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 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
|
