> For the average listener, these systems [Catalog Numbers] will never come in handy.
On the contrary, it's the most convenient way to look up these works, whether to buy a CD, listen on streaming, or to find texts, librettos, sheet music, or discussions of the work.
To the point that I've just memorized that, e.g., BWV 232 is Bach's Mass in B Minor, and 244 is the Matthäus-Passion.
It also serves to filter out streamed performances *without* the catalog number, which indicates (at least) less attention to detail by the performers or streamers, and thus *possibly* lower quality.
And when used, it helps distiguish different versions of works: is this Esther, HWV 50a, or Esther, HWV 50b?
I go to one or two live performances a week, but am otherwise a very average at best listener, soI like to "pre-game" by listening to (streamed) recordings before listening live. It's much easier for me to type into a search engine Verzeichnis numbers rather than opus numbers and keys.
There are drawbacks: Spotify, in particular, employs a search algorithm such that a search for "BWV 140" will "helpfully" return BWVs 14, 104, 1044, and also "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140". Hoboken numbers for FJ Haydn's works seem to be applied inconsistently. The only "catalog" for Ralph Vaughan Williams appears to be on the website his eponymous Society.
But in general, it's very helpful to me when the programme listings for live performances include catalog numbers.
Ahhh, music! A release from work, illness, even a bad hair day. I enjoy listening to my Middle Ages and Renaissance collection while cleaning, washing, reviewing charts ... What you wrote is most enhancing and clarifying. Thank you, I already archived it as a Word document.
As a mostly retired performer and teacher (BMus, MMus, flute performance-major, piano-minor), this is an outstanding article, & do wish I had had it for my students in the past. Very excellent, and many thanks.
Thanks! One thing missing - what does "key" signify? The opening note? Or what? Nota bene, apart from listening to a lot of classical music, I have no musical training, for example, "tone" and "pitch" mean nothing to me. So I see that the key "G major" refers to the major G, but...
Forwarding to my piano students!
🫡
Thanks. Good reference file to give to others and to fall back on when trying to explain to others.
Thank you. I had been preparing to write something like this for my music site. You beat me to it!
Great article.
> For the average listener, these systems [Catalog Numbers] will never come in handy.
On the contrary, it's the most convenient way to look up these works, whether to buy a CD, listen on streaming, or to find texts, librettos, sheet music, or discussions of the work.
To the point that I've just memorized that, e.g., BWV 232 is Bach's Mass in B Minor, and 244 is the Matthäus-Passion.
It also serves to filter out streamed performances *without* the catalog number, which indicates (at least) less attention to detail by the performers or streamers, and thus *possibly* lower quality.
And when used, it helps distiguish different versions of works: is this Esther, HWV 50a, or Esther, HWV 50b?
I go to one or two live performances a week, but am otherwise a very average at best listener, soI like to "pre-game" by listening to (streamed) recordings before listening live. It's much easier for me to type into a search engine Verzeichnis numbers rather than opus numbers and keys.
There are drawbacks: Spotify, in particular, employs a search algorithm such that a search for "BWV 140" will "helpfully" return BWVs 14, 104, 1044, and also "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140". Hoboken numbers for FJ Haydn's works seem to be applied inconsistently. The only "catalog" for Ralph Vaughan Williams appears to be on the website his eponymous Society.
But in general, it's very helpful to me when the programme listings for live performances include catalog numbers.
Ahhh, music! A release from work, illness, even a bad hair day. I enjoy listening to my Middle Ages and Renaissance collection while cleaning, washing, reviewing charts ... What you wrote is most enhancing and clarifying. Thank you, I already archived it as a Word document.
As a mostly retired performer and teacher (BMus, MMus, flute performance-major, piano-minor), this is an outstanding article, & do wish I had had it for my students in the past. Very excellent, and many thanks.
Thanks! One thing missing - what does "key" signify? The opening note? Or what? Nota bene, apart from listening to a lot of classical music, I have no musical training, for example, "tone" and "pitch" mean nothing to me. So I see that the key "G major" refers to the major G, but...
Is the key just the base note of the scale that most of the notes are played on?