# Ten Opus Numbers - beat this!



## GraemeG (Jun 30, 2009)

I'm not intending to start an official game or anything.
But I was browsing lists of music and noticed a run of very high quality amongst Beethoven’s work. Can anyone beat ten consecutive Opus numbers of this quality?

Op 53 Waldstein Sonata
Op 54 Sonata No 22
Op 55 Eroica Symphony
Op 56 Triple Concerto
Op 57 Appassionata Sonata
Op 58 Piano Concerto No 4
Op 59 Three Rasumovsky Quartets
Op 60 Symphony No 4
Op 61 Violin Concerto
Op 62 Coriolan Overture

That’s quite a run. The man was in good form from 1802-1806!


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

Perhaps not as diverse as Beethoven`s ten but Schumann`s opp. 11-20 include many of his solo piano masterpieces.

I`d also suggest Brahms` opp. 111-120 as they cover all of his clarinet chamber works and his late _Klavierstücke_ but I presume some may question the quality of op. 113 _Canons_.


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## GraemeG (Jun 30, 2009)

Brahms also has a decent run from Op74 to 83:

Op 74 Two motets
Op 75 Four vocal Ballades
Op 76 Eight Klavierstucke
Op 77 Violin Concerto
Op 78 Violin Sonata No 1
Op 79 Two Piano Rhapsodies
Op 80 Academic Festival Overture
Op 81 Tragic Overture
Op 82 Nanie
Op 83 Piano Concerto No 2

But although it’s pretty damn good (there is no bad Brahms, after all) it’s not quite up the level of the Beethoven ten.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

I've thought a similar way about these in Mozart, (although there's a couple of cases of Gebrauchsmusik sandwiched within each group)

330 Piano Sonata No. 10 in C
331 Piano Sonata No. 11 in A
332 Piano Sonata No. 12 in F
333 Piano Sonata No. 13 in B-flat
334 Divertimento No. 17 in D
335 Two marches in D
336 Church Sonata No. 17 in C
337 Missa solemnis in C
338 Symphony No. 34 in C
339 Vesperae solennes de confessore in C

421 String Quartet No. 15 in D minor
422 L'oca del Cairo
423 Duo in G for Violin and Viola
424 Duo in B-flat for Violin and Viola
425 Symphony No. 36 in C, "Linz"
426 Fugue in C minor for Two Pianos
427 Mass in C minor
428 String Quartet No. 16 in E-flat
429 Cantata, "Dir, Seele des Weltalls" (fragment)
430 Lo sposo deluso

491 Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor
492 Le nozze di Figaro
493 Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat
494 Rondo for Piano Sonata No. 15 in F
495 Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat
496 Piano Trio No. 2 in G
497 Sonata in F for Piano Four-Hands
498 Trio in E-flat for Piano, Clarinet and Viola, "Kegelstatt"
499 String Quartet No. 20 in D, "Hoffmeister"
500 12 Variations in B-flat


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

Scarlatti’s K1-555 run was impressive

Seriously, it’s easy to out together a string of Chopin masterpieces, say anything between op47 to 61 which includes the last two ballades, the Polonaise Fantasy, Bercuse, Barcarolle, 3rd Sonata plus some Mazurkas, Nocturnes and Impromptus


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Anton Webern:

Op. 21, Symphony (1928)
Op. 22, Quartet for violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone and piano (1930)
Op. 23, Drei Lieder for voice and piano, on Hildegard Jone's Viae inviae (1934)
Op. 24, Concerto for Nine Instruments (1934)
Op. 25, Drei Lieder for voice and piano, on poems by Hildegard Jone (1934–35)
Op. 26, Das Augenlicht for mixed choir and orchestra, on a poem by Hildegard Jone (1935)
Op. 27, Variations for piano (1936)
Op. 28, String Quartet (1937–38)
Op. 29, Cantata No. 1 for soprano, mixed choir and orchestra, on a poem by Hildegard Jone (1938–39)
Op. 30, Variations for orchestra (1940)
Op. 31, Cantata No. 2 for soprano, bass, choir and orchestra, on a poem by Hildegard Jone (1941–43)


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Upon reading the opening statement of this thread, I immediately thought of Nicolo Paganini's magnificent Opus 1, the 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, and wondered what happened after that stunning debut.

For those of us interested in violin and/or guitar music, quite a bit I suggest.

Here are his first 10 opus numbers. Note that these works were not composed in a concise order and that most of Paganini's works never earned an Opus number. Make of it what you will. (I include the composition date.)

Opus 1 - 24 Caprices for Solo Violin (1818)
Opus 2 - 6 Sonatas (Violiin / Guitar) (1805-06)
Opus 3 - 6 Sonatas (Violiin / Guitar) (1805-06)
Opus 4 - Quartets Nos. 1, 2, 3 (Guitar & Strings Trio) (1806-16)
Opus 5 - Quartets Nos. 4, 5, 6 (Guitar & Strings Trio) (1806-16)
Opus 6 - Violin Concerto No.1 (1816)
Opus 7 - Violin Concerto No.2 (1826)
Opus 8 - _Le Streghe_ (Variations on a theme for Violin & Orchestra) (1813)
Opus 9 - Variations on the English national anthem "God Save the King" (Violin & Orchestra) (1829)
Opus 10 - _Il Carnevale di Venezia_ (_The Carnival of Venice_: Variations on the Neapolitan song "O mamma, mamma cara") (Violin & Orchestra) (1829)

Which, if anything, suggests that a listing of consecutive Opus numbers may not show for one composer what it shows for Beethoven. Opus numbers (likely publication chronology) may be rather random with respect to actual composition chronology. I'll take any 10 of J.S. Bach's BVW numbered Cantatas to prove the point, but I'm not sure it proves any such point. (Bach's BVW 1001 to 1006 comprise of the Sonatas & Partitas For Violin Solo, no small task there, to be sure.)

Still, the Beethoven list is indeed impressive. But, is anyone surprised?


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

This is obviously much easier for composers with few published works like Chopin or Webern. Even Beethoven usually has one or two minor or much earlier pieces in between, e.g.

122 Bundeslied
123 Missa solemnis
124 Ouverture Consecration of the House
125 9th symphony
126 Bagatelles
127 quartet Eb maj
128 Der Kuss (the Kiss, maybe from the late 1790s)
129 Rondo "Rage over the lost penny" (probably 1795)
130 quartet Bb maj
131 quartet c# min
132 quartet a min


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## Bruckner Anton (Mar 10, 2016)

Another very high quality run by Beethoven (a bit lack of diversity):
123: Missa solemnis
124: Overture
125: Symphony 9
126: Bagatelles for piano 
127: SQ #12
128: vocal piece
129: Rage over a lost penny
130: SQ #13
131: SQ #14
132: SQ #15

Essential late Brahms run:
113: canons
114: clarinet trio
115: clarinet quintet
116-119: piano pieces
120: clarinet sonatas
121: 4 serious songs
122: organ chorales


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

From Benjamin Britten - not too shabby at all, and some nice variety...

_A Ceremony of Carols_ for treble voices and harp op.28 (1942):
_Prelude and Fugue_ for strings op.29 (1943):
_Rejoice in the Lamb_ (after Christopher Smart) for solo voices, mixed choir and organ op.30 (1943):
_Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings_ op.31 (1943):
_Festival Te Deum_ for mixed choir and organ op.32 (1945):
_Peter Grimes_ - opera op.33 (1945):
_The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra_ op.34 (1946):
_The Holy Sonnets of John Donne_ for soprano (or tenor) and piano op.35 (1945):
String Quartet no.2 op.36 (1945):
_The Rape of Lucretia_ - opera op.37 (1946 - rev. 1947):


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Realizing that a sequence of opus numbers might include 'earlier' works published amongst the (then-)current compositions, perhaps a span of specific years might better illustrate any composer's 'white heat' period of creativity.

My first thought on this topic is Karol Szymanowski's hedonistic/Dionysian 'kick' during WW I:

Op.26 - Love Songs of Hafiz (1914)
Op.27 - Symphony No.3 "Song of the Night" (1916)
Op.28 - Nocturne and Tarantella (1915)
Op.29 - Metopes (1915)
Op.30 - Mythes (1915)
Op.31 - Songs of a Fairy-Tale Princess (1915)
Op.32 - 3 Songs (1915)
Op.33 - 12 Etudes (1916)
Op.34 - Masques (1916)
Op.35 - Violin Concerto No.1 (1916)
Op.36 - Piano Sonata No.3 (1917)
Op.37 - String Quartet No.1 (1917)
Op.37bis - Demeter (1917)

Using *Demeter* as example, it wasn't orchestrated until 1924 even though it was written in 1917 ... plus it wasn't performed until 1931.

As these situations take a long time, a composer's 'peak' period may not be noticable until decades subsequent ... or posthumously.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

The decade 1802-1812 was an extraordinarily fecund one for Beethoven, although John Harbison has opined that the most fertile period for musical masterpieces was the 16 months between the deaths of Beethoven and Schubert.


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

While I like the overall _oeuvre_ by Jón Leifs, I consider his output during the 1960s (the last decade of his life) to contain the definitive expressions of his lifelong artistic preoccupations.
After a couple of years of silence ('59 + '60), he burst out on fire in 1961 with no less than 6 compositions and continued onwards until his death with a sequence of mature works best demonstrating his core aesthetics:

Op.48 - Jónas Hallgrímsson in memoriam, (1961)
Op.49 - Boy's Song, "Strákalag", (1961)
Op.50 - Quintet for flute/piccolo, clarinet, bassoon, viola and cello (1961)
Op.51 - Geysir, (1961)
Op.52 - Hekla, (1961) 
Op.53 - Elegy, (1961)
Op.54 - Víkingasvar (Viking's Answer), (1962)
Op.55 - Fine I, (1963) 
Op.56 - Fine II, (1963) 
Op.57 - Dettifoss, (1964)
Op.58 - Scherzo concreto, (1964)
Op.59 - Nótt (Night), (1964)
Op.60 - Darraðarljóði, (1964)
Op.61 - Helga kviða Hundingsbana (The Lay of Hegli the Hunding-Slayer), (1964)
Op.62 - Grógaldr (Groa's Spell), (1965)
Op.63 - Hafís (Drift Ice), (1965)
Op.64 - "El Greco" quartetto III, (1965)
Op.65 - Edda, Part 3 "Ragnarok" (The Twilight of the Gods), (1966-68, incomplete)
Op.66 - Hughreysting (Consolation), Intermezzo for string orchestra, (1968)

As can be seen, Jón Leifs was doing just 'fine' in 1963. 

Here is my former TC thread on Jón Leifs' 4 iconic icy-hot pieces:

Rank these 4 tone poems by Jón Leifs in order of preference


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## Machiavel (Apr 12, 2010)

Mahler 2-3-4-5-6-7-8- das lied Von der erde -10


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Machiavel said:


> Mahler 2-3-4-5-6-7-8- das lied Von der erde -10


Sorry to put a dampener on things, but if ten consecutive works are the name of the game then presumably you would need to include the _Rückert-Lieder_ and the _Kindertotenlieder_ in order to maintain a chronological sequence.


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Londoner Benjamin Frankel had relocated to Switzerland in 1957 for multiple reasons (political betrayals, fiscal mismanagements, deterioraing health) and was henceforth able to focus & concentrate in earnest on his absolute/abstract compositions. Starting in 1958 & already over age 50, Frankel produced his first symphony as well as arrived at his personal blend of tonality with 12-tone techniques. Onwards until his death, Frankel's output during this 15-year period represents that which he is most remembered for - a modern symphonist.

Op.33 - Symphony No.1 (1958)
Op.34 - String Trio No.2 (19?)
Op.35 - Bagatelles for 11 instruments (1959)
Op.36 - Messa strumentale (1960)
Op.37 - Serenata Concertante (1960)
Op.38 - Symphony No.2 (1962)
Op.39 - Violin Sonata No.2 (1962)
Op.40 - Symphony No.3 (1964)
Op.41 - Clarinet Trio No.2 (1964)
Op.42 - ?
Op.43 - String Quartet No.5 (1965)
Op.44 - Symphony No.4 (1966)
Op.45 - Viola Concerto (1967)
Op.46 - Symphony No.5 (1967)
Op.47 - Concert piece (1968)
Op.48 - Concerto grosso (1968)
Op.49 - Symphony No.6 (1969)
Op.50 - Symphony No.7 (1970)
Op.51 - Overture to a Ceremony (1970)
Op.52 - Marching Song (1972)
Op.53 - Symphony No.8 (1971)
Op.54 - Pièces Melodique (1972)

Apologies for not knowing what Opus #42 might be - perhaps an unfinished work? 
Seems as though the Opus 34 Trio may have been published by 1961, but I'm unsure when it was written/completed.

In addition to the above, Frankel continued to provide music for cinema and television concurrent with this contemporary 'classical' body of works. Particularly notable is *Curse of the Werewolf*, written around late 1960/early '61, which purportedly was the first formal 12-tone British film score.


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Another example (this one being 15 consecutive works) of a composer's core _oeuvre_ occurring during the 2nd half of life: Fartein Valen (1887-1952).

Op.30 - Symphony No. 1 (1937-39, ©1947)
Op.31 - Zwei Lieder, for soprano and piano (1939, not published until ©1976)
Op.32 - Die dunkle Nacht der Seele, for soprano and orchestra (Juan de la Cruz) (1939)
Op.33 - Prelude and Fugue for organ (1939, ©1948)
Op.34 - Pastoral for organ (1939, ©1949)
Op.35 - Ode til ensomheten (Ode to the solitude) for orchestra (1939, ©1955)
Op.36 - Intermezzo for piano (1939-40, ©1952)
Op.37 - Concerto for violin and orchestra (1940, ©1948)
Op.38 - Piano Sonata No.2 (1940-41 , ©1948)
Op.39 - Zwei Lieder, for sopran and piano (1941, ©1954)
Op.40 - Symphony No.2 (1941-44)
Op.41 - Symphony No.3 (1944-46 , ©1949)
Op.42 - Serenad for wind quintet (1946-47)
Op.43 - Symphony No.4 (1947-49 , ©1949)
Op.44 - Concerto for piano and orchestra (1949-50, ©1953)


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Prodromides said:


> Another example (this one being 15 consecutive works) of a composer's core _oeuvre_ occurring during the 2nd half of life: Fartein Valen (1887-1952).
> 
> Op.30 - Symphony No. 1 (1937-39, ©1947)
> Op.31 - Zwei Lieder, for soprano and piano (1939, not published until ©1976)
> ...


*Fartein Valen* is a wonderful composer, hardly ever mentioned on TC. :tiphat:


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