Praeludium in D minor, BuxWV 140, BuxWV 140

Buxtehude's Praeludium in D minor (BuxWV 140) is one of the supreme examples of the north German Baroque organ prelude, a form Buxtehude perfected and which directly influenced the young Johann Sebastian Bach, who famously walked from Arnstadt to Lubeck to hear Buxtehude play. The work alternates freely improvisatory toccata sections with rigorous fugal passages, creating a form that juxtaposes rhetorical fantasy with strict counterpoint. The opening fanfare, the chromatic fugue subject, and the closing Gigue-fugue combine to make a work of extraordinary expressive range. It requires mastery of north German Baroque registration, manual changes, and pedal technique.