Johann Sebastian bach wrote his Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes, BWV 651-668 during his last decade in Leipzig (1740–1750), from earlier works composed while acting as organist in the Weimar court. The works form an encyclopedic collection of large-scale chorale preludes, in a variety of styles harking back to the previous century, that Bach gradually perfected during his career. Toghether with the Orgelbüchlein and the Clavier-Übung they represent the summit of his religious works for organ. The breadth of styles and forms represented by the Great Eighteen is as diverse as that of the Well Tempered Clavier. The pieces are on a large and often epic scale, compared with the miniature intimacy of the choral preludes of the Orgelbüchlein. Many of the chorale preludes pay homage to much older models in the German liturgical tradition, but the parallel influence of the Italian concerto tradition is equally visible. It is a mid-eighteenth century salute to the musical traditions of the previous century.
