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At-A-Glance

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Composed: 1981

Length: c. 4 minutes

About this Piece

In 1981, German composer Andreas Willscher (b. 1955) gave his rousing Toccata alla Rumba the tempo indication “Allegro barbaro,” probably after a piano piece by Béla Bartók. The latter word of the tempo translates as “barbarous,” and perhaps that is an understatement, in light of its moments of loud rapture and cacophony.