A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Posthumous

by George Grove

POSTHUMOUS. A term applied to works published after the death of the author. It is frequently used with reference to Beethoven's last five quartets, though the term is in no way applicable to the first of the five—op. 127, in E♭—which was published by Schott & Sons, on March 26, 1826, exactly a year before Beethoven's death, March 26, 1827. The following table of the order of composition, date of publication, and opus-nuinber, of these five exceptional works may be useful.

Key.	Date of publication.	Opus-number.
E♭	March 26, 1826	Op. 127
A minor	Sept. 1827	Op.„132
B♭	May 7, 1827	Op.„130
C♯ minor	April, 1827	Op.„131
F	Sept. 1827	Op.„135

Schubert died Nov. 19, 1828, and all works by him after op. 88 are Posthumous, excepting 'Winterreise' part 1 (1–12); op. 90 (nos. 1 and 2); ops. 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 100, 101, 105, 106, 108. Mendelssohn's posthumous works begin with op. 73; Schumann's with op. 136.

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