toccata

American  

[tuh-kah-tuh, tawk-kah-tah] / təˈkɑ tə, tɔkˈkɑ tɑ /

noun

Music.

plural

toccatas, toccate

1. a composition in the style of an improvisation, for the piano, organ, or other keyboard instrument, intended to exhibit the player's technique.

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toccata British  

/ təˈkɑːtə /

noun

1. a rapid keyboard composition for organ, harpsichord, etc, dating from the baroque period, usually in a rhythmically free style

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Etymology

Origin of toccata

1715–25; < Italian: “touched,” feminine past participle of toccare touch

Example Sentences

Miller appeared to kick off the signing ceremony, entering to Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and looking suitably vampiric.

From Salon • May 4, 2025

Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, according to the late Bach scholar Peter Williams, was unlikely to have been written for the organ and may not have been written by Bach.

From The Guardian • Apr. 16, 2020

Trotter began with a brilliant performance of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in F, BWV 540.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2016

Here, it showcases the pianist Ji, who offers a program including Bach’s Partita No. 1; the Bach-Busoni Organ Toccata, Adagio and Fugue; Ravel’s “La Valse” and Corigliano’s “Etude Fantasy.”

From New York Times • Dec. 6, 2013

The poem of Italian music, A Toccata of Galuppi's, wholly subordinates the science to the sentiment of the piece.

From Robert Browning by Dowden, Edward