Symphony for Organ No. 5

The Symphony for Organ No. 5 in F minor, Op. 42, No. 1, was composed by Charles-Marie Widor in 1879, with numerous revisions published by the composer in later years. The full symphony lasts for about 35 minutes.

Structure

The piece consists of five movements:

  1. Allegro vivace
  2. Allegro cantabile
  3. Andantino quasi allegretto
  4. Adagio
  5. Toccata

Final movement

The fifth movement, in F major, is often referred to as just Widor's Toccata because it is his most famous piece. It lasts around six minutes. Its fame in part comes from its frequent use as recessional music at festive Christmas and wedding ceremonies.[1]

The melody of Widor's Toccata is based upon an arrangement of rapid staccato arpeggios which form phrases, initially in F, moving in fifths through to C major, G major, etc. Each phrase consists of one bar. The melody is complemented by syncopated chords, forming an accented rhythm against the perpetual arpeggio motif. The phrases are contextualised by a descending bass line, often beginning with the 7th tone of each phrase key. For example, where the phrase consists of an arpeggio in C major, the bass line begins with a B♭. The arpeggios eventually modulate through all twelve keys, until Widor brings the symphony to a close with fff block chords in the final three bars.

Following Widor's example, other composers adopted this style of toccata as a popular genre in French Romantic organ music, including notable examples from Eugène Gigout, Léon Boëllmann, Louis Vierne, Henri Mulet, and Marcel Dupré.

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References
  1. Classic FM - Charles-Marie Widor: Organ Symphony No.5 in F minor. Accessed 26 December 2013
  2. Musik skal der til
  3. Vielsen
  4. "Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)". Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  5. "The music setting to the marriage of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge to Miss Catherine Middleton". Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  6. The wedding of Princess Märtha Louise
  7. RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 Triple Thrill Pack Manual. Atari. 2004. p. 64.
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