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Johann Sebastian Bach's vocal music includes 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, viola da gamba, cello, flute, chamber ensemble, and orchestra.

There are over 1,000 known compositions by Bach. Almost all are listed in the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV), 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a list of the instrumental compositions printed during the composer's lifetime, followed by an approximate list of his unpublished work.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 first separately published biography of the composer, by Johann Nikolaus Forkel, follows the same approach: its ninth chapter first lists printed works (adding four-part chorales which had been published in the second half of the 18th century), followed by a rough overview of the unpublished ones.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 (Schauer and Hilgenfeldt in 1850) 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 ("Griepenkerl and Roitzsch Vol. 3 p. 2", "Peters Book 242 p. 2", "P. S. V., Cah. 3 (242), No. 1", etc.)

BG

In the 2nd half of the 19th century the Bach-Gesellschaft (BG) published all Bach's works in around 50 volumes, the so-called Bach Gesellschaft Ausgabe (BGA). This offered a unique identification of all Bach's known works, a system that was quickly adopted, for instance, by the biographers: Philipp Spitta used it complementarily to the Peters edition's numbering for the BG volumes that had appeared when he was writing his Bach-biography in the second half of the 19th century (e.g. "B. G., III., p. 173" for the above-mentioned Prelude in E-flat major), and Terry used it in the third Appendix to his 20th-century translation of Forkel's biography.

Despite this, there was still much 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 (e.g. Harvey Grace's in a 1922 book on Bach's organ 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 (NBG), with a new set of goals (Bach yearbook, Bach festivals, and a Bach museum). 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 XVII in 1916 (the 1730s version of the same piece, with a different orchestration, had been published in BG 24, pp. 185–192).

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 (e.g. BG cantata number = BWV number of the cantata):

1. Kantaten (Cantatas), BWV 1–224
2. Motetten (Motets), BWV 225–231
3. Messen, Messensätze, Magnificat (Masses, Mass movements, Magnificat), BWV 232–243
4. Passionen, Oratorien (Passions, Oratorios), BWV 244–249
5. Vierstimmige Choräle (Four-part chorales), BWV 250–438
6. Lieder, Arien, Quodlibet (Songs, Arias and Quodlibet), BWV 439–524
7. Werke für Orgel (Works for organ), BWV 525–771
8. Werke für Klavier (Keyboard compositions), BWV 772–994
9. Werke für Laute (Lute compositions), BWV 995–1000
10. Kammermusik (Chamber music), BWV 1001–1040
11. Orchesterwerke (Works for orchestra), BWV 1041–1071, originally in two separate chapters: Concertos (BWV 1041–1065) and Overtures (BWV 1066–1071)
12. Kanons (Canons), BWV 1072–1078
13. Musikalisches Opfer, Kunst der Fuge (Musical Offering, Art of the Fugue), 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 (S) numbers (e.g. S. 225 = BWV 225).

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 (BWV 552 and 669–689), with the four duets listed among the keyboard compositions (BWV 802–805).

BWV Anh.

The Anhang (Anh.), i.e. Appendix, of the BWV listed works that were not suitable for the main catalogue, in three sections:

• I – lost works, or works of which only a tiny fraction had survived (Anh. 1–23)
• II – works of dubious authenticity (Anh. 24–155)
• III – works that were once attributed to Bach, but for which it had been established they were not composed by him (Anh. 156–189)

Within each section of the Anhang the works are sorted by genre, following the same sequence of genres as the main catalogue.

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: "BWV 11/249b→" meaning "BWV 11, inserted after BWV 249b" (4th chapter). Similarly, BWV 1083/243a→ meant BWV 1083, inserted after BWV 243a (3rd chapter). Also authenticity discriminations, based on new research, could lead to such repositionings within the catalogue, e.g. "BWV Anh. II 114" became "Anh. II 114/Anh. III 183→ 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 BWV, contained a few further updates and collation rearrangements.

New additions (Nachträge) to BWV/BWV included:

• BWV 1081–1126
• BWV Anh. 190–213

A few exceptions to the principle that compositions were not renumbered were when a composition from the Anhang could be recovered 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) → BWV 1121 (BWV, where it is in section 7 as a work for organ).

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:

• BWV 243a: 1723 E♭ major version of the 1733 Magnificat in D major BWV 243
• BWV 1071 renumbered to BWV 1046a (early version of the first Brandenburg Concerto)
• BWV Anh. 198 renumbered to BWV 149/1a (earlier abandoned version of the opening movement of Cantata BWV 149)

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 (22nd movement of the composition), or alternatively as BWV 232/4 (BWV 232, fourth movement of Part IV).

21st-century additions

Numbers above BWV 1126 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 (Supplement) p. 75, based on the double harpsichord concerto BWV 1060, is known as BWV 1060R.

BWV

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 BWV, has become BWV 4.2.

NBA

In the meantime, the New Bach Edition (Neue Bach-Ausgabe, abbreviated as NBA) was being published, offering a new system to refer to Bach's works, e.g. NBA IV/4: 2, 105, which is Series IV, Volume 4, p. 2 (Prelude) and p. 105 (Fugue), 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 (format, layout), but outside that group of publications, were published under the name Johann Sebastian Bach: New Edition of the Complete Works – Revised Edition (Johann Sebastian Bach: Neue Ausgabe sämtlicher Werke – Revidierte Edition), in short: New Bach Edition – Revised (Neue Bach-Ausgabe – Revidierte Edition), 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 (BC), 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 (BNB) is a list of works Bach had at his disposition. Works of other composers which were arranged by Bach or which he (had) copied for performance usually have a BNB number.

SBB

The Berlin State Library (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin = SBB) 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 BWV 525a = SBB St 345, or according to the abbreviations used at the Bach-digital website D-B Mus. ms. Bach St 345.

By opus number, and chronological lists

Apart from indicating his first published keyboard composition as Opus 1, Bach did not use opus numbers. Lists following publication chronologies are for example implied in the first list in Bach's obituary, and BG numbers (within the BGA sequence of publication) – 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 cannot be done comprehensively: for many works the period in which they were composed is a very wide range. For Bach's larger vocal works (cantatas, Passions,...) research has led to some more or less generally accepted chronologies, covering most of these works: a catalogue in this sense is Philippe (and Gérard) 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, ISBN 2-221-00749-2. A revised edition was published in 2005 (ISBN 2747598888).

Other composers

Various catalogues with works by other composers have intersections with collections of works associated with Bach:

BR-WFB (or) BR

Bach-Repertorium numbers for works by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, e.g. BWV 970 = BR A49

Other BRs:

• BR-CPEB: works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (for this composer Helm or Wotquenne numbers are however more often used)
• BR-JCFB: works by Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach

Fk (or) 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 (or) W

Warburton numbers for works by Johann Christian Bach, e.g. BWV Anh. II 131 = W A22 (or: Warb A 22)

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, or in a collection of works associated with Bach (e.g. in one of the Notebooks for Anna Magdalena 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.