ABSTRACT
The praeambulum stemmed from a basic manner of liturgical improvisation and therefore principally dispensed with semiquaver coloratura. It was strongly modally oriented, of functionally limited length and heavily dependent on a number of basic contrapuntal formulas and harmonic models. Though a good piece in itself, it is not outspoken enough in character to justify its removal from the relatively large number of anonymous praeambula to be found in the sources in question. The praeambula, WV 36 and 41, develop their middle section by fugal means. Since one of them, the long Praeludiuming WV 41, appears in LyB3, it seems that this represents the direction Scheidemann initially took in order to extend the basic praeambulum concept. While the most important one, KN207xv, forms a large collection almost exclusively devoted to praeambula, other sources mix them with different genres. The small Praeambulum in G WV 93 opens with the same formula as WV 33 and shows fine contrapuntal workmanship.
