamburg, Germany and lived during the Romantic period. His family was poor but as a teenager he played the piano at local inns to help earn extra money. He studied the music of J. S. Bach, Mozart and Beethoven and played music with his friend Eduard Reményi, a violinist from Hungary. Eduard exposed him to folk music from his country which inspired many of Brahms’ later compositions.
He became friends with important musicians and composers Robert and Clara Schumann and lived with them for awhile. Robert Schumann wrote an article praising Brahms’ compositions and he became well known. There were two groups at that time, those that wanted the rich and robust traditions of the Classical period to continue and those that wanted to experiment more. Brahms loved the music of the masters he had studied so he was in the Classical period group. Others like Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner were in the experimentation group. There was a bit of a rivalry going on between these two groups.
Johannes Brahms worked as a piano teacher, a choir and an orchestra conductor as well as a composer. He wrote many songs, piano works as well as chamber music and symphonies. Some of his most loved pieces are: Hungarian Dance No. 5 (piano duet), Wiegenlied Op. 49, No. 4, Horn Trio Op. 40, Violin Sonata No. 3 and Symphony No. 3.
When Brahms was almost 60, he composed three intermezzi (Op. 117) which he described as, “three lullabies to my sorrow.” These are introspective and emotional pieces. He sent them to his old friend, Clara Schumann. She really enjoyed playing them and wrote back, “in these pieces I at last feel musical life stir once again in my soul.” When they were published a couple lines of a Lady Anne Bothwell’s Lament (Scottish song) were printed on the page.
Baloo, my babe, lie still and sleep. It grieves me sore to see thee weep.
I hope you enjoy András Schiff’s sensitive interpretation of this piece.
*Information from “Interlude.hk/brahms-late-piano-works-intermezzi-op-117,” & “Britannica.com”