List of compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven

Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820

The musical works of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) are classified by both genre and various numbering systems.

The most common methods of numbering Beethoven's works are by opus number, assigned by Beethoven's publishers during his lifetime, and by number within genre. For example, the 14th string quartet, published as Opus 131, may be referenced either as "String Quartet No. 14" or "the Opus 131 String Quartet".

Many works that were unpublished or else published without opus numbers have been assigned either "WoO" (works without opus number) or "Anh" (appendix) numbers. For example, the short piano piece "Für Elise", is more fully known as the "Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59 ('Für Elise')". Some works are also commonly referred to by their nicknames, such as the 'Kreutzer' Violin Sonata, or the Eroica Symphony.

The listings include all of these relevant identifiers. While other catalogues of Beethoven's works exist, the numbers here represent the most commonly used and widely known. Years in parentheses denote dates of composition or publication.

List of works by genre

Beethoven, caricatured by J. P. Lyser

Orchestral music

Beethoven wrote nine symphonies, nine concertos, and a variety of other orchestral music, ranging from overtures and incidental music for theatrical productions to other miscellaneous "occasional" works, written for a particular occasion. Of the concertos, seven are widely known (one violin concerto, five piano concertos, and one triple concerto for violin, piano, and cello); the other two are an unpublished early piano concerto (WoO 4) and an arrangement of the Violin Concerto for piano and orchestra (Opus 61a).

Symphonies

Beethoven is believed to have intended to write a Tenth Symphony in the last year of his life; a performing version of possible sketches was assembled by Barry Cooper.[1]

Concertos

Other works for soloist and orchestra

Overtures and incidental music

Chamber music

Beethoven wrote 16 string quartets and numerous other forms of chamber music, including piano trios, string trios, and sonatas for violin and cello with piano, as well as works with wind instruments.

Trios

Piano trios

The numbering of Beethoven's twelve piano trios is fairly arbitrary, and other than the three trios in Op. 1 as being Nos. 1 through 3, sources including both recordings and authoritative publications use other numberings from those shown here, or more frequently, none at all. It is more usual to identify a piano trio only by its catalog number and key.

String trios
Other

Quartets

String quartets
Early
Middle
Late
Piano quartets

String quintets

Chamber music with winds
Sextet Op. 71
1st movement
2nd movement
3rd movement
4th movement
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Sonatas for solo instrument and piano

Violin sonatas
Cello sonatas
Horn sonata
Other

Solo piano music

In addition to the 32 celebrated sonatas, Beethoven's work for solo piano includes many one-movement pieces, more than twenty sets of variations, most unpublished in his lifetime or published without opus number, and over thirty bagatelles, including the well-known "Für Elise".

Piano sonatas

Variations
32 Variations in C minor, WoO 80
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Bagatelles

Other piano works

Vocal music

While he completed only one opera, Beethoven wrote vocal music throughout his life, including two Mass settings, other works for chorus and orchestra (in addition to the Ninth Symphony), arias, duets, art songs (lieder), and true song cycles.

Opera

Choral

Songs

  1. Bitten
  2. Die Liebe des Nächsten
  3. Vom Tode
  4. Die Ehre Gottes aus der Natur ("Die Himmel rühmen")
  5. Gottes Macht und Vorsehung
  6. Bußlied

Folksong arrangements

Secular vocal works

Music for wind band

List of works by number

The following is a list of Beethoven's works, sorted by Opus number, followed by works listed as WoO in the Kinsky–Halm Catalogue, and then works listed in the appendix of that catalog, which are given "Anh" numbers, whose composition by Beethoven has since been verified. These are followed by additional works listed in the catalog of Willy Hess that are not otherwise listed in the Kinsky–Halm Catalogue. The chronologically comprehensive Biamonti Catalogue is not listed here.

Works with opus numbers

Works without opus numbers

Works with WoO numbers

The numbers and categories used below are from the Kinsky–Halm Catalogue of 1955. WoO is an abbreviation of "Werke ohne Opuszahl", German for "Works without Opus number".

Instrumental works: WoO 1–86

Orchestral works

Orchestra alone

Concertante

Dances

Marches and dances for winds
March in D major, or Great March in D (WoO 24)
Performed by the U.S. Marine Band
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Chamber works Without piano
Rondino in E-flat major, WoO 25
Performed by Kevin MacLeod
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With piano

Piano works for 2 or 4 hands Sonatas and single-movement works

Variations

Dances
Écossaise in E-flat major, WoO 86
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Vocal works: WoO 87–205

Cantatas, choruses and arias with orchestra

Works for multiple voices with piano accompaniment, or unaccompanied

Lieder and songs for solo voice and piano

Folksong arrangements for one or more voices, with piano trio accompaniment

Vocal canons

Musical jokes, quips, and dedications

Works with Anhang (Anh.) numbers

These are works from the Appendix (Anhang in German) of Kinsky's catalog that were attributed to Beethoven at the time the catalog was compiled, but might not have been written by him.

Selected works with Hess (H) numbers

These works have numbers that were assigned by Willy Hess. Many of the works in the Hess catalog also have WoO numbers; those entries are not listed here.
Fugue arranged for string quintet, H 38
Arrangement of Bach's fugue
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Ländler in C minor, H 68
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Works with Biamonti numbers

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Beethoven: The Immortal". Retrieved 20 November 2008.
  2. ↑ "The Unheard Beethoven". unheardbeethoven.org. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  3. ↑ String Quintet (viola) in C major, Op. 29, Der Sturm, earsense.org
  4. ↑ 24 Variations on 'Venni Amore' by Vincenzio Righini, WoO 65: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Howard Ferguson's 1986 edition of the Bagatelles for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music includes six of the piano pieces without opus numbers as they are "very similar in character to Bagatelles, though lacking that specific title". Other sources vary in whether they describe individual pieces as bagatelles or by their tempo markings.
  6. 1 2 Lühning 1997.
  7. ↑ http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tunes-played-during-gun-carriage-procession
  8. ↑ https://davidderrick.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/funeral-march/
Sources
Catalogues and bibliographies
Works collections (scores)
Books
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