toccata

The toccata (from the Italian toccare, to touch) originated in the 16th century as a free-form piece designed to test a keyboard instrument's capabilities and display the player's skill. Early toccatas featured rapid scales, broken chords, and dramatic contrasts between fast passage work and sustained chords. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is the most famous toccata ever written — its dramatic opening is instantly recognisable to millions who have never heard of the word toccata. Bach paired his toccatas with fugues, creating a contrast between the improvisatory freedom of the toccata and the strict counterpoint of the fugue. Later composers like Schumann, Prokofiev, and Khachaturian wrote toccatas that push the piano to its technical limits.