south-German toccata
English composer
Definition
The keyboard toccata tradition of southern Germany and Austria, descending from Froberger, characterised by alternation between free improvisatory sections (with running passagework) and strict fugal sections. Pachelbel's organ toccatas follow this model directly.
Interpretive Guidance
In a south-German toccata, the free sections should feel genuinely improvisatory — slightly flexible in rhythm, exploratory in character — while the fugal sections should be rhythmically precise and contrapuntally clear. The contrast between freedom and discipline is the essence of the form. Registration can change between sections: fuller for the fugues, lighter for the free passages.