chorale prelude, a short setting for organ of a German Protestant chorale melody, used to introduce congregational singing of the hymn (chorale). It is epitomized by the numerous examples composed by J.S. Bach, who built upon a 17th-century tradition identified with the work of Dietrich Buxtehude and Johann Pachelbel, among others. The chorale prelude retained improvisational characteristics even as a fixed compositional type. Typical examples feature the hymn tune as a cantus firmus (fixed tune), which is broken down into its constituent phrases played in long note values and preceded, accompanied, and followed by contrapuntal manipulations of their salient motifs.
Generically, the term chorale prelude is often applied to compositions that are not genuinely associated with the chorale but that do preserve the genre’s textural characteristics. The late 19th century witnessed a revival of the Lutheran chorale prelude with major works by Johannes Brahms (e.g., Opus 122) and Max Reger.