Note 142 — THE CHORALE PRELUDES (VORSPIELE)—TRIOS—FANTASIAS—FUGUES
Wallace Goodrich translation
These variations were published separately. Bach had them engraved about 1746 by Balthasar Schmidt in Nuremberg, in order to present them as the work for admission which the "Society for Musical Sciences" founded by Mizler in 1738 imposed upon each of its candidates. Bach was elected in 1747. He must have composed them, however, some years previously. The MS. and the engraved edition present numerous differences of editing.