Catalogues of classical compositions
This article gives some details of the various catalogues of classical compositions that have come into general use.
Opus numbers
While the opus numbering system has long been the standard manner in which individual compositions are identified and referenced, it is far from universal, and there have been many different applications of the system. Very few composers gave opus numbers to all of their published works without exception:- Some composers used it for certain genres of music but not for others.
- Some composers gave opus numbers to some of their early compositions but abandoned the practice after some time.
- Some used it in a very erratic manner, or were subject to the wishes of their publishers, who for commercial reasons often presented works with opus numbers that bore little relationship to their place in the chronological sequence of the composer's works. In cases such as Schubert and Dvořák, one opus number could refer to a number of different works; or a single work could appear under different opus numbers.
- Some composers abandoned their early compositions and restarted the opus numbering sequence. Some did this more than once. For example, Bartók three times started numbering his works with opus numbers. He stopped the system in 1921 because of the difficulty of distinguishing between original works and ethnographic arrangements, and between major and minor works.
- A few composers allowed superstitious considerations to override chronological specificity in numbering: Massenet, for this reason, published an "Opus 12B" but not an "Opus 13."
Other composers simply never used opus numbers at all.
In some cases, the opus numbers that were established during the composer's lifetime are still used, but symbols from alternative comprehensive catalogues are used for unpublished works or works that have come to light since the composer's death.
Comprehensive catalogues
For the above and other reasons, musicologists have often found it necessary to produce comprehensive catalogues that incorporate the most up-to-date information available about the composers' works. These catalogues sometimes also include unpublished sketches, incomplete drafts, even doubtful works and those known to have been spuriously attributed, as well as writings and other non-musical output.When such a catalogue finds general acceptance, the sequence numbers allocated by the author then become the standard way of referencing the composer's works, and these numbers usually supersede the opus numbers that were previously used.
Some such catalogues are organised in a single chronological sequence; others are divided into different genres and listed chronologically within each genre; others are alphabetically arranged. Thematic catalogue indicates a catalogue with a music example for each entry, usually represented on one or two staves. A symbol is chosen to represent the catalogue as a whole, and this is usually the initial of the author's or the composer's surname, or an abbreviation of the title of the catalogue itself. In a small number of cases, different symbols apply to different parts of the catalogue.
Among the most famous examples of this are:
- the BWV numbers allocated to Johann Sebastian Bach's works in the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis developed by Wolfgang Schmieder. They are also sometimes referred to by their S numbers
- the K numbers allocated to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's works in the Köchel catalogue, created by Ludwig Ritter von Köchel. In Germany and other parts of Europe, the symbol used is KV, for Köchel-Verzeichnis
- the numbers allocated to Franz Schubert's works in the Deutsch catalogue, developed by Otto Erich Deutsch
Some catalogues have appendixes for doubtful and/or spurious works, arrangements, etc.
Thematic catalogue
A thematic catalogue is an index used to identify musical compositions through the citation of the opening notes and/or main theme of the work and/or of its movements or main sections. Such catalogues can be used for many purposes, including as guides to a specific composer's works, as an inventory of a library's holding or as an advertisement of a publisher's output. In addition to the musical identification, a thematic catalogue may contain information such as dates of composition and first performance. Works within a thematic catalogue can be grouped chronologically or by genre.Thematic catalogues produced as scholarly guides to the works of a particular composer provide a shorthand means of identification for their music. The Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis numbering system used for the works of Johann Sebastian Bach is one example.
Multiple catalogues
In a number of cases, more than one catalogue exists, or has existed, for the same composer's works. In most such cases, only one will be considered the current standard catalogue for the purposes of musicological indexing. For example, Liszt's works are now known only by S numbers, from the catalogue by Humphrey Searle, which superseded that created by Peter Raabe, which used R numbers. Older catalogues are included for historiographic purposes.But there are exceptions to this, such as:
- For Domenico Scarlatti, the Longo catalogue was in use from 1906, and although it has become generally superseded by the 1953 Kirkpatrick catalogue, L numbers are still seen in references. In 1967, Pestelli created a third catalogue, which has found acceptance in some places. Because all three symbols are often encountered, there is a concordance to help navigate between them.
- Beethoven's works can appear with an opus number, a WoO number, a Hess number or a Bia number. Until 1955, the opus numbers that appeared in the Beethoven Gesamtausgabe were used exclusively, but this edition omitted a large number of works. In 1955, Georg Kinsky and Hans Helm produced a listing of works that had not been given opus numbers, and gave them WoO numbers. This listing is often referred to as the Kinsky Catalogue. In 1957, Willy Hess produced a new catalogue of Beethoven's unpublished works, which included all or most of the Kinsky Catalogue as well as other pieces; Hess numbers were allocated to this sequence of works. In 1968, Giovanni Biamonti produced the Biamonti Catalogue, which sought to combine and update all pre-existing catalogues. Bia numbers relate to this catalogue.
- * Note: The WoO symbol has also been used to classify some other composers' works that were not given opus numbers, such as certain works by Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms.
- In Chopin's case, at least three latter-day catalogues vie for prominence: Maurice J. E. Brown ; Krystyna Kobylańska ; and Józef Michał Chomiński, whose catalogue is segmented into six parts, each part utilising a different letter. Hence, a work of Chopin can be referred to by its opus number and/or a catalogue number preceded by one of eight letter symbols.
- The cataloguing of Bartók's works is similarly complex. Bartók assigned opus numbers to his works three times. He ended this practice with the Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 21 in 1921, because of the difficulty of distinguishing between original works and ethnographic arrangements, and between major and minor works. Since his death, three attempts—two full and one partial—have been made at cataloguing. The first, and still most widely used, is András Szőllősy's chronological Sz numbers, from 1 to 121. Denijs Dille subsequently reorganised the juvenilia thematically, as DD numbers 1 to 77. The most recent catalogue is that of László Somfai; this is a chronological index with works identified by BB numbers 1 to 129, incorporating corrections based on the Béla Bartók Thematic Catalogue.
List of catalogues
Composer or publisher | Author, publication details | Symbol | Notes |
K | |||
2 volumes | |||
S | |||
Som | "mit Benutzung von Laszlo Somfais Autographenkatalog" | ||
B | |||
R | |||
AWV | |||
H | |||
Wq | Wotquenne's 1906 catalogue has generally been superseded by Eugene Helm's Thematic Catalogue of the Works of C.P.E. Bach, and H numbers are more usual | ||
CPEB | Contains vocal works. Vol. 1, containing instrumental works, not yet published | ||
; Ernest Warburton, Johann Christian Bach. Thematic catalog | Terry; W | 2nd edition with a new foreword by H.C. Robbins-Landon | |
JCB | Supersedes Terry's catalogue | ||
HW | |||
JFCB | "L" also used instead of "JFCB" | ||
JEB | |||
BWV | The designation BWV, an abbreviation of Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, which Schmieder created, is more usual for Bach's works, but S numbers are found in some older references; subsequent 2nd and 3rd editions are mostly reprints | ||
F Fk | Falck catalogue | ||
WFB | Supersedes Falck's catalogue | ||
VB | Bakfark's given name is sometimes seen as Valentin | ||
H | |||
BB | |||
DD | |||
Sz | Bartók's works have been designated by numbering systems developed by three different catalogers. Szőllősy's chronological index is the most frequently used. It includes Bartók's musicological writings as well as his compositions. | ||
GP | |||
Hess | |||
WoO | |||
Bia | The Biamonti Catalogue sought to incorporate all works listed in other places, including the Beethoven Gesamtausgabe, the Kinsky-Helm catalogue and the Hess catalogue | ||
2 volumes. Supersedes the Kinsky-Halm catalogue | |||
Столяр, Владимир «Людвиг ван Бетховен. Каталог сочинений» with Preface in Russian and English. Москва. Современная музыка. | Op.1-138, WoO 1-399 | The Stoliar Catalogue includes 1068 Beethoven's compositions; It is about 150 compositions more than in the Munchen Catalogue | |
L | |||
H | |||
C or Ch | Lists all kinds of musical works by Biber, notwithstanding the book's title. Non-thematic catalogue. | ||
Non-thematic catalogue | |||
WD | |||
B | |||
F | |||
G | |||
PB | Non-thematic catalogue | ||
WoO | |||
H | |||
SdB | |||
WAB | The Werkverzeichnis Anton Bruckner did not include any unfinished compositions or lost works. Lost works, sketches, etc. were added afterwards. Some other, still unclassified works were identified as WAB deest. The WAB deest works were later reclassified in the framework of the research project Digitales Werkverzeichnis Anton Bruckner of the Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften. | ||
BruWV | |||
BV | BV is used for original works; BV B is used for transcriptions, cadenzas, etc. Busoni's works are also seen with KiV numbers. | ||
BuxWV | |||
J | |||
2 volumes. | |||
H | |||
A | Chomiński's catalogue of Chopin's works is in alphabetical order, and uses the letters A, C, D, E, P and S. | ||
B | |||
KK | |||
T | |||
T | |||
C | |||
W | |||
B | |||
"based on the foundation laid by Jerald C. Graue" | |||
P | |||
L | |||
S | |||
S | |||
G | |||
K | Also seen as Kr. Non-thematic catalogue. | ||
L | |||
Y | |||
In | |||
P | |||
C | |||
H | |||
B | |||
S | |||
T | |||
G | |||
M | |||
FWV | Non-thematic catalogue | ||
RC | |||
FreF | |||
H | |||
H | |||
FWV | The Franck-Werke-Verzeichnis was compiled by Wilhelm Mohr, and Franck's works are sometimes referred to by their M numbers | ||
S | |||
FreisWV | |||
K | Supplements to Köchel's catalogue use the letters E, L and N. | ||
FuxWV | Only vol. I published so far | ||
C | |||
Part 2 and 3, containing vocal works, not yet published | |||
H | |||
H | available at https://web.archive.org/web/20190322080501/http://www.francescogeminiani.com/catalogue/catalogue.php | ||
H | |||
W | |||
W | Supplement to Wotquenne's book | ||
B | |||
RH | Non-thematic catalogue | ||
D | |||
RO | |||
CG | |||
DLR | |||
and Johann Gottlieb Graun | GraunWV | Supersedes the catalogues of Mennicke and Willer | |
M | |||
W | |||
W | |||
GWV | |||
EG | |||
A | |||
R | Also contains a symphonie concertante by Dussek | ||
B | Non-thematic catalogue | ||
HWV | The Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis was published in three volumes between 1978 and 1986 | ||
HWV | Appendix to HWV; contains doubtful and spurious works | ||
HG | The Händel-Gesellschaft has been superseded by the Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis | ||
HHA | The Hallische Händel-Ausgabe has been superseded by the Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis | ||
With a documentary biography by Klaus-Peter Koch | |||
HV or Hob. | The Hoboken-Verzeichnis was created in 1957. Haydn's string quartets are still generally referred to by their opus numbers. | ||
MH | Johann Michael Haydn, a chronological thematic catalogue of his works ; this has generally superseded the Perger-Verzeichnis of 1907 and Klafsky-Verzeichnis of 1915 | ||
P | Perger-Verzeichnis, 1907; also seen as Perger numbers; now generally superseded by Sherman and Thomas's 1993 catalogue | ||
H | |||
S | Reprinted by Westmead : Gregg International, Westmead, 1969. | ||
AV | |||
H | |||
HoWV | |||
H | L'Oeuvre d'Arthur Honegger: Chronologie, catalogue raisonné, analyses, discographie | ||
S | |||
EHWV | |||
JW | |||
Non-thematic catalogue | |||
P | |||
B | Also seen as VB numbers | ||
Krebs-WV | |||
KWV | |||
P | |||
S | |||
L | |||
and Maria Eckhardt | LW | ||
R | Vol. 1 subtitled Liszts Leben; vol. 2 subtitled Liszts Schaffen; was updated and expanded by Humphrey Searle in 1954, and S numbers are now usual | ||
S | Searle's catalogue, published in 1954 as The Music of Liszt, built upon the 1931 catalogue devised by Peter Raabe | ||
S | Revision of Searle's catalog | ||
LoWV | |||
LWV | |||
Lists instrumental works only | |||
S | |||
S | The catalogue also lists the works of Benedetto Marcello's wife Rosanna Scalfi Marcello | ||
H | |||
Saf | |||
EM | EM codes only for works without opus numbering and in the PDF version of the catalogue http://www.heikkiporoila.fi/hp/teksteja/honkakirja/erkki-melartinin-teosluettelo/. In Finnish only. Non-thematic catalogue. | ||
H | |||
MWV | |||
R | |||
MWV | Non-thematic catalogue | ||
F | |||
F | |||
SV | The Stattkus-Verzeichnis is based on Stattkus's Claudio Monteverdi: Verzeichnis der erhaltenen Werke, 1985 | ||
WV | |||
LMV | |||
S | |||
K or KV | Mozart's opus numbers are particularly scattered and useless and are no longer used at all. Köchel's Chronologisch-thematisches Verzeichnis sämmtlicher Tonwerke W. A. Mozarts was published in 1862 and has been substantially revised four times since then. KV numbers are often used for Mozart's works in Europe. | ||
WSF | |||
Included in " Beiträge zur Musikgeschichte Ostmittel-, Ost- und Südosteuropas" | |||
NV | |||
ED | |||
Non-thematic catalogue | |||
CNW | |||
FS | |||
AL | |||
O'Kelly family | OKC | O'Kelly Catalogue, pp. 367–450, comprises compositions by five members of the family incl. Joseph O'Kelly, George O'Kelly, and Henri O'Kelly. | |
P | |||
PaWV | Only vol. 1, containg the operas, published so far. | ||
MS | |||
R | |||
SP | SP codes only for works without opus numbering. In Finnish with a multilingual legend. Non-thematic catalogue. | ||
P | |||
Lists works by Josep Pla, Joan Baptista Pla and Manuel Pla. | |||
I | |||
B | Also seen as Ben | ||
FP | |||
SC | |||
Z | |||
Z | |||
B | |||
QV | |||
TN | |||
MR | |||
Lists instrumental works only. Also listed are works by Christian Gottlieb Postel and František Jiránek. | |||
P | Catalogue by Potito Pedarra on pages 327-404 | ||
P | Forthcoming | ||
RWV | Also seen as JWV | ||
Facsimile reprint of the 1773 catalogue containing 112 pages with 627 incipits by 148 composers. | |||
BI | |||
RolleV | Non-thematic catalogue | ||
BeRI | Lists instrumental works | ||
HRV | Lists vocal works | ||
Lists vocal music only. Non-thematic catalogue. | |||
Kaul | Rosetti's works are usually now given with catalogue numbers by Sterling E. Murray, although older numbers from Oskar Kaul's 1912 catalogue sometimes appear as well | ||
M | Also seen as Murray or RWV; Rosetti's works are usually given with catalogue numbers by Sterling E. Murray, although older numbers from Oskar Kaul's 1912 catalogue sometimes appear as well | ||
L | |||
lists instrumental works only | |||
JC | |||
Non-thematic catalogue | |||
Includes concordances of numbering by Kirkpatrick, Longo, Fadini, and of key | |||
Kk | |||
L | |||
P | |||
P | Concordance of the catalogues | ||
CSWV | |||
SchW | |||
SSWV | |||
Otto Erich Deutsch. Schubert Thematic Catalogue. Major editions: 1951, 1978 | There are also 173 opus numbers, see Schubert opus/Deutsch number concordance | ||
WoO | |||
SWV | |||
K | |||
and Lodovico Sirmen | |||
M | |||
R | |||
KSS | |||
S | Thematic catalogue of symphonies and symphonies concertantes | ||
S | Thematic catalogue of chamber music | ||
W | |||
StWV | |||
G | |||
AV | See also TrV. | ||
TrV | Based on the work by Asow and Trenner | ||
K | |||
L | |||
SmWV | |||
B | |||
D | |||
ČW | Thematic and Bibliographical Catalogue of P. I. Čajkovskij's Works | ||
TH | The Tchaikovsky Handbook | ||
TWV | The Telemann-Werke-Verzeichnis is based on Georg Philipp Telemann: thematische-Verzeichnis seiner Werke Systematische, 3 vols. | ||
Kor | |||
F | |||
G | |||
ETW | |||
A | |||
W | |||
G | |||
F | |||
M | |||
P | |||
RN | |||
RV | Supersedes all previous catalogues | ||
RV | |||
WV | |||
WV | |||
WWV | Also includes Wagner's literary works | ||
C | Earlier versions: 1977, 1990 | ||
B | |||
W | |||
J | |||
M | |||
K | |||
SC | Also seen as S-C | ||
S.L.Weiss - Works | WeissSW | see List of compositions by Sylvius Leopold Weiss | |
KO | |||
DF | |||
ZWV | |||
BAZ | Includes previously unpublished notes and letters by Zimmermann. First critical, musicologically-based catalogue of a composer of the second half of the 20th century. |