Gawthrop - Toccata Brevis

Ok so if there is anyone out there looking for a really fun and easy piece to learn, this is it. Toccata Brevis by Daniel E. Gawthrop. This short toccata in the French style makes a fantastic recital piece or postlude at church on a Sunday morning. The real beauty of this piece is that it is written to be easier than it looks and sounds. The manuals play almost the exact same thing the whole time, going between major and minor with a few transitional sections for variety. The theme in the pedals is memorable and easy to execute. The score even marks in pedaling to make things easier.

This piece, written in the 80's is Gawthrop's first serious organ work. Unfortunately, neither he nor his music seems to be known very well. However, people do like this toccata. As a matter of fact I played it in a recital just this week and got a wonderful response from it! Since it's such a short and simple piece, there isn't much else to say about it. I'll post my YouTube recording below. It's not my best since I had limited time on the organ, but it's fine. I recommend that everyone learns it. It's cheap to buy, satisfying to play, requires little practice to play, and people love it. Isn't that everything an organists looks for in music??

Toccata Brevis score

Yours in Music,

Jim