Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes

The Eighteen Chorales of various kinds, also Leipzig Chorales presented Johann Sebastian Bach in his last years, together with the intention of printing them. This collection contains chorale settings for organ with two manuals and pedal.

Bach chose sentences from very different periods of life - most likely to be incurred in Weimar. In many cases there are several older readings, for example, the last two sentences are also included in Orgelbüchlein; not always soft, these early forms so far from the final version from that they received their own BWV numbers.

As always, Bach wrote not only, but took the opportunity to countless detailed improvements. The manuscript begins in solid, safe correspondence, but - probably due Bach eye disease - is increasingly uncertain and shaky. The last three sentences were written by Bach's son Johann Christoph Altnikol; According to the preface of the Art of Fugue by dictation.

The final chorale, Before thy throne tret ' I herewith is probably best known; he was under the name, if we be integrated in the highest needs of the editors in the Art of Fugue and is sometimes played to this day as its conclusion.

Overview in the wake of the autograph

Expenditure

• New Bach Edition, Volume IV / 2