Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis
Encyclopedia
The Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis (abbreviated as HWV) is the Catalogue of Handel's Works. It was published in three volumes (in German) by Bernd Baselt
between 1978 and 1986, and lists every piece of music known to have been written by George Frideric Handel
. The catalogue also includes the first few bars of each piece and large amounts of factual information including manuscript sources, early prints, photographs, spurious works, etc. The catalogue does not include the full scores of Handel's works (for the full scores, see Händel-Gesellschaft
and Hallische Händel-Ausgabe
).
is numbered as HWV 56. The HWV numbers range from 1 to 612, however they do not represent a global date-ordering of composition; i.e. HWV 1 is not Handel's first work, nor is HWV 612 his last. Instead, the HWV numbers group works into musical categories, and provide a good ordering of the date of composition within each category. The following table lists the categories and the HWV number ranges.
Note that there are gaps and anomalies in the HWV numbering system, so the above table should be used only as a guide (see the List of compositions by George Frideric Handel for more details).
It should not be inferred from the HWV numbers that Handel wrote exactly 612 works. The combination of: unnumbered works, lost works, misattributed works, spurious works, variants (e.g. HWV 251 a-d), grouped works (e.g. HWV 229 1-7), and arrangements (e.g. HWV 482 1-4), all render meaningless the determination of the exact number of Handel's compositions.
Bernd Baselt
Bernd Baselt was a German musical scholar noted for his works on the composer Handel. He was a professor of music at the University of Halle....
between 1978 and 1986, and lists every piece of music known to have been written by George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
. The catalogue also includes the first few bars of each piece and large amounts of factual information including manuscript sources, early prints, photographs, spurious works, etc. The catalogue does not include the full scores of Handel's works (for the full scores, see Händel-Gesellschaft
Händel-Gesellschaft
Between 1858 and 1902, the Händel-Gesellschaft, or "German Handel Society," produced a collected 105-volume edition of the works of Georg Frideric Handel. Even though the collection was initiated by the society, many of the volumes were published by Friedrich Chrysander working alone...
and Hallische Händel-Ausgabe
Hallische Händel-Ausgabe
The Hallische Händel-Ausgabe is a multi-volume collection of the works of George Frideric Handel. It was first published in the 1950s: initially as an adjunct to the HG edition, but by 1958 as a collected edition in its own right...
).
Numbering
The HWV thematic catalogue serves as the modern numbering system for Handel's compositions. For example, Handel's MessiahMessiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
is numbered as HWV 56. The HWV numbers range from 1 to 612, however they do not represent a global date-ordering of composition; i.e. HWV 1 is not Handel's first work, nor is HWV 612 his last. Instead, the HWV numbers group works into musical categories, and provide a good ordering of the date of composition within each category. The following table lists the categories and the HWV number ranges.
| HWV numbers | Category |
|---|---|
| 1–42 | Operas |
| 43–45, 218 | Incidental music |
| 46–48, 50–71 | Oratorios |
| 49, 72–76 | Odes and masques |
| 77–177 | Cantatas |
| 178–199 | Italian duets |
| 200, 201 | Italian trios |
| 202–210, 269–277, 284–286 | Hymns |
| 211–217, 219–227 | Italian arias |
| 226, 228 | English songs |
| 229 | German church cantatas |
| 230, 233, 234 | Italian sacred cantatas |
| 231, 232, 235–245, 269–274, 276, 277 | Latin church music |
| 246–268 | Anthems |
| 278–283 | Canticles |
| 287–311, 343 | Concertos |
| 312–335 | Concerti grossi |
| 336–345, 347–356, 413 | Orchestral works |
| 357–379, 406–409, 412, 419–421 | Solo sonatas |
| 380–405 | Trio sonatas |
| 346, 410, 411, 414–418, 422–424 | Wind ensemble works |
| 425–612 | Keyboard works |
| A1, A3, A4, A6–A9, A10, A12 | Arrangements by other composers |
Note that there are gaps and anomalies in the HWV numbering system, so the above table should be used only as a guide (see the List of compositions by George Frideric Handel for more details).
It should not be inferred from the HWV numbers that Handel wrote exactly 612 works. The combination of: unnumbered works, lost works, misattributed works, spurious works, variants (e.g. HWV 251 a-d), grouped works (e.g. HWV 229 1-7), and arrangements (e.g. HWV 482 1-4), all render meaningless the determination of the exact number of Handel's compositions.
See also
- Händel-GesellschaftHändel-GesellschaftBetween 1858 and 1902, the Händel-Gesellschaft, or "German Handel Society," produced a collected 105-volume edition of the works of Georg Frideric Handel. Even though the collection was initiated by the society, many of the volumes were published by Friedrich Chrysander working alone...
(HG) - Hallische Händel-AusgabeHallische Händel-AusgabeThe Hallische Händel-Ausgabe is a multi-volume collection of the works of George Frideric Handel. It was first published in the 1950s: initially as an adjunct to the HG edition, but by 1958 as a collected edition in its own right...
(HHA)
External links
- http://infopuq.uquebec.ca/~uss1010/catal/handel/hangf.html HWV (by Robert Poliquin)
- http://gfhandel.org/composition.htm Work catalogue (HWV) (by Brad Leissa)
- http://openlibrary.org/b/OL2336096M/Verzeichnis-der-Werke-Georg-Friedrich-Ha%CC%88ndels-(HWV) Verzeichnis der Werke Georg Friedrich Händels (HWV) entry at www.openlibrary.org