Maurice Ravel

Toccata

This transcription of Maurice Ravel's Toccata, originally very pianistic, has been completely rewritten to sound as if it had been composed for the organ, while respecting the composer's intentions as much as possible.

It is designed for an instrument with 56-note manuals and a 30-note pedalboard. Registrations are offered for a three-manual instrument and pedal, but the piece easily adapts to a two-manual organ. We have simplified the registrations so that the piece can be performed on many instruments, with a reasonable number of stop changes. The organist is however free to appropriate this transcription by adding and modifying the registrations as he wishes.

It is noteworthy that Ravel insisted that his Toccata be played as clearly as possible, highlighting the dialogue, even the struggle, between the two themes. This dialogue does not shine through in the same way on the piano as on the organ, where the sustained sounds take on more breadth and where percussive writing can seem softer.