Bach's seven Toccatas are early works dating from 1708-1710, some of them possibly dating back further. Here we find a youthful Bach, primarily interested in exploring the possibilities of virtuoso keyboard playing. What these Toccatas may lack in counterpoint and formal structure is compensated by their youthful ebullience. Their style makes them more suited to the harpsichord which is why these are comparatively rarely played on the piano. Nonetheless, in the hands of a skilled and sympathetic pianist, these are great works which deserve wider popularity.
