Toccata

Marked by driving staccato eighth note ostinatos that are freely passed around the ensemble, Toccata keeps you on your toes from start to finish.

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Level: 3 | Duration: 4:00

Instrumentation
Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe*
Bb Clarinet 1
Bb Clarinet 2
Bb Clarinet 3
Bb Bass Clarinet*
Bassoon*
Alto Saxophone 1/2*
Tenor Saxophone*
Baritone Saxophone*

Horn in F 1
Horn in F 2
Bb Trumpet 1
Bb Trumpet 2
Trombone 1
Trombone 2*
Euphonium
(Baritone T.C.)
Tuba

Timpani
Percussion 1 (glockenspiel)*
Percussion 2 (snare drum, crash cymbals, hi-hat, woodblock, bass drum)*

*Parts marked with an asterisk (*) are not essential, although their presence will obviously enable a fuller realization of the composer's intentions to be achieved.

Program Notes
Commissioned by the Tutbury Community Band, conductor Malcolm Heywood, this work was first performed on the occasion of the 900th anniversary of the foundation of Tutbury Church.

Toccata originally meant 'touch piece' and is particularly associated with keyboard works of the Renaissance and Baroque. Stuart Johnson takes this spirit and transfers it to the concert band as staccato quavers, used as an ostinato against a rising bass theme. Later the accompaniment is transferred to other sections of the band, but the pulse is retained until a central, more lyrical section.

A recapitulation of the allegro leads to a stirring climax.