Symphony for Organ No. 5


The Symphony for Organ No. 5 in F minor, Op. 42, No. 1, is an organ symphony composed by Charles-Marie Widor between 1878 and 1879, whilst he was the organist at Saint-Sulpice in Paris. It was first performed in public on 19 October 1879, when it was played by the composer at the city's Trocadéro Palace. Following its initial publication, Widor made changes to the work in four subsequent editions. The full symphony lasts for about 35 minutes, and was recorded by Widor in April 1932. The final movement, a toccata, is one of the most commonly-known and frequently recorded organ pieces, having come to widespread attention when it replaced Mendelssohn's Wedding March at the marriage of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960.

Structure

The piece consists of five movements:
  1. Allegro vivace
  2. Allegro cantabile
  3. Andantino quasi allegretto
  4. Adagio
  5. Toccata

Toccata

The fifth movement, a toccata 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, Easter, and wedding ceremonies.
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 fortississimo block chords in the final three bars.
Many organists play it at a very fast tempo whereas Widor preferred a more controlled articulation to be involved. He recorded the piece, at St. Sulpice in his eighty-ninth year; the tempo used for the Toccata is quite slow.
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.

Usage at royal weddings

Denmark

Britain

Norway

Notable recordings

Video

Audio