what does the opus number mean in classical music?
In the title of a piece of classical music, what does the opus number mean? For instance, my favorite piano piece is Beethoven’s « Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 « Pathetique » (as printed on this CD I’m looking at). If it’s the eighth piano sonata, does « Opus 13″ mean his thirteenth work overall?
Opus simply means « work ». Early on (1700′s) usually publishers assigned opus numbers upon publication sometimes grouping compositions together in sets (Op. 4, No. 1, No.2, etc.) often without regard to the date of composition. Starting in the 1800′s many composers, including Beethoven, started assigning their own opus numbers to their works when they started or finished a composition. The use of opus numbers depends on the composer – some using them, some not and some off and on. Prokofiev even assigned a new opus number to revisions of the same piece.
More info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opus_number
Musician, composer, teacher.
Grigory Sokolov – rondo alla ingharese quasi un caprIccio – opus 129 – Beethoven
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