The musical materials of the prelude are a descending chromatic bassline and simple arpeggiated chords above it; this is first stated solo in the manual, and, after a lengthy embellishment of a tonic pedal point, in the pedal. The highly embellished cadence that follows—full of manual runs over sustained pedal notes—leads into a contrapuntal exploration of the opening material in sequence; this is followed by a very free peroration. The Toccata-like prelude—in the stylus phantasticus—bears the marks of Bach's early, north German-influenced style, while the fugue could be considered a later product of Bach's maturity.
Date of composition | 1708 (1708-1725, unsure) in Weimar, Germany |
First published | 1867 in Leipzig, Germany |
Type | Preludes and Fugues |
Tonality | A Minor |
Catalogue | BWV 543 |
Approx. duration | 10 minutes |
Instruments | Organ |
Links | |
Autotranslations beta |
Jean-Sébastien Bach: Prelude and Fugue en la mineur, BWV 543 Johann Sebastian Bach: Prelude and Fugue in la minore, BWV 543 Johann Sebastian Bach: Prelude and Fugue a-moll, BWV 543 |