Bessel

Historical Publication Info

Typical cover (1888)

Typical cover (1916)

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

Authority control

VIAF (V. Bessel and Co.‏)

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