Symphony for Organ No. 5

Its fame in part comes from its frequent use as recessional music at festive Christmas and wedding ceremonies.

The melody is complemented by syncopated chords, forming an accented rhythm against the perpetual arpeggio motif.

The arpeggios eventually modulate through all twelve keys, until Widor brings the symphony to a close with fff 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.

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.