# Joh. Seb. Bach's Werke

Joh. Seb. Bach's Werke (lit. 'Joh. Seb. Bach's works') is the Bach Gesellschaft's collected edition of Johann Sebastian Bach's compositions, published in 61 volumes in the second half of the 19th century. The series is also known as Bach-Gesellschaft edition (German: Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe; BGA), or as Bach-Gesamtausgabe (BG; lit. 'Bach complete edition'). It is a German-language edition: title pages and notes by editors are exclusively in German.
A supplemental volume was published in 1926, a quarter of a century after the Bach Gesellschaft's dissolution. Another late addition to the series was Max Schneider's 1935 revision of the fourth volume. All volumes, including the 20th-century additions, were published by Breitkopf & Härtel. As a complete edition of Bach's works it was succeeded by the New Bach Edition, published between 1954 and 2007.

## Volumes

The Year (Yr.) in the second column refers to the volume's date of publication, that is the date of the editor's Vorwort ('Preface') if different from the date on the title page.
Volumes of Joh. Seb. Bach's Werke :
| V. | Yr. | Title | Editor | Content |
| 01 | 1851 | Kirchencantaten I | Hauptmann | Church cantatas BWV 1–10 |
| 02 | 1852 | Kirchencantaten II | Hauptmann | Church cantatas BWV 11–20 |
| 03 | 1853 | Clavierwerke I | Becker | Keyboard music BWV 552, 669–689, 772–805, 825–831, 910–911, 944, 971, 988 |
| 04 | 1854 | Passionsmusik: Matthäus | Rietz | St Matthew Passion |
| 05.1 | 1855 | Kirchencantaten III | Rust | Church cantatas BWV 21–30 |
| 05.2 | 1856 | Weihnachts-Oratorium | Rust | Christmas Oratorio |
| 06.1 | 1856 | Messe H moll | Rietz | Mass in B minor |
| 06.2 | 1857 | Messe H moll: 2$^{te}$ Hälfte | Rietz | Mass in B minor II–IV (revised) |
| 07 | 1857 | Kirchencantaten IV | Rust | Church cantatas BWV 31–40 |
| 08 | 1858 | Messen | Hauptmann | Kyrie–Gloria masses BWV 233–236 |
| 09 | 1860 | Kammermusik I | Rust | Chamber music BWV 1014–1019, 1025, 1027–1032, 1037–1039 |
| 10 | 1860 | Kirchencantaten V | Rust | Church cantatas BWV 41–50 |
| 11.1 | 1862 | Magnificat D dur; 4 Sanctus | Rust | Magnificat BWV 243; Sanctus BWV 237–240 |
| 11.2 | 1862 | Kammermusik für Gesang I | Rust | Secular cantatas BWV 201–205 |
| 12.1 | 1863 | Passionsmusik: Johannes | Rust | St John Passion |
| 12.2 | 1863 | Kirchencantaten VI | Rust | Church cantatas BWV 51–60 |
| 13.1 | 1864 | Trauungs-Cantaten | Rust | Church cantatas for weddings BWV 195–197, 250–252 (Three Wedding Chorales) |
| 13.2 | 1865 | Clavierwerke II | Espagne | Keyboard music BWV 806–817 (English Suites; French Suites) |
| 13.3 | 1865 | Trauer-Ode | Rust | Mourning Ode, BWV 198 |
| 14 | 1866 | Clavierwerke III | Kroll [d] | Keyboard music BWV 846–893 (The Well-Tempered Clavier) |
| 15 | 1867 | Orgelwerke I | Rust | Organ music BWV 525–539, 541–548, 564–566, 582 |
| 16 | 1868 | Kirchencantaten VII | Rust | Church cantatas BWV 61–70 |
| 17 | 1869 | Kammermusik II | Rust | Chamber music BWV 1044, 1052–1058 |
| 18 | 1870 | Kirchencantaten VIII | Rust | Church cantatas BWV 71–80 |
| 19 | 1871 | Kammermusik III | Rust | Chamber music BWV 1046–1051 (Brandenburg Concertos) |
| 20.1 | 1872 | Kirchencantaten IX | Rust | Church cantatas BWV 81–90 |
| 20.2 | 1873 | Kammermusik für Gesang II | Rust | Secular cantatas BWV 206–207.2 |
| 21.1 | 1874 | Kammermusik IV | Rust | Chamber music BWV 1041–1043, 1045 |
| 21.2 | 1874 | Kammermusik V | Rust | Chamber music BWV 1060–1062 |
| 21.3 | 1874 | Oster-Oratorium | Rust | Easter Oratorio |
| 22 | 1875 | Kirchencantaten X | Rust | Church cantatas BWV 91–100 |
| 23 | 1876 | Kirchencantaten XI | Rust | Church cantatas BWV 101–110 |
| 24 | 1876 | Kirchencantaten XII | Dörffel | Church cantatas BWV 111–120 |
| 25.1 | 1878 | Die Kunst der Fuge | Rust | The Art of Fugue |
| 25.2 | 1878 | Orgelwerke II | Rust | Chorale preludes BWV 599–668 |
| 26 | 1878 | Kirchencantaten XIII | Dörffel | Church cantatas BWV 121–130 |
| 27.1 | 1879 | Kammermusik VI | Dörffel | Chamber music BWV 1001–1012 (Sonatas and Partitas for Violin; Cello Suites) |
| 27.2 | 1879 | Verzeichniss I | Dörffel | Catalogue BWV 1–120 |
| 28 | 1881 | Kirchencantaten XIV | Rust | Church cantatas BWV 131–140 |
| 29 | 1881 | Kammermusik für Gesang III | Waldersee [d] | Secular cantatas BWV 134.1, 208–212; Church cantata BWV 194 |
| 30 | 1884 | Kirchencantaten XV | Waldersee [d] | Church cantatas BWV 141–150 |
| 31.1 | 1885 | Orchesterwerke | Dörffel | Orchestral suites BWV 1066–1069; Sinfonia BWV 1046.1 |
| 31.2 | 1885 | Musikalisches Opfer | Dörffel | The Musical Offering |
| 31.3 | 1885 | Kammermusik VII | Waldersee [d] | Chamber music BWV 1063–1064 |
| 32 | 1886 | Kirchencantaten XVI | Naumann | Church cantatas BWV 151–160 |
| 33 | 1887 | Kirchencantaten XVII | Wüllner | Church cantatas BWV 161–170 |
| 34 | 1887 | Kammermusik für Gesang IV | Waldersee [d] | Secular cantatas BWV 30.1, 36.1, 36.3, 173.1, 207.2, 213–215 |
| 35 | 1888 | Kirchencantaten XVIII | Dörffel | Church cantatas BWV 171–180 |
| 36 | 1890 | Clavierwerke IV | Naumann | Keyboard music BWV 818–822 (suites); various pieces in the BWV 841–999 range |
| 37 | 1891 | Kirchencantaten XIX | Dörffel | Church cantatas BWV 181–190 |
| 38 | 1891 | Orgelwerke III | Naumann | Organ music BWV 131a, 549–551, 553–563, 567–580, 583, 585, 587–595, 598 |
| 39 | 1892 | Motetten, Choräle, Lieder | Wüllner | Motets BWV 225–231, Anh. 159; Four-part chorales and songs BWV 253–518 |
| 40 | 1893 | Orgelwerke IV | Naumann | Chorale preludes BWV 690–771 |
| 41 | 1894 | Kirchenmusikwerke | Dörffel | Church music BWV 34.2, 120.2, 178, 191–193, 197.1, 199.2, 217–220, 241–242 |
| 42 | 1894 | Clavierwerke V | Naumann | Keyboard music BWV 592a; various pieces in the BWV 821–1006.2 range |
| 43.1 | 1894 | Kammermusik VIII | Waldersee [d] | Chamber music BWV 1023, 1026, 1033–1035, 1065 |
| 43.2 | 1894 | Notenbüchern A. M. Bach | Waldersee [d] | Notebooks for Anna Magdalena Bach |
| 44 | 1895 | Handschrift | Kretzschmar | Manuscript facsimiles |
| 45.1 | 1897 | Instrumentalwerke | Dörffel | Instrumental music BWV 806–817 (rev.); Canons; Klavierbüchlein W. F. Bach; etc. |
| 45.2 | 1898 | Passionsmusik: Lucas | Dörffel | St Luke Passion |
| 46 | 1899 | Verzeichniss II | Kretzschmar | Catalogue BWV 121ff |
| — | 1926 | Die Kunst der Fuge | Graeser [d] | The Art of Fugue (revised) |
| — | 1935 | Passionsmusik: Matthäus | Schneider | St Matthew Passion (revised) |

## Reception

Gustav Mahler owned 59 of the 61 volumes of the Bach-Gesamtausgabe, and used them for his arrangements of some of Bach's compositions.