Praeludium in D minor, BuxWV 140
by Dieterich Buxtehude
One of Buxtehude's finest organ praeludia, this work exemplifies the North German stylus phantasticus — a bold, improvisatory style alternating free toccata passages with strict fugues. The 21-year-old Bach famously walked 400 kilometres from Arnstadt to Lübeck in 1705 to hear Buxtehude perform, staying four months instead of the approved four weeks. The D-minor Praeludium, with its dramatic opening gestures, idiomatic pedal writing, and tightly argued fugue subject, stands as a model of the genre that directly influenced Bach's own organ works.
Editions
Breitkopf & Härtel
Philip Spitta, 1876
First published edition in Spitta's complete works; the historical reference edition, now in the public domain.
Wilhelm Hansen
Sørensen / Held, 1994
Modern critical edition from the new complete Buxtehude organ works; the scholarly standard for performance.