The Neumeister Chorales (BWV 1090-1120), sometimes referred to as the Arnstädter Chorales, are thirty one chorale preludes composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, presumably during his Arnstadt period (1703-1707). They were part of the Neumeister Collection, a manuscript compilation of chorale preludes for organ assembled by Johann Gottfried Neumeister (1757–1840), and discovered in the early 1980's. Five of the chorales were already known from other sources. The discovery of these pieces prompted a reconsideration of Bach's musical development by providing a new insight on his formative years: the Orgelbüchlein, for example, was previously considered his earliest essay in the form, while now it is evident that they are the work of a practised hand.
