What were Bach's intentions when he composed toccata and fugue?

Question

What were his intentions? What did he want it to be? What was his motivation? What inspired this song? What is this haunting composition about? Does it tell a story?

Answer 1

A good deal of his music was written for church. A number of his years were silent because the Calvinist movement did not approve of any music in the church. The Art of Fugue, published posthumously but probably written years before Bach's death, is unfinished. It consists of 18 complex fugues and canons based on a simple theme. I think he was trying to show that music could be useful in religious services. Although not much is known about his motivations for writing that book.

Answer 2

Actually, it has been debated whether Bach even wrote Toccata and Fugue at all. Here's a detailed article.

Answer 3

agnamaracs is right. it's pretty much doubted that Toccata and Fugue in D minor is from Bach. many believe it's a work from Johann Peter Kellner.

here is the study (in german)
http://www.johann-peter-kellner.de/htm/werke/emele.htm

Answer 4

Besides what everyone else said, he wrote it with the intentions of writing a song that uses every note on the organ.
(It does too). He played it after he tuned the organs to make sure it was all in tune.
That's what I hear anyway.

Answer 5

He intended to compose toccata and fugue. He wanted it to be toccata and fugue. His motivation was that he wanted to write toccata and fugue. What inspired him was his interest in composing toccata and fugue. The haunting composition is about toccata and fugue. It tells a story about toccata and fugue.

Answer 6

The usual intentions he synthesized with the acronym SDG on all his scores: only in glory of God. Period.

Answer 7

Adie C is right--he wrote it to test organs.

~Scottie

Answer 8

Fugued if I know

Answer 9

he composed for the money ... after all it was his job ... he had house full of hungry mouths to feed