Why are Mozarts compositions numbered?
Mozart’s compositions were cataloged by Ludwig von Kochel, an Austrian musicologist. The catalog is called “Kochel Verziechnis” in German (“Kochel catalog” in English), and is abbreviated as “K” or “KV”.The Kochel Catalog is chronologically organized, from Mozart’s first piece to his last. The numbers you’re asking about are the numbers allocated to each composition. For instance, his famous “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” is numbered K. 525 (ot KV. 525). The Requiem in D minor, Mozart’s lasr composition, is numbered K. 626. It should be noted that Mozart is not the only composer whose compositions were cataloged in a list that became a canonical reference. Johann Sebastian Bach’s works were cataloged in the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (“Bach Works Catalogue”). The abbreviation “BWV” is now used in almost any reference to one of Bach’s pieces. The BWV catalog is a thematical, not chronol
