Opus or opus

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Claude_T
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Opus or opus

Post by Claude_T »

I achieved a cycle of restoring space between 'Op. and the opus number, like 'Op. 1' in lieu of 'Op.1' (without space inbetween).

Now I'm willing to replace 'Op.' by 'op.'. No need to keep upper case for first letter of the word, isn't it?
What do you think?
CHGiffen
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Re: Opus or opus

Post by CHGiffen »

I don't think we should over-think this. The BSM Style Guide of the Northwestern School of Music is quite explicit:
15.1 Generic titles, such as symphony, concerto, and sonata, are in roman type and
are capitalized. They are not put in boldface, italicized, or placed within
quotation marks.
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor J. S. Bach
Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is my favorite piece.15.2 Generic titles of Latin liturgical works are capitalized and in roman type.
Mass
Requiem

15.3 Distinctive titles of a complete entity (those that are “one of a kind”) are in
italics.
La gazza ladra by Rossini
My favorite orchestral work is Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique.

15.4 Some musical works are referred to by a popular title in addition to a formal
title. Popular titles follow the formal title and are put in quotation marks and
parentheses.
Symphony No. 41 in C Major (“Jupiter”) Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major (“Emperor”) Beethoven.

15.5 When the words “major” or “minor” are part of a title, both are capitalized.
Sonata in A Major
Sonata in A Minor

15.6 In titles that include a key with sharps and flats, the words “sharp” and “flat”
should be written out in lower case and preceded by a hyphen.
Sonata in F-sharp Major
Concerto in E-flat Minor

15.7 When opus and number are part of a title, they are abbreviated and capitalized.
Op. 15, No. 3

15.7.1 In a narrative, when a title includes an opus number only, no comma is used
after the opus number.
Sonata Op. 45 was composed in 1842.
15.7.2 In a narrative, when a title includes both an opus and number, but no key,
commas appear as follows. In a listing, only the comma after the opus number is
retained.
Sonata Op. 31, No. 3, was first performed in 1842.
15.7.3 In a narrative, when a title includes a key and an opus number only, commas are
used after “Major” or “Minor” and the opus number. In a listing, only the
comma after the key signature is retained.
Sonata in D Major, Op. 30, was composed in 1842
15.7.4 In a narrative, when a title includes a key, an opus, and a number, a comma
appears after each element. In a listing, commas after the key signature and
opus only are retained.
Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 15, No. 3, was performed . . .
Note also that there is a space between "Op." or "No." and the following number.

Also note, that, with regard to German titles, on follows the norms of Duden. Hence, (in titles):

D-Dur (D Major in titles, D major in narrative)
a-Moll (B Minor in titles, B minor in narrative)
Charles H. Giffen
CPDL Board of Directors Chair
Admin at & Manager of ChoralWiki
Claude_T
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Joined: 13 Jan 2007 15:16
Location: Fontenay-sous-Bois (France)
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Re: Opus or opus

Post by Claude_T »

Thanks, Chuck.
I'll follow that rule:
15.7 When opus and number are part of a title, they are abbreviated and capitalized.
Op. 15, No. 3
changing 'opus' into 'Opus',
abbreviating 'Opus' to 'Op. in titles,
putting a dot when there is none after 'Op' and 'No'.
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