BWV Anh.

The BWV Anh. is a list of lost, doubtful, and spurious compositions by, or once attributed to, Johann Sebastian Bach.

History

First edition of the ''Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis'' (1950)

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 the 19th-century Bach-Gesellschaft edition for the collation :

Kantaten (Cantatas), BWV 1–224
Motetten (Motets), BWV 225–231
Messen, Messensätze, Magnificat (Masses, Mass movements, Magnificat), BWV 232–243
Passionen, Oratorien (Passions, Oratorios), BWV 244–249
Vierstimmige Choräle (Four-part chorales), BWV 250–438
Lieder, Arien, Quodlibet (Songs, Arias and Quodlibet), BWV 439–524
Werke für Orgel (Works for organ), BWV 525–771
Werke für Klavier (Keyboard compositions), BWV 772–994
Werke für Laute (Lute compositions), BWV 995–1000
Kammermusik (Chamber music), BWV 1001–1040
Orchesterwerke (Works for orchestra), BWV 1041–1071, originally in two separate chapters: Concertos and Overtures
Kanons (Canons), BWV 1072–1078
Musikalisches Opfer, Kunst der Fuge (Musical Offering, Art of the Fugue), BWV 1079–1080

The Anhang 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
II – works of dubious authenticity
III – works that were once attributed to Bach, but for which it had been established they were not composed by him

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

Second edition of the ''Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis'' (1990 and 1998)

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. Authenticity discriminations, based on new research, could lead to such repositionings within the catalogue, e.g. "" became "" 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^2a, contained a few further updates and collation rearrangements.
New additions to BWV²/BWV^2a included:

A few exceptions to the principle that compositions were not renumbered were when a composition from the Anhang could be recovered and/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 1121.
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. For example, was renumbered to BWV 149/1a
Slashes indicate movements: e.g. BWV 149/1 indicates the first movement of the Cantata BWV 149. Another example: the Mass in [B minor structure#Agnus Dei|Agnus Dei] of the Mass in B minor can be indicated as BWV 232/22, or alternatively as BWV 232^IV/4.

''Bachs Notenbibliothek'' (1992)

published Bachs Notenbibliothek in 1992. As a compendium of works in Bach's musical library, it listed as well Bach's own compositions, as works by other composers of which Bach owned a copy. Several compositions of this latter group are listed in the BWV Anh.. For example, the Kyrie–Gloria Mass for [double choir, BWV Anh. 167], is listed as BNB I/An/3 in Beißwenger's catalogue.

21st century

As of mid-2018 the Bach Digital website started to implement the new numbers of the next edition of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis. The editors of this third edition of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis recognised that the BWV Anh. had become largely unworkable, calling for a new approach.

List

Legend

Table

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