Piano Forum



Enfant Terrible or Childishly Innocent? – Prokofiev’s Complete Piano Works Now on Piano Street
In our ongoing quest to provide you with a complete library of classical piano sheet music, the works of Sergey Prokofiev have been our most recent focus. As one of the most distinctive and original musical voices from the first half of the 20th century, Prokofiev has an obvious spot on the list of top piano composers. Welcome to the intense, humorous, and lyrical universe of his complete Sonatas, Concertos, character pieces, and transcriptions! Read more >>

Topic: Opus number question  (Read 1273 times)

Offline Bob

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 16364
Opus number question
on: December 27, 2013, 03:50:43 AM
Is an opus number equal to a "project" number?

What determines whether it's "Op. 2" vs. "Op. 1 No.  2?"

Is the composer or cataloger just saying, "Well, this is a group of works so it's all under one work number." 

And what's the cutoff?  If the project spans years... or one piece was composed later but really goes with the set? 
Favorite new teacher quote -- "You found the only possible wrong answer."

Offline senanserat

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 672
Re: Opus number question
Reply #1 on: December 31, 2013, 01:04:31 AM
I am pretty sure it is up to the artist. I mean look at Czerny's Opus, he divided it by "blocks" not length, (referring for the etudes mostly) so if you're wirrting something you get to decide t'was artistic freedom.
"The thousand years of raindrops summoned by my song are my tears, the thunder that strikes the earth is my anger!"

Offline quantum

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 6221
Re: Opus number question
Reply #2 on: January 02, 2014, 01:31:50 AM
Publishing order may also play a role.  Publication does not always follow the same chronological order the music was composed in.
Made a Liszt. Need new Handel's for Soler panel & Alkan foil. Will Faure Stein on the way to pick up Mendels' sohn. Josquin get Wolfgangs Schu with Clara. Gone Chopin, I'll be Bach

Offline senanserat

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 672
Re: Opus number question
Reply #3 on: January 02, 2014, 04:27:31 AM
Publishing order may also play a role.  Publication does not always follow the same chronological order the music was composed in.

Love that signature.
"The thousand years of raindrops summoned by my song are my tears, the thunder that strikes the earth is my anger!"

Offline kakeithewolf

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 556
Re: Opus number question
Reply #4 on: January 04, 2014, 07:52:19 PM
Personally, I consider opus numbers to be used for projects where the parts form an integrated whole. The one piece I've applied an opus number to, for example, has three parts to one work: An adagio, a passacaglia, and a sinfonietta. Originally, I wrote them to be played together, but they can also stand on their own.
Per novitatem, artium est renascatur.

Finished with making music for quite a long time.

Offline j_menz

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 10148
Re: Opus number question
Reply #5 on: January 07, 2014, 05:09:32 AM
Opus numbers are really only meaningful in a surprisingly small number of instances. Beethoven and Czerny and... um....Alkan and....  :-[

Great news for the Koechels, Deutzes Searles and so forth among us, though.

"What the world needs is more geniuses with humility. There are so few of us left" -- Oscar Levant

Offline senanserat

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 672
Re: Opus number question
Reply #6 on: January 07, 2014, 05:12:54 AM
Opus numbers are really only meaningful in a surprisingly small number of instances. Beethoven and Czerny and... um....Alkan and....  :-[

Great news for the Koechels, Deutzes Searles and so forth among us, though.



j-menz we missed you. A LOT
"The thousand years of raindrops summoned by my song are my tears, the thunder that strikes the earth is my anger!"
For more information about this topic, click search below!
 

Logo light pianostreet.com - the website for classical pianists, piano teachers, students and piano music enthusiasts.

Subscribe for unlimited access

Sign up

Follow us

Piano Street Digicert