Frederick Chopin knew all of Bach’s Preludes by heart; he used them diligently in his own practice sessions and also as instructional material for his piano students. When Chopin decided to write some preludes of his own in the 1830s, he took a more relaxed approach than had Bach. The German Baroque master had written one Prelude in each of the major and minor keys, and then matched each with a complementary Fugue, for a total of 48 individual pieces. Chopin wrote preludes only, without the greater intricacy of accompanying fugues, resulting in 24 individual pieces that were published together in 1839.
Here is Ms. Argerich, playing for you the Chopin Prelude Op. 28, #4:
