Bessel

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Typical cover (1888)
Typical cover (1916)

Contents

History

V. Bessel and Co. (often transliterated W. Bessel & Co.) was founded in 1869 in St. Petersburg by Vasily Vasil’yevich Bessel (1843-1907). His brother Ivan was a co-owner of the firm. In 1871, an engraving and printing facility was established at the premises on Nevsky Prospekt. Bessel mainly published works by prominent Russian composers, notably Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Anton Rubinstein, Aleksandr Dargomyzhsky and the members of the New Russian Musical School — Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, César Cui, Mily Balakirev, and Aleksandr Borodin. A Moscow branch office was opened in 1888.

Bessel issued a weekly magazine Muzykal’ny Listok (The Musical Leaf) was issued from September 3, 1872 to June 5, 1877, and Muzykal’noye Obozrenie (The Musical Revue) from 1885 to 1888. After the revolution (1918), the company was moved to Paris, where it continued to operate until sometime after the Second World War.

Editions

Imprints, Addresses, Agencies

Imprints

  • W. Bessel & Co.
  • W. Bessel et Cie.
  • V. Bessel (В. Бессель)
  • V. Bessel & Co.

Plate Numbers

Bessel plate numbers sometimes employed prefix and suffix letters. When the letters were used, the most common form encountered is W. #### B.

Plate Composer Work Year
011 Rubinstein Ivan the Terrible, Op.79 (arr. pf4h) 1869
0122 Cui Prisoner of the Caucasus - Overture (arr. N. N. Purgold) 1870
0153 Dargomyzhsky The Stone Guest 1871
0237 Berens Neueste Schule der Geläufigkeit, Op.61 (Book 1) 1871
0241 Tchaikovsky Romeo & Juliet (arr. piano 4 hds.) 1871
0301-06 Tchaikovsky 6 Romances, Op.16 1874
0340 Cui Scherzo No.1, Op.1 (piano 4-hd. arr.) 1872
0348 Mussorgsky Boris Godunov (1st ed. vocal score) 1872
0379 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2, Op.17 - (arr. piano 4 hds.) 1873
0400-27 Tchaikovsky The Oprichnik - vocal score 1874
0495-500 Tchaikovsky 6 Pieces, Op.21 (pf. version) 1874
0532-533 Kashperova 2 Cello Sonatas, Op.1 1890
0570-573 Davydov 4 Romances, Op.25 1874
0588 Cui Mystic Chorus, Op.6 (vocal score) 1875
0606 Tchaikovsky Romeo & Juliet (orch. parts) 1874
0621-26 Tchaikovsky 6 Romances, Op.25 1875
0634-64 Cui Angelo (vocal score) 1876
0672 Borodin Symphony No.2 (arr. pf4h) 1878
0738 Rubinstein Fantaisie sur des mélodies hongroises 1878/1882
0782 Cui Tarantella, Op.12 (full score) 1882
1059 Liszt Recitation, Der blinde Sänger, S.350 1877
1158-1163 Kapry 6 Romances 1879
1286 Brambach 3 Fantasiestücke, Op.34
1538 Mussorgsky Night on Bald Mountain (arr. Rimsky-Korsakov) 1887
1560 Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition (ed. Rimsky-Korsakov) 1887
1586-89 Cui Suite for Piano, Op.21 1885
1822–33 Cui Miniatures, Op.20 (vn/pf arr.) 1885
1907 Moszkowski 6 Klavierstücke, Op.15 1885/1886
1977-79 Cui 3 Valses, Op.31 1886
1993-99 Cui 7 Mélodies, Op.32 1888
2007 Cui Valse-caprice, Op.26 1889
2013 Moszkowski 3 Morceaux, Op.34 1889
2204-12 Cui À Argenteau, Op.40 1888
2234 Sokolov Do not Attract Me 1888
Rubinstein 6 Preludes, Op.24
Rubinstein 6 Preludes and Fugues, Op.53 after 1888
Rubinstein Theme and Variations, Op.88 1880
2399 Massenet 10 Pièces de genre, Op.10 (Saltarello No.6) ca.1890
2458–60 Cui 3 Mouvements de valse, Op.41 1891
2462 Cui Scherzo No.1, Op.1 (orch arr.) 1888
2480 Borodin Symphony No. 2 - orch. parts 1891
2845 Labadie Exposition universelle 1889 - Garde Républiquaine 1889
3191-92 Pankiewicz 2 Morceaux de salon, Op.1 1891
3195-96 Pankiewicz 2 Morceaux de salon, Op.12 1891
3204 Tchaikovsky Romeo & Juliet (arr. 2 pianos, Klindworth) 1895
3206 Grodzky 4 Miniatures, Op.10 1892
3388 Rubinstein The Demon (arr. pf4h) 1892/1893
3600-05 Koreshchenko 6 Romances and 2 Melodeclamations, Op.17 1893
3608 Koreshchenko Melodie, Op.4 1893
3743 Rubinstein The Demon (arr. pf8h) 1894/1895
3766 Koreshchenko 6 Morceaux, Op.19 1895
3944 Tereshchenko A la Russe, Op.19 1897-98
3960 Tchaikovsky Romeo & Juliet (arr. 2 pianos, 8 hds., Schaefer) 1898
4077 Godard 20 Pieces for Piano, Op.58 (15. Improvisation) 1899
4273 Cui À Argenteau, Op.40 (full score, selections orch. Glazunov) 1899
4434 Cui À Argenteau, Op.40 (new engraving of No. 6, replaces plate 2209) 1898
4849 Rimsky-Korsakov The Tale of Tsar Saltan - vocal score 1901
4867-69 Rimsky-Korsakov The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Suite, Op.57
(arr. piano 4 hands, N. Rimskaia-Korsakova)
1901
4880 Rimsky-Korsakov The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Suite, Op.57 - full score 1901
4882 Rimsky-Korsakov The Tale of Tsar Saltan - full score 1904
4923 Borodin Symphony No.2 (Chernov 2-pf arr.) 1905
5067-73 Spendiarov 4 Romances, Op.5 1901
5074-77 Spendiarov 4 Romances, Op.1 1899
5233 Rubinstein Verschiedene Stücke, Op.93 arr.for 2 pianos
5282 Lyadov Scherzo for Orchestra, Op.16 1888/1895
5556-57 Lyadov 3 Morceaux, Op.11 (arr. for cello and piano) 1896'
Lyadov 7 Preludes
6470 Mussorgsky Boris Godunov (ed. Rimsky-Korsakov, piano arr.) 1909
6700 Borodin Symphony No. 2 (arr. piano, K. Chernov) 1912
7022 Arensky 6 Songs, Op.10 1913
7110-13 Ippolitov-Ivanov 5 Little Piano Pieces, Op.7 1914
7132 Grodzky 3 Piano Pieces, Op.1 1916
7159 Asafyev The Little Humpbacked Horse 1914
7331 Akimenko Sonata-Fantasia No.2, Op.60 1915
7332 Akimenko 3 Pieces, Op.60bis 1915
7364 Akimenko Nocturne in D major 1915
8132 Akimenko 2 Mélodies rustiques
8197 Akimenko Viola Romance No.2
8200 Akimenko 2 Pieces, Op.72
8285 Rimsky-Korsakov The Tale of Tsar Saltan
Interlude: Flight of the Bumblebee (arr. piano, J. Stirmer)
1926
8366 Rimsky-Korsakov The Tale of Tsar Saltan - vocal score, rev. ed. 1929

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