Brief Analysis of “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” and “Take the A Train”

“Toccata and Fugue in D minor” is one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s most celebrated works of music. The piece is considered to be one of the best examples of Bach’s Toccatas and Fugues because it is very stereotypical of the two musical genres.

As an example, Bach often wrote toccatas as prefaces to his fugues, “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” is no exception. The toccata section contains many rapid runs up and down arpeggios, but has many different tempo markings throughout the section. It gives an improvised feel to the toccata, whereas the fugue is very structured, at least at the start. The start of the fugue introduces the melody of the piece, known as the subject, played by one hand of the organ player. The subject is passed around in a call and response manner, and also makes allusions to the toccata section. The piece resolves with a D minor chord.

“Take the A Train” is the signature song of Duke Ellington and his orchestra, arguably one of the most famous jazz ever written. Whereas Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” originates from 19^th century Baroque Europe, “Take the A Train” originates from 20^th century Harlem, New York. “Take the A Train” is highly structured similar to Bach’s toccata and fugues, but “Take the A Train” was written for jazz big band as opposed to solo organ. “Take the A Train” is also set in a major key and has improvised sections purposefully written into the music. “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” was written to sound improvised, but improvisation wasn’t formally written into music until the 20^th century. Jazz legends such as Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis would have to make large contributions in music theory before improvisation could become a staple of modern jazz music.