Technical & Musical Terms & Abbreviations - Part 1: Terms & Abbreviations with Bach Connection

This section of the Bach Cantatas Website (BCW) contains Technical & Musical Terms & Abbreviations, used by various contributors across the the BCW.
If there is any Term or Abbreviation regarding the BCW and/or relating to Bach & his music, which you do not understand and you want it to be explained, please send a message to the Bach Cantatas Mailing List (BCML). If you are not yet a member of the BCML, you are invited to join. The instructions how to join the BCML and how to post messages appear at: How to contribute.
If you want to contribute an explanation to a Term/Abbreviation, and/or have any corrections and/or additions to the Terms & Abbreviations section, please send a message to me in accordance with the guidelines at: How to contribute.

Contents
Terms & Abbreviations with Bach connection
General Abbreviations
Voices & Instruments
Musical Terms
Acronyms of Performers
Abbreviations used for the Chorales
Use of Concerto, J.J. and SDG in Bach's Sacred Works

Part 1: Terms & Abbreviations with Bach Connection

Abbreviation	Full Words	Explanation	Source
AF	Art of Fugue	Art of Fugue BWV 1080	Braatz
AMB	Anna Magdalena Bach	J.S. Bach’s 2^nd wife	Lehman
AMN	Anna Magdalena Notenbüchlein	Anna Magdalena Notenbüchlein	Oron
Anh	Anhang	Usually used for a composition which isn't included in the "normal" catalogue because of doubtful authenticity	Veen
AT	Actus tragicus	Cantata BWV 106	Braatz
BC	Bach Compendium Schulze/Wolff	Begun in 1985, by 1989 4 vols. had appeared, gives source-critical and bibliographical information on all of Bach's works	Braatz
BCML	Bach Cantatas Mailing List		Oron
BCW	Bach Cantatas Website		Oron
BDok	Bach-Dokumente 3 vols. 1963, 1969, 1972	Contains all important documents by Bach and by his contemporaries about Bach	Braatz
BG / BGA	Gesamtausgabe der Bach-Gesellschaft	The first complete edition of JSB's works published in Leipzig 1851-1899. Many cheap reprints are available from this edition (Dover, etc.)	Braatz / Veen
BJ	Bach-Jahrbuch	1904 ff. The scholarly Bach Yearbook collection of articles on Bach's works	Braatz
BK	Brandenburgische Konzerte	The Brandenburg Concertos BWV 1046-1051	Braatz
BMM	B Minor Mass	English abbreviation for Mass in B minor BWV 232	Oron
BRML	Bach Recordings Mailing List		Oron
BWV	Bach Werke Verzeichnis	Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke von Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Schmieder, Leipzig, 1950, 1990, the standard reference number system, the equivalent to the Köchel-Verzeichnis for the works of W.A. Mozart	Braatz
CB	Clavierbüchlein	Little keyboard works. Three well-known manuscripts from the Bach family are cutomarily referred to by this word: one for Wilhelm Friedemann Bach and two for J.S. Bach’s second wife, Anna Magdalena	Braatz / Oxford
CC	Coffee Cantata	Cantata BWV 212	Braatz
CM	Chorale Melody	Chorale Melody used in Bach's Works	Oron
CO	Christmas Oratorio	English abbreviation for Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248	Oron
CPEB	Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach	2^nd surviving son of J.S. Bach and Maria Barbara Bach. Compose, keyboard player, and writer on music	Lehman
CU1	Clavier-Übung 1	Including Partitas	Braatz
CU2	Clavier-Übung 2	Including Italian Concerto	Braatz
CU3	Clavier-Übung 2		Braatz
CU4	Clavier-Übung 2	Including Goldberg Variations	Braatz
	Deest	(=de-est; Latin). Often used to indicate that a composition isn't included in the catalogue	Veen
DürrC	Chronologie der Leipziger Vokalwerke, Alfred Dürr, 1976	A standard reference to determine the chronology of Bach's vocal works composed in Leipzig	Braatz
DürrK	Die Kantaten, Alfred Dürr, 1971-1985	A thorough reference work for all of Bach's cantatas	Braatz
EKG	Evangelisches Kirchengesangbuch		Veen
EO	Easter Oratorio	English abbreviation for Oster-Oratorium BWV 249	Oron
ES	Englische Suiten	The English Suites BWV 806-811	Braatz
FS	Französische Suiten	The French Suites BWV 812-817	Braatz
GV	Goldberg Variationen	The Goldberg Variations BWV 988	Braatz
HC	Hunting Cantata	Cantata BWV 208	Braatz
HO	Himmelfahrts-Oratorium	Ascension Oratorio BWV 11	Braatz
IC	Italian Concerto	Italian Concerto BWV 971	Braatz
JSB	Johann Sebastian Bach		Oron
JP	Johannes-Passion	St. John Passion BWV 245	Braatz
KB	Kritischer Bericht	The critical reports that accompany the NBA musical scores	Braatz
KBT	Keyboard Toccatas	Toccatas for Keyboard BWV 910-916	Oron
KdF	Kunst der Fuge	Art of Fugue BWV 1080	Veen
KF	Die Kunst der Fuge	Art of Fugue BWV 1080	Braatz
LM	Lutheran Masses	The Lutheran Masses BWV 233-236	Oron
LP	Lukas-Passion	St. Luke Passion BWV 246	Braatz
LW	Lute Works	Solo Works for Lute BWV 995-1000, 1006a	Oron
MA, MAG	Magnificat	Magnificat BWV 243	Braatz
MB	H-moll Messe	The Mass in B-Minor BWV 232	Braatz
MBM	Mass in B minor	English abbreviation for Mass in B minor BWV 232	Oron
MO	Musikalisches Opfer	The Musical Offering BWV 1079	Braatz
MP	Matthäus-Passion	St. Matthew Passion BWV 244	Braatz
NBA	Neue Bach-Ausgabe	The most recent effort by Bärenreiter - Kassel 1954-?? to publish a critical edition of JSB's entire musical oeuvre. It replaces the BG that was published over a century ago. It is almost complete!	Braatz
OO	Oster-Oratorium	Easter Oratorio BWV 249	Braatz
OS	Orchestral Suites	Orchestral Suites BWV 1066-1069 (use a number after the acronym if referring to a specific one)	Braatz
PC	Peasant Cantata	Cantata BWV 211	Braatz
PT	Partitas	Partitas (for Klavier) BWV 825-830	Braatz
PT	Piano Trancription	Piano Transcription of Bach's work	Oron
S&P	Sonats & Partitas	Sonatas & Partitas for Violin BWV 1001-1006	Oron
SJP	St. John Passion	English abbreviation for Johannes-Passion BWV 245	Oron
SLP	St. Lukas Passion	English abbreviation for Lukas-Passion BWV 246	Oron
SMP	St. Matthew Passion	English abbreviation for Matthäus-Passion BWV 244	Oron
SRP	St. Mark Passion	English abbreviation for Markus-Passion BWV 247	Oron
WK	Das Wohltemperierte Klavier	Well-tempered Clavier BWV 846-893	Braatz
WO	Weihnachts-Oratorium	Christmas Oratorio BWV 248	Braatz
WTC	Wohltemperirtes Clavier	Well-tempered Clavier BWV 846-893	Veen
WTC 1		Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV 846-869	Oron
WTC 2		Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1I, BWV 870-893	Oron
WTK	Wohltemperirtes Klavier	Well-tempered Clavier BWV 846-893	Oron
WZ	Wasserzeichen, watermark		Braatz
XO	Christmas Oratorio	English abbreviation for Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248	Oron
2I	2-Part Inventions	2-Part Inventions BWV 772-786	Braatz
3I	3-Part Inventions	3-Part Inventions BWV 787-801	Braatz
48	48 Preluides & Fugues	Well-tempered Clavier BWV 846-893	Oron

Abbreviations used by Bach
Abbreviations used by Bach in his personal invocations that appear at the top of the first page and at the end of the autograph scores that have survived:
J. J.	Jesu Juva	Jesus, help [me] ! See: Use of Concerto, J.J. and SDG in Bach's Sacred Works	Braatz
J. N. J. A	In Nomine Jesu Amen	in the name of Jesus, Amen [BWV 16]	Braatz
In N. Dom. J. C.	In Nomine Domini Jesu Christi	In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ [BWV 20 - the beginning of Bach's 2^nd Cantata Cycle]	Braatz
S.D.G.	Soli Deo Gloria	to God alone be the glory. See: Use of Concerto, J.J. and SDG in Bach's Sacred Works	Braatz
D.S.G.	Deo Soli Gloria	to God alone the glory	Braatz
	Laus Deo	Praise be to God! [BWV 71]	Braatz

The technical terms & abbreviations in this page are mostly compiled from the following sources:

Common – Common use, especially in e-mail correspondence
Alec Robertson's book 'The Church Cantatas of J.S. Bach' (Cassell - London, 1972)
New Harvard Dictionary of Music
Thomas Braatz - Member of the BCML
Frank Fogliati - Member of the BCML
Bradley Lehman – Member of BCML
Aryeh Oron - Member of the BCML
Johan van Veen - Member of the BCML

Prepared by Aryeh Oron (December 2000 -August 2007)

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Last update: ýAugust 22, 2007 ý00:29:50