Johann Sebastian Bach wrote many extraordinary masterpieces, many of which are still brought to life today through performances around the world. There are, however, many pieces that don't shine as brightly in the public eye. One such piece is Bach's BWV 543, titled “Prelude and Fugue in A Minor” and otherwise nicknamed “The Great.” It is said that this music is not a famous organ piece, but it does itself justice when compared to his similar and more famous works. With its many musical structures that weave in and out of the piece and its highly virtuosic nature, after hearing BWV 543 performed it is easy to understand why it is so nicknamed. To begin to understand the nature of a piece, such as the "Prelude and Fugue in A minor", one must first understand Bach and his influences. Before his knowledge of fugue became famous and was used to educate future composers of escapes, Bach was born in the Baroque era. He was constantly surrounded by war, chaos and a strong need for progress in religion, science and art. The world had gone through struggles for land, a movement to explore a new world and people executed under the guise of being witches. The effects rang clear and true in all people who lived in this era, including Bach This chaotic world, along with the great influence from exposure to music from other parts of Germany, Italy and France, produced a perfect climate for Bach's brilliance. The music he produced had a lot of control and a lot of talent. He liked improvisation, but he did not leave this task to the performer. Instead, he wrote very virtuosic passages for his pieces, with which the performer did not have much room for imaginative playing. Then there is his knowledge of how to write... in the middle of the paper... then with subjects and countersubjects transposed until the piece ends with a final cadence in the original key of minor. Throughout the entire fugue there are many virtuosic passages that would confuse the average musician. It is astonishing that Bach was able to create such intensely dense music while following the strict guidelines for the music of his time. Johann Sebastian Bach was known as a musical master and wrote many astonishing masterpieces. One of the lesser-known pieces is Bach's BWV 543, titled "Prelude and Fugue in A Minor" and otherwise nicknamed "The Great." It is said that this music is not a famous organ piece, but it does itself justice when compared to his similar and more famous works. The tight structure of the piece intertwined with its highly virtuosic nature is a prime example of the influence the Baroque era had on Bach and his musical thought process.