List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach


composed cantatas, motets, masses, Magnificats, Passions, oratorios, four-part chorales, songs and arias. His instrumental music includes concertos, suites, sonatas, fugues, and other works for organ, harpsichord, lute, violin, cello, flute, chamber ensemble and orchestra.
There are over 1000 known compositions by Bach. Nearly all of them are listed in the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, which is the best known and most widely used catalogue of Bach's compositions.

Listing Bach's compositions

Some of the early biographies of Johann Sebastian Bach contain lists of his compositions. For instance, his obituary contains a list of the instrumental compositions printed during the composer's lifetime, followed by an approximate list of his unpublished work. The, by Johann Nikolaus Forkel, follows the same approach: its ninth chapter first lists printed works, followed by a rough overview of the unpublished ones. In the first half of the 19th century more works were published, so the next biographies had more elaborate appendices listing printed works, referring to these works by publisher, and the number or page number given to the works in these publications. So, for example, the Prelude and Fugue in E-flat major can be indicated as "C. F. Peters Vol. III No. 1", or any of the variants

BG

In the second half of the 19th century the Bach-Gesellschaft published all of Bach's works in around 50 volumes, the so-called Bach Gesellschaft Ausgabe. This offered a unique identification of all of Bach's known works, a system that was quickly adopted, for instance by the biographers: Philipp Spitta used it complementarily to the Peters edition numbering for the BG volumes that had appeared when he was writing his Bach-biography in the second half of the 19th century, and Terry used it in the third Appendix to his 20th-century translation of Forkel's biography.
But there was still a lot of confusion: some authors preferred to list Bach's works according to Novello's editions, or Augener's, or Schirmer's,... giving rise to various conversion tables at the end of books on Bach's compositions.

NBG

In 1900 the BG published its last volume, and dissolved itself, as its primary goal, publishing all of Bach's known works, was accomplished. The BG was succeeded by the Neue Bachgesellschaft, with a new set of goals. Occasionally however the NBG published newly discovered works, or variants not published in the [|BGA]. For instance the 1740s version of O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht was published in NBG XVII1 in 1916.

[|BWV]

In 1950 the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis was published, allocating a unique number to every known composition by Bach. Wolfgang Schmieder, the editor of that catalogue, grouped the compositions by genre, largely following BG for the collation :
, thus it identifies every movement of every composition by its first measures, like the opening of BWV 1006, movement 2 above.
  1. Kantaten, BWV 1–224
  2. Motetten, BWV 225–231
  3. Messen, Messensätze, Magnificat, BWV 232–243
  4. Passionen, Oratorien, BWV 244–249
  5. Vierstimmige Choräle, BWV 250–438
  6. Lieder, Arien, Quodlibet, BWV 439–524
  7. Werke für Orgel, BWV 525–771
  8. Werke für Klavier, BWV 772–994
  9. Werke für Laute, BWV 995–1000
  10. Kammermusik, BWV 1001–1040
  11. Orchesterwerke, BWV 1041–1071, originally in two separate chapters: Concertos and Overtures
  12. Kanons, BWV 1072–1078
  13. Musikalisches Opfer, Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1079–1080
For instance, the Prelude and Fugue in E-flat major now became BWV 552, situated in the range of the works for organ. In contrast to other catalogues such as the Köchel catalogue for Mozart's compositions there is no attempt at chronological organization in the BWV numbering, for instance BWV 992 is an early composition by Bach. Exceptionally BWV numbers are also indicated as Schmieder numbers.
Another consequence of the ordering principles of the BWV was that it tore known collections apart, for instance Clavier-Übung III was partly in the organ compositions range, with the four duets listed among the keyboard compositions.

BWV Anh.

The Anhang, i.e. Appendix, of the BWV listed works that were not suitable for the main catalogue, in three sections:
Within each section of the Anhang the works are sorted by genre, following the same sequence of genres as the main catalogue.

BWV2a

Schmieder published the BWV's second edition in 1990, with some modifications regarding authenticity discriminations, and more works added to the main catalogue and the Anhang. A strict numerical collation was abandoned to insert additions, or when for another reason compositions were regrouped. For example, BWV 11, formerly listed as a Cantata, was moved to the fourth chapter of the main catalogue as an Oratorio. Rather than renumbering a composition, an arrow indicated where the composition was inserted: "" meaning "BWV 11, inserted after BWV 249b". Similarly, meant BWV 1083, inserted after BWV 243a. Also authenticity discriminations, based on new research, could lead to such repositionings within the catalogue, e.g. "" became " indicating it was now considered a spurious work.
In 1998 Alfred Dürr and Yoshitake Kobayashi published a small edition of the catalogue, based on the 1990 second edition. This edition, known as BWV2a, contained a few further updates and collation rearrangements.
New additions to BWV2/BWV2a included:
A few exceptions to the principle that compositions weren't renumbered were when a composition from the Anhang could be recovered and/or authenticated as Bach's, so that it deserved a place in the main catalogue, in which case it was given a number above 1080. So, for example, BWV Anh. 205 → BWV 1121.
Other renumberings and additional numbers involved alternative or earlier versions of basically the same composition, which were indicated by adding a lower case letter to the BWV number. Examples:
Some versions were completely removed from the catalogue, e.g. BWV 655b and c
Slashes indicate movements: e.g. BWV 149/1 indicates the first movement of the Cantata BWV 149. Another example: the Agnus Dei of the Mass in B minor can be indicated as BWV 232/22, or alternatively as BWV 232IV/4.

21st-century additions

were added in the 21st century.

Reconstructed versions

An upper case R added to a BWV number indicates a [|reconstructed version], that is a conjectured earlier version of a known composition. One of such reconstructions, the Concerto for oboe and violin, as published in [|NBA] VII/7 p. 75, based on the double harpsichord concerto BWV 1060, is known as BWV 1060R.

BWV3

As of mid-2018 the [|Bach digital] website started to implement the new numbers of the 3rd edition of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, which has been announced for publication in 2020. For example, the Leipzig version of the Christ lag in Todes Banden cantata used to be BWV 4 in previous versions of the catalogue, and, in BWV3, has become BWV 4.2.

NBA

In the meantime, the New Bach Edition was being published, offering a new system to refer to Bach's works, e.g., which is Series IV, Volume 4, p. 2 and p. 105, for BWV 552.

NBArev

Some years after the completion of the NBA in 2007 its publisher Bärenreiter joined with the Bach Archive again to publish revised editions of some of Bach's scores. These revised editions, aligning with the NBA editions, but outside that group of publications, were published under the name Johann Sebastian Bach: New Edition of the Complete Works – Revised Edition, in short: New Bach Edition – Revised, abbreviated as NBArev. Where the original NBA editions were exclusively in German, the volumes of the Revised series have their introductions both in German and English. Its first volume, NBArev 1, was a new edition of the Mass in B minor, appearing in 2010.

[|BC]

The Bach Compendium, a catalogue covering Bach's vocal works, was published in 1985. Occasionally works that have no BWV number can be identified by their BC number, e.g. BC C 8 for "Der Gerechte kömmt um" an arrangement attributed to Bach on stylistic grounds, however unmentioned in the BWV.

[|BNB]

Bachs Notenbibliothek is a list of works Bach had at his disposition. Works of other composers which were arranged by Bach and/or which he copied for performance usually have a BNB number.

SBB

The Berlin State Library holds an important collection of composition manuscripts relating to Bach. Some versions of works are best known by their principal manuscript in the SBB, for instance =, or according to the abbreviations used at the Bach-digital website .

By opus number, and chronological lists

Apart from indicating his first published keyboard composition as Opus 1, Bach didn't use opus numbers, so Bach's works can't be listed by opus number. Lists following publication chronologies are for example implied in the first list in Bach's obituary, and BG numbers – overall lists covering all of Bach's compositions in order of first publication are however not a way Bach's compositions are usually presented.
Listing Bach's works according to their time of composition can't be done comprehensively: for many works the period in which they were composed is a very wide range. For Bach's larger vocal works research has led to some more or less generally accepted chronologies, covering most of these works: a catalogue in this sense is Philippe Zwang's list giving a chronological number to the cantatas BWV 1–215 and 248–249. This list was published in 1982 as Guide pratique des cantates de Bach in Paris,. A revised edition was published in 2005.

Other composers

Various catalogues with works by other composers have intersections with collections of works associated with Bach:
;BR-WFB BR : Bach-Repertorium numbers for works by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, e.g. BWV 970 = BR A49
;Fk F : Falck catalogue numbers for works by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, e.g. BWV 970 = F 25/2
;H : Helm numbers for works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, e.g. BWV 1036 = H 569
;HWV : Works by George Frideric Handel, e.g. BWV Anh. 106 = HWV 605
;TWV : Compositions by Georg Philipp Telemann, e.g. BWV 824 = TWV 32:14
;Warb W : Warburton numbers for works by Johann Christian Bach, e.g. = W A22
;Wq : Wotquenne numbers for works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, e.g. BWV 1036 = Wq 145

Works in Bach's catalogues and collections

There are over 1500 works that feature in a catalogue of works by Bach, like the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, and/or in a collection of works associated with Bach. Of these around a thousand are original compositions by Bach, that is: more than a mere copy or transcription of an earlier work by himself or another composer.
BWV
BWV Anhang
Not in BWV
Sorted by BC, BGA, BNB, NBA, etc.

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By genre

Cantatas (BWV 1–224)

In the 1950 first edition of the BWV the cantatas were largely listed according to their BGA number:
Additionally Anh. I of the first edition of the BWV started with a list of some 20 lost cantatas, while Anh. III of that edition listed a few cantata by other composers.
BWV2a added many more lost cantatas and alternative versions to known works indicating lost cantatas or cantata versions, e.g. BWV 244a, the music of which was partially preserved in the St Matthew Passion, BWV 244.

Motets (BWV 225–231)

There are over a dozen motets attributed to Bach, about half of which are authentic by all accounts:
Bach's involvement with Latin church music, as composer, arranger or copyist, includes:
Passions and oratorios composed or contributed to by Bach include:
Bach's chorale settings are included in:
Songs and arias by Bach are included in several collections:
Associated with the Songs and Arias group:
Bach's organ compositions include:
Bach's works for harpsichord, clavichord and other keyboard instruments include:
Bach's compositions for lute and/or lute-harpsichord include:
Bach wrote chamber music for solo violin, cello or flute, sonatas for harpsichord and an instrumental soloist, and Trio sonatas:
Bach wrote concertos and orchestral suites:
Separate canons by Bach are listed in the 12th chapter of the BWV:
The list of late contrapuntal works contains only two items:
Additions as published in BWV2a

Additions to the main catalogue (BWV 1081–1126)

BWV Anh. 190–213 were added between the 1950 and 1990s editions of the catalogue
BWV numbers assigned after the publication of BWV2a:
There is not much system in the way works derived from Bach's compositions are listed. The "R" addition to the BWV number is only well-established for the reconstructions included in NBA VII/7. For some series of transcriptions and arrangements works catalogues of these transcribers/arrangers may hold sublists with works derived from compositions by Bach.

Reconstructed concertos

Each reconstructed concerto is created after the harpsichord concerto for the presumed original instrument. Such reconstructions are commonly referred to as, for example, BWV 1052R. Other reconstructions and completions of for instance BWV 1059 have been indicated as BWV 1059, or BWV 1059a.

Adaptations

Transcriptions and arrangements in the catalogues of works by other composers include:
;Ferruccio Busoni: Catalogue numbers BV B 20 to B 46 are arrangements of works by Bach, many of which published in the Bach-Busoni Editions.