Piano songs · Intermediate
Toccata and Fugue in D minor on piano
The most dramatic opening in music: a high A with a flick, a rush down in octaves, then a huge chord climbing out of a low D. Here are those first bars, written for organ, on the piano.
this song
About the piece
The Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, is traditionally credited to Johann Sebastian Bach and was probably written in the early 1700s, though some scholars doubt it's his. Its opening became the sound of horror films and Halloween, thanks partly to Disney's Fantasia (1940).
The notes
The letters above are the tune, played by your right hand: A G F E D C♯ D; A E F C♯ D; E D C♯. Longer boxes are longer notes. Press Play and follow along, slow it down with the speed slider, or turn on Wait for me and play each note yourself.
How to learn it
- The flick: A, G, A (a quick ornament), then a fast run down to C♯ and D. Both hands play it, an octave apart.
- Three times, lower: the same gesture repeats an octave lower, then lower again.
- The chord: over a long low D, a dark diminished chord builds up one note at a time, then resolves.
- Take your time: it's free and dramatic. Let the silences hang.
Learning Toccata and Fugue in D minor on a real piano? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a rhythm that runs away. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
Is Toccata and Fugue in D minor written for piano?
No, for organ. The opening works well on piano; the long low D is held by the organ's pedals, so on piano you hold it with the sustain pedal.
Why is it played at Halloween?
Its spooky opening became the sound of horror films and Disney's Fantasia, and stuck.
More songs to play
Notes checked against the public-domain Mutopia Project edition (mutopiaproject.org), from its organ arrangement. Piano sound: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm, CC BY 3.0.