The Flourish, Chorale, and Toccata was commissioned by the University of Chicago for Wylie Crawford on his 40th year at the University of Chicago's Rockefeller Chapel, on the occasion of its 50th "Bells of Summer" series, marking his retirement from the position. The request put to me was for a large-scale piece, 8–10 minutes in length. To that I put the requirement on myself that the work should use the entire range of the massive 72-bell carillon at Rockefeller Chapel. (I also arranged it for the four-octave range that is the expected standard for most carillon repertoire, since only two carillons in the world—both donated by John D. Rockefeller—could accommodate the original piece, hence this version.) The Flourish opens with a fanfare theme, somewhat reminiscent of Aaron Copland's music. The Chorale is in fact a presentation, and variation, on the Alleluia for the Roman Catholic "Feast of the Dedication," which seemed an appropriate theme, since this commission also commemorated an anniversary of the founding of the University of Chicago. Another prominent element in the piece is the Parsifal chime, which was the tune programmed into the clock at Chicago when the carillon was new. It presented straightforwardly in mm30–31 and in mm61–67 then the first four notes re-appear as a figuration in measure 116 and thereafter. The Parsifal figuration, the initial motif from the Flourish re-appears in the pedals, leading into a new, lyric theme, something of an epilogue to the rest of the piece, ending with another allusion to the opening of the Flourish. Of note also are transitional passages made up of arpeggio patterns in Messiaen's fourth Mode of Limited Transposition, mostly the fourth transposition (D♯, E, F, G♯, A, B♭, B♮, D, D♯), which first appears in mm77–78.

Flourish, Chorale, and Toccata is available directly from the composer in its original form (for 72 bells) and in a version for five-octave carillon (61 bells, with a low B♭). Additional versions are likely, adjusted for various performances. (It is for this reason that the composer retained the copyright.)

—John Gouwens