Toccata and Fugue in D minor

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J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, is perhaps the single most recognizable piece of pipe organ music in the western world.

If there is an Ominous Pipe Organ in a Haunted House, it's probably playing the opening bars of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor.

There has been some debate as to whether Bach actually wrote the piece at all. It contains a number of stylistic anachronisms, which suggest it may have been written after 1750. (Then again, the later styles had to draw their inspiration from somewhere -- perhaps they drew their inspiration from this piece, and Bach actually started it all!) Another school of thought holds that it may have been originally written for violin (possibly by Bach but likely by another unknown composer), and then transcribed to organ by Bach.

Note that Bach actually wrote two pieces entitled Toccata and Fugue in D minor, but the second, BWV 538, is actually in the Dorian mode for the majority of its duration and uses a key signature (no flats and no sharps) usually used for A minor. The fugue part of this piece is, however, in the traditional minor scale (Aeolian mode). This piece is, of course, nowhere near as well known as BWV 565.

Uses of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor in other works include:

Anime and Manga

• Tamako Market: As Diegetic Music in episode 8.

Video Games

• The intro was remixed into the intro to the title screen theme of the Doctor Brain series.

Western Animation

• A fully orchestrated version served as the centerpiece of Fantasia's first segment.