Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A virtuoso composition, usually for the organ or another keyboard instrument, in free style with brilliant passagework.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In music, a work for a keyboard-instrument, like the pianoforte or organ, originally intended to utilize and display varieties of touch: but the term has been extended so as to include many irregular works, similar to the prelude, the fantasia, and the improvisation.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Mus.) An old form of piece for the organ or harpsichord, somewhat in the free and brilliant style of the
prelude ,fantasia , orcapriccio .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun music A piece of
music (usually for akeyboard instrument) designed to emphasise thedexterity of theperformer .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a baroque musical composition (usually for a keyboard instrument) with full chords and rapid elaborate runs in a rhythmically free style
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Elliott Carter's rippling toccata "Catenaires," composed in 2006 when he was in his late 90s he recently celebrated his 102nd birthday, formed a pleasing diptych with the Ligeti and had in pianist Audrey Andrist a performer just as technically daring.
On the Verge of experimental dissolution Charles Downey 2011
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A scrunchy havoc of whip, sleigh bells, saxophones, bass guitar, as well as the full forces of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Nibelung note of a household hammer for good measure, bashed, danced and whirled through this 15-minute non-stop toccata.
BBC Prom 54; La fanciulla del West; Joyce DiDonato; Simon Keenlyside; Kronos Quartet 2010
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September 28, 2009 at 10:34 am wud yu laik a nys glas uv toccata wif teh katchatorry an?
CENTERPIECE - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? 2009
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Like playing a complicated piano toccata, she thought, every note held, then released just so.
The Life You Longed For Maribeth Fischer 2007
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Like playing a complicated piano toccata, she thought, every note held, then released just so.
The Life You Longed For Maribeth Fischer 2007
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Like playing a complicated piano toccata, she thought, every note held, then released just so.
The Life You Longed For Maribeth Fischer 2007
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Like playing a complicated piano toccata, she thought, every note held, then released just so.
The Life You Longed For Maribeth Fischer 2007
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(Soundbite of music) HANSEN: Rolf Lislevand playing a toccata by Alessandro Picinnini on the theorbo here in Studio 4A.
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And toccata was probably also a improvised form which became a composition form later.
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So hold the holy water and stifle the Mephistophelian pipe-organ toccata: Nestlé is using its corporate clout for good, not...evil.
Forbes Faces Of The Week: June 19-23Faces Of The Week: June 19-23 Forbes.com staff 2006
qms commented on the word toccata
On music my head is full of errata
From ears to medula oblongata.
I am justly famous
As an ignoramus
Who can't tell a taco from a toccata.
July 30, 2014