Beethoven Opus Numbers

Opus numbers for Beethoven’s major works and contemporaneous historical events.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Baptised 17 December 1770, died 26 March 1827, aged 56.

Year	Age	Opus	Works	Historical Events
1795	25	Op. 1	Piano Trios Nos. 1, 2, & 3
1796	26	Op. 2	Piano Sonatas Nos. 1, 2, & 3	Napoleon’s Italian Campaign begins
1797	27	Op. 7	Piano Sonata No. 4
1798	28	Op. 9	String Trios Nos. 1, 2, & 3	French occupation of Rome
1798	28	Op. 10	Piano Sonatas Nos. 5, 6, & 7
1799	29	Op. 13	Piano Sonata No. 8 “Pathétique”	Napoleon becomes First Consul
1799	29	Op. 14	Piano Sonatas Nos. 9 & 10
1800	30	Op. 18	String Quartets Nos. 1–6
1800	30	Op. 21	Symphony No. 1
1801	31	Op. 22	Piano Sonata No. 11
1801	31	Op. 23	Violin Sonata No. 4
1801	31	Op. 24	Violin Sonata No. 5 “Spring”	Treaty of Lunéville
1801	31	Op. 26	Piano Sonata No. 12
1801	31	Op. 27	Piano Sonatas Nos. 13 & 14 “Moonlight”
1801	31	Op. 28	Piano Sonata No. 15 “Pastoral”
1802	32	Op. 30	Violin Sonatas Nos. 6, 7, & 8
1802	32	Op. 31	Piano Sonatas Nos. 16, 17, & 18
1802	32	Op. 36	Symphony No. 2	Heiligenstadt Testament written
1803	33	Op. 47	Violin Sonata No. 9 “Kreutzer”
1804	34	Op. 53	Piano Sonata No. 21 “Waldstein”	Napoleon crowned Emperor
1804	34	Op. 54	Piano Sonata No. 22
1804	34	Op. 55	Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”	Rededicated after Napoleon’s coronation
1805	35	Op. 57	Piano Sonata No. 23 “Appassionata”	Battle of Austerlitz
1806	36	Op. 59	String Quartets Nos. 7–9 “Razumovsky”	Dissolution of Holy Roman Empire
1806	36	Op. 60	Symphony No. 4
1808	38	Op. 67	Symphony No. 5	Peninsular War begins
1808	38	Op. 68	Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”
1808	38	Op. 70	Piano Trios Nos. 5 & 6 “Ghost”
1809	39	Op. 74	String Quartet No. 10 “Harp”	Battle of Wagram; Siege of Vienna
1809	39	Op. 78	Piano Sonata No. 24
1809	39	Op. 79	Piano Sonata No. 25
1810	40	Op. 81a	Piano Sonata No. 26 “Les Adieux”	Empress Marie Louise marries Napoleon
1810	40	Op. 95	String Quartet No. 11 “Serioso”
1811	41	Op. 97	Piano Trio No. 7 “Archduke”
1812	42	Op. 92	Symphony No. 7	Napoleon invades Russia
1812	42	Op. 93	Symphony No. 8
1812	42	Op. 96	Violin Sonata No. 10
1814	44	Op. 90	Piano Sonata No. 27	Congress of Vienna begins
1816	46	Op. 101	Piano Sonata No. 28	Year Without a Summer
1818	48	Op. 106	Piano Sonata No. 29 “Hammerklavier”
1820	50	Op. 109	Piano Sonata No. 30
1821	51	Op. 110	Piano Sonata No. 31	Death of Napoleon
1822	52	Op. 111	Piano Sonata No. 32
1824	54	Op. 125	Symphony No. 9 “Choral”
1825	55	Op. 127	String Quartet No. 12	Decembrist revolt in Russia
1825	55	Op. 132	String Quartet No. 15
1825	55	Op. 130	String Quartet No. 13
1826	56	Op. 131	String Quartet No. 14
1826	56	Op. 133	Große Fuge (String Quartet)
1826	56	Op. 135	String Quartet No. 16

Notes

Opus numbers generally reflect the order of publication, not the order of composition.

In Beethoven’s era, a composer might finish a work but wait years to publish it—either to polish the manuscript, find a higher-paying publisher, or wait for a more favorable political climate. For example, he wrote some of his early Piano Trios and Sonatas years before they were assigned “Opus 1” or “Opus 2.”

Composers often grouped works together for publication (like the six String Quartets of Op. 18) even if they were written over a multi-year span.

Many works were published without an opus number at all. These are categorized as WoO (Werke ohne Opuszahl—Works without opus number).

Finally, some pieces were published after his death, resulting in high opus numbers for much earlier compositions (like Op. 129, the “Rage Over a Lost Penny,” which was actually written around 1795).