Bach most likely composed his Toccatas in his early creative years, between 1707 and 1713; they can be seen as the products of Bach‘s own “Sturm und Drang” period, and were not planned as an interconnected work cycle, but as autonomous works written at different times. As was customary for this genre, the toccatas emphasize virtuoso and improvisatory elements, and, occasionally, the recitative aspect as well. What is indispensable is Bach’s mastery of the polyphonic technique, the rich harmonies, and the inexhaustible wealth of his inventiveness.
G. Henle Publishers stands for Urtext sheet music of the highest quality. The Urtext editions not only provide the undistorted and authoritative musical text but are also aesthetically pleasing, optimised for practical use and extremely durable. And then there is the strong, distinctive blue profile: (almost) all of the Urtext editions are bound in the characteristic blue cardboard.
Musicians trust Henle's blue Urtext editions because they:
- provide an undistorted, reliable and authoritative musical text
- offer superb, aesthetically appealing music engraving
- are optimised for practical use (page turns, fingerings)
- are of high quality and durable (cover, paper, binding)
- contain a short preface that introduces the work (particularly useful for AMEB exams) in German, English and French, as well as explanatory footnotes for particularly interesting passages in the score
- contain a description of the sources, an evaluation of the sources, readings and a documentation of the corrections made (= "Critical Report") in German and English, and often also in French
