Thematic Catalogue of Beethoven's Published Works

What it is

This is a thematic catalogue listing the published works of Ludwig van Beethoven, compiled by the German musicologist Gustav Nottebohm and printed in 1868. It is a scanned book available through the Internet Archive.

The catalogue is a reference tool, organizing Beethoven's printed compositions with bibliographical notes.

Why it matters

Catalogues like this one helped later musicians, scholars, and students make sense of the huge body of music Beethoven left behind. It shows how, decades after Beethoven's death, researchers worked to organize and understand his output systematically.

Look closer

• Why might scholars need a catalogue like this instead of just listing works from memory?
• What does the existence of such detailed reference works suggest about Beethoven's importance to later generations?
• What is missing from a catalogue that a biography might include?