Pachelbel: Toccata in E Minor | Jillian Gardner, Organ | Huntsville First UMC, AL

Johann Pachelbel — Toccata in E Minor, P. 462 Jillian Gardner, organ 1961 Schantz Organ at Huntsville First United Methodist Church, Huntsville, Alabama Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ school to its peak, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque era. While today he is most widely known for the Canon in D, the Toccata in E Minor is among his other well-known works and stands apart from his other toccatas. Pachelbel's toccatas are characterized by sustained pedal notes over which fast passagework unfolds in both hands, and unlike most toccatas of the early and middle Baroque periods, they are not sectional — though the E minor Toccata notably features a rhapsodic introductory passage that sets it apart from the rest. Pachelbel was also the first major composer to pair a fugue with a preludial movement such as a toccata — a technique later adopted extensively by J. S. Bach. Jillian Gardner serves as Director of Music Ministries and Organist at Huntsville First United Methodist Church, and is the founder of the Huntsville Sacred Chorale. She performs regularly at major venues across the United States and internationally. 🎵 Subscribe for more organ music, sacred choral performances, and concert recordings from HFUMC.