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What does op mean in music?

Opus “Op.” is short for “Opus”, meaning “work”, and it numbers the composer's works in chronological order. Op. 95 is the composer's 95th composition.

arapahoe-phil.org - How to Read the Program - Arapahoe Philharmonic

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The booklet is often called simply “the program” for short, but the “program” can also mean the repertoire, or list of works being performed at a specific concert. For clarity, here we will call the printed document you receive at the door the “program booklet”. When we say, “the program”, we will be referring to the repertoire for the concert. Of course, nowadays, you may also receive your program booklet electronically!

Program Page

One of the most important parts of the program booklet is the program page. This page will list all of the compositions, the composers, and perhaps a bit of additional information about the piece. Since classical music comes from all over the world, you may often see words in other languages as part of the program. Not only that, but the English may not always look familiar if it comes from earlier times before standardization of spelling was put into place. There are some different types of names of compositions that might appear on the program page. You might have the name of a piece given to it by the composer, such as The Peer Gynt Suite (Edvard Grieg) or Bolero (Maurice Ravel). Another type of naming for compositions is based on the type of piece it is, such as Symphony No. 5 or Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. With these names, you won’t know specifically which piece is being played without knowing the composer’s name as well, as many composers may have created works with these names. Thirdly, a composer may name a piece, or especially a segment of a piece, based on its tempo. Examples here include Adagio for Strings (Samuel Barber) or Allegro from The Four Seasons, “Spring” (Antonio Vivaldi). Adagio is a slow tempo and allegro is a fast or moderately fast tempo. Another way the compositions may be shown is by their popular nicknames. Examples here include the “Choral” Symphony, Symphony #9 (Ludwig van Beethoven) and the “Surprise” Symphony (Franz Josef Hayden). Compositions may also include a number of other terms in their titles, such as: The key in which the work is written, such as A Major or G Minor. The letters A – G refer to the 8 primary keys in classical music, correlated to the white keys on a piano keyboard. If there is a “flat” () or a “sharp” (#) next to the letter, that denotes a half step below or above the main note, correlated to the black keys on a piano keyboard.

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There may also be the words “Major” or “Minor” next to the alphabet letter. Music written in major keys is more bright and positive sounding, whereas music written in minor keys sounds more sad or melancholic. Then there are abbreviations like Op. 95, K 467, BWV 1068, L 75/3, HWV 56, and WoO 59. What is this strange short-hand? Let’s start with Op. “Op.” is short for “Opus”, meaning “work”, and it numbers the composer’s works in chronological order. Op. 95 is the composer’s 95th composition. Another number may be added to the Opus number if there have been companion pieces created together. An example of this is Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” (Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor), which is Opus 27, No. 2, a companion piece to Opus 27, No. 1 (Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-flat major). During their lifetimes, however, composers weren’t always consistent about assigning Opus numbers, so subsequent musicologists have assigned other numbering systems to some composers’ works. All you really need to know when reading the program page is that these letters and numbers are a way of keeping track of all of the compositions of a particular composer. But if your curiosity extends a little further, here is some de-coding of systems that might appear on our programs: A number with a “K” in front of it, e.g. K 467, is by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the pieces are all numbered chronologically, so this would be Mozart’s 467th composition. It is his Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major. The BWV numbering system applies to works of Johann Sebastian Bach, so BWV 1068 was Bach’s 1068th?composition!

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HWV applies to works by George Frederic Handel. HWV 56 is Messiah, a famous oratorio in the catalog of Handel’s works. WoO (Without Opus) numbers apply to Beethoven’s extensive body of work. WoO 59 is Beethoven’s “Für Elise”, one of his most popular compositions. L 75/3 is Clair de lune, for piano (Suite Bergamasque No. 3), by Claude Debussy. Visit the Concert Glossary page for a translation of the Italian terms often used to indicate the speed of the music for each movement.

Personnel Page

This page will list all the members of the orchestra. Sometimes there will be additions such as extra players when a composition calls for more than normal of a certain type of instrument. Take for example, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring that calls for eight French horns! Generally, the strings will be listed alphabetically in each section, and the other players will be listed by where they sit in their section (oboes, trumpets, etc.)?

Usually there will be a biographical sketch about any featured soloists or guest artists. It will usually list their musical credentials, major works they have played, orchestras with whom they have performed, awards they have received, etc.

Program Notes

The Arapahoe Philharmonic program notes are written by Charley Samson, retired KVOD radio host. Charley, in his informative and occasionally droll way, will tell you about the compositions being presented, provide information about the composer and what was going on in his life at the time he created the piece, and perhaps give you entertaining and amusing tidbits about the work’s reception by audiences throughout history.

arapahoe-phil.org - How to Read the Program - Arapahoe Philharmonic

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