# What is an Opus?



## Jord (Aug 13, 2012)

What's an Opus?
My guess is kind of like BWV with Bach or K with Scarlatti? Or something to do with movements?


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## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

A published work. Opus 1 would be the first published works of a composer. Opus 32 would be the 32nd etc. Opus numbers are, however, frequently more than one work combined, such as many of Haydn's string quartets. For example, the opus 33 are six string quartets, but were published in one go so are a single opus number.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Latin for work. Any composition numbered by the composer usually.


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## Jord (Aug 13, 2012)

Okay thanks


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## Guest (Sep 30, 2012)

And don't forget to learn the plural.... opera!


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## Hassid (Sep 29, 2012)

I don't thing so; it's operis.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

No the plural is opera.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

No, opera is that daytime TV hostess. You people are opus!


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

starthrower said:


> No, opera is that daytime TV hostess. You people are opus!


No, that plural is opusses.


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## crmoorhead (Apr 6, 2011)

An opus is an octopus with one remaining limb. 

Sorry, what those guys said.  Also the Opus Nos are always (as far as I can tell) assigned by the composer as an official catalogue of their work, usually in order of publication. Sometimes they don't give a piece or collection of pieces an opus number eg. Brahms Hungarian Dances don't have an opus number. Bela Bartok changed his mind and started from Opus 1 three times. With the K numbers and BWV, this is known as the catalogue number usually named after the person who catalogued the works of that composer eg. Haydn and Hoboken No. created by Anthony van Hoboken or an acronym in German for Catalogue of works by X eg BWV (Bach Works Catalogue or Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis). These are useful as it is usually more organised and written after the composer's death. Also, Baroque composers (and many classical period composers) did not number their works, so somebody had to create a catalogue in a later era.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

You know what would be absolutely amazing? If I (or any other composer) wrote some pieces that were titled "Opus" So for example you could have Opus No. 1, for electric viola, beatboxer, laptop, electric bass, and harp in B minor, Op. 1, and then later in that composer's career, they write Opus No. 2, for theremin, tympani, and recorder dodectet in C-flat minor, Op. 58 :3 and so on~ Just for the lulz of confusing folks in the distant future. Opus No.1, Op. 1, Opus No.2, Op 58, Opus No. 3, Op. 62, Three Opuses, Op. 131. And even better, they have nothing in common at all besides name designation :3 The Opus is an abstract meaningless form name (well, _more_ meaningless than 90% of form names).

Also, I thought Opera was a search engine that nobody uses?


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Opera and opuses are perfectly acceptable forms for the plural of opus.

I remember when I was younger (middle school) and "opus" confused me. I thought it meant an individual piece, but when I saw Holst's Planets was a single opus, I was confused, thinking that was a lot of work just to make a single work, and he could have made each planet an opus. But no matter what form, a work is a work, be it a short piano piece, or an entire opera (the singing kind).


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

I used to use Opera on the computer. XD


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## Philip (Mar 22, 2011)

Whatever happened to dictionaries and google... ?


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Philip said:


> Whatever happened to dictionaries and google... ?


Or just Wikipedia.


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## Philip (Mar 22, 2011)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Or just Wikipedia.


asking somebody else to look it up for you is much better


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Philip said:


> asking somebody else to look it up for you is much better


Or asking someone to ask someone else to look it up for them so they can tell you is twice as good as that. It's how I do my homework sometimes.


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