A walking tour of the streets of Georgetown at this time of year reveals that our neighbors take Halloween very seriously with an impressive display of creepy creativity. As we draw closer to October 31, there’s one piece of music that defines the occasion, instantly recognizable by its first three notes alone: the Toccata in D minor. Though it’s universally ascribed to J.S. Bach, even being assigned the catalog number BWV 545, it’s perhaps fitting that who composed this piece of music most associated with mystery and even horror, is itself a mystery. Measured against other compositions by J.S. Bach, this piece stands out in unusual ways. Musicologists say it’s too simple to have been written by Bach at the height of his contrapuntal powers, yet too modern to have been written by a young Bach. However, such debates are lost on the average tricker treater in whom the haunting first notes, a simple whole step down, then back up, never fails to produce a chill. There are objectively “creepier” pieces of organ music, but theater organists, well before there was sound with film, played this piece to illustrate horror and villainy. With the advent of sound in film, the Toccata and Fugue in D minor have been used in dozens of films to conjure a spooky spirit. On Sunday, in an attempt to reclaim this piece for its noble, liturgical qualities, the Fugue will be played as the prelude, and the infamous Toccata will close the service, sending you into the streets of Georgetown with perhaps just a hint of a chill, despite the predicted high of 66 degrees.
Peace,
Mark
