Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis
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The Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis (abbreviated as HWV) is the Catalogue of Handel's Works. It was published in three volumes (in German) by Bern 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, spurious works, etc.
The thematic catalogue serves as the modern numbering system used for the compositions of Handel. For example, Handel's Royal Fireworks Music suite is numbered as HWV 351. 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 musical categories and provide a good ordering of composition within each group. The following table lists the groupings and HWV number ranges.
| HWV range | Category |
|---|---|
| 1 to 42 | Operas |
| 43 to 45, 218 |
Incidental music |
| 46 to 48, 50 to 71 |
Oratorios |
| 49, 72 to 76 |
Odes and masques |
| 77 to 177 | Cantatas |
| 178 to 199 | Italian duets |
| 200, 201 | Italian trios |
| 202 to 210, 269 to 277, 284 to 286 |
Hymns |
| 211 to 217, 219 to 227 |
Italian arias |
| 226, 228 | English songs |
| 229 | German church cantatas |
| 230, 233, 234, 244, 245 |
Italian sacred cantatas |
| 231, 239, 240, 242 |
Motets |
| 232, 236 to 238 |
Psalm settings |
| 235, 241, 243 |
Antiphons |
| 246 to 268 | Anthems |
| 278 to 283 | Canticles |
| 287 to 311, 343 |
Concertos |
| 312 to 335 | Concerti grossi |
| 336 to 345, 347 to 356, 413 |
Orchestral works |
| 357 to 379, 406 to 409, 412, 419 to 421 |
Solo sonatas |
| 380 to 405 | Trio sonatas |
| 346, 410, 411, 414 to 418, 422 to 424 |
Wind ensemble works |
| 425 to 612 | Keyboard works |
| A1 to A15 | Appendices |
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 Handel for more details.
It should not be inferred from the HWV numbers that Handel wrote exactly 612 works. The combination of: unnumbered 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.
