In contrast to the large collections of partitas, along with the French and English Suites, Bach’s Fantasies, and his Preludes and Fugues besides the Well-Tempered Clavier have not come down to us as interconnected cycles. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why only few of these works gained widespread popularity. Only the much-acclaimed Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue BWV 903/903a and the great c-minor Fantasy BWV 919 have found a permanent place in pianists’ concert repertoires.
Some of the works compiled in this volume are undoubtedly juvenilia that do not yet hint at the mature Bach whilst nevertheless pointing out the composer’s fresh power of invention.