Collected Works or Complete Works – are multi-volume sets representing a composer’s complete compositional output; usually edited by musical scholars or even other composers. These are generally given the Dewey number SCO 780.81 in the A level stacks.
Some notes about 'Collected Works':
- A given composer can have more than one published set of complete works. New editions are sometimes published as new scholarship becomes available.
- Complete works are generally internally organized by genre-- e.g. all orchestral works, chamber works, vocal works together.
- Many include accompanying volumes of critical commentary (or Kritische Berichte).
- Major publishers of collected works include: Bärenreiter, Breitkopf & Härtel, Editions Durand, G. Henle Verlag, Scott, Stainer & Bell, etc.
- Publication is often spread over many years, and sometimes publishers change.
- Language terms other than English associated with collected works include:
- German: Werke, Sämtliche Werke, Gesamtausgabe;
- Italian: Opere;
- French: Oeuvres.
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