What does BWV mean Bach?
Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis
BWV stands for Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, or Bach Works Catalog. Wolfgang Schmieder assigned numbers to J.S. Bach’s compositions in 1950 for the cataloge Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke von Johann Sebastian Bach (Thematic-systematic catalog of musical works of Johann Sebastian Bach).
Are BWV numbers chronological?
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).
How is BWV organized?
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.
Why is Bach BWV?
In English it means Bach Works Catalogue. The catalogue was made by Wolfgang Schmieder in 1950. He took all the music that is known by Johann Sebastian Bach (some of Bach’s music has been lost) and gave each piece a number. Each piece of music by Bach therefore has a BWV number.
What does anh mean in music?
Anhang
[To Ludwig] Anh. means “Anhang” or Appendix. It is used with works whose authenticity has not been fully secured, in the case of Bach, these are works where only the text survives while the music is lost.
What are BWV numbers?
A “BWV number” is a number that uniquely identifies one of Bach’s compositions. These numbers originate with the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (Bach Works Catalogue) compiled by Wolfgang Schmieder in 1950. An up-to-date list of BWV numbers can be found on Wikipedia’s ➟ List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach.
