This prelude is taken from book 2 of Bach's 48 Preludes and Fugues known as The Well-Tempered Clavier, compiled 20 years after the first book. It has two contrasting themes, a lively fanfare in compound time immediately followed by a more dolce answering phrase in simple-time. All the players have lots to play, often batting snippets of phrases between each other, and there are some nice antiphonal moments in the second half. Commissioned for the Wells Cathedral School Double Reed Ensemble.