Abbreviations
used in
Composer Works Lists & Thematic Catalogs

Opus Numbers

Opus (Latin for "work") is a term used to denote a piece or set of pieces. Usually, but certainly not always, the opus number indicates the chronological order of composition or publication. Beginning in the early 17^th century, as composers began to publish sets of madrigals, instrumental sonatas, or other works printed, the publishers would often assign numbers to these sets so that they could be differentiated. The earliest application I'm aware of is the assignment of "Op. 1" to Heinrich Schütz's first set of 19 madrigals published in 1611, but there are almost certainly earlier instances.

Relying on opus numbers can be a problem for some composers. This is especially true for early composers (before the 1800s), and for composers who have not published many works. Let me give you some examples. In the 17^th century, composers often went to different publishers in each country. These publishers might all assign different opus numbers to the same set of sonatas or concertos.

Some of Mozart's works were published, and thus bear opus numbers. One example is the three piano concertos #11-13, K. 413-415, composed in 1783 and published in Vienna as Op. 4. The sales of this set were successful enough for him to get his piano concerto #5, K. 175, composed in 1773, published the same year as Op. 7! Mozart's publications were rather spotty, so no one uses the opus numbers (see the next section).

A somewhat different situation exists with the composer Luigi Boccherini. Boccherini was a prolific and successful composer with many publications. Therefore most of his works carry a publisher's opus number, though these numbers may not reflect the actual composition order or chronology. However, Boccherini did keep his own chronological list of compositions to which he assigned his own opus numbers. Therefore, many of Boccherini's works carry two opus numbers. An example is his string quintet in C minor, G. 328, composed in 1780, was assigned Op. 31 #4 by Boccherini, but when it was published in 1813 it was assigned Op. 47 #10 by the publisher.

Works Lists & Thematic Catalogs

Over the past two centuries, scholarship into the works of specific composers has become more and more important as the historical significance of individual composers is studied and analyzed. Inevitably, as a scholar studies the output of a composer, a thorough and comprehensive works catalog becomes extremely useful. As these catalogs are compiled and included with biographical studies or used as a basis for the publication of critical editions of the scores, the numbering scheme used by the scholar occasionally comes into common usage. But why should these systematic numberings be necessary? As discussed above, opus numbers, though useful in some instances, are not always reliable or even meaningful, if they exist at all.

These works lists, or thematic catalogs, are somewhat familiar to even the most inexperienced classical music lover. Anyone who has seen a "BWV" number associated with a work by Bach, or a "K" number associated with a piece by Mozart has encountered one of these numbering systems. They are handy because they allow people to discuss these works using a shorthand method of reference. For instance, Bach wrote several preludes & fugues in C Major. There are no opus numbers for these pieces as Bach published few of his works. However, if someone mentions the prelude and fugue BWV 545, there is no ambiguity.

Another case is that of Boccherini mentioned in the preceding section. Using an opus number to refer to a given work by Boccherini is problematic at best. Therefore, the thematic catalog of Boccherini's works compiled by Yves Gérard and published in 1969 is often used in both scholarly works, and referenced in sound recordings. For the CD or record collector who endeavors to keep track of the works included in a growing collection, these works lists can provide an invaluable way of tracking specific compositions.

Abbreviations

The following table briefly explains the abbreviations used on sound recordings to identify specific works. Sometimes the abbreviation reflects the name of the author; sometimes the name of the publication in which the works list appears. There are many more thematic catalogs than are represented here. The purpose of this list is not to show every thematic catalog, but rather to provide a quick reference to some of the most often used numbering systems. Additions or corrections are welcome.

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