A Köchel number identifies a Mozart work, not one recording

Use the catalogue for the work question

The International Mozarteum Foundation’s Köchel Catalogue Online presents Mozart’s works with scholarly information. Its account of the 2024 revision explains that catalogue history and new research have affected numbering. The catalogue is therefore a reference system for compositions, not a streaming service’s episode sequence.

Copy the complete reference, including suffixes or supplementary indications where shown. Dropping a letter or qualifier can lose the distinction that made the catalogue number useful.

Check older and newer references

Mozarteum explains that earlier catalogue revisions changed numbers as research about chronology developed, and that the 2024 edition addresses those complications. An older programme can therefore display a reference that needs checking against the current catalogue. Do not assume a number difference automatically means a different composition.

Use the work’s title, scoring and other documented identifiers to confirm the match. If the catalogue lists alternate numbers, preserve the relationship with attribution rather than inventing a new combined code.

For a vocal excerpt, also record the aria or section title. A whole opera’s catalogue reference does not by itself identify which section the clip contains.

Add the performance layer

Once the composition is identified, record performers, conductor, ensemble, venue and recording date as available. Two videos with the same KV number can be legitimate different interpretations. Their durations may differ through tempo, repeats or excerpt selection without changing the work identifier.

For a recommendation, send the exact edition link rather than the catalogue number alone. If you want sheet music or historical information, the catalogue is the appropriate starting point; if you want the performance you heard, its producer’s credits are essential. Keep current playback and rights checks separate. A scholarly work record establishes musical identity and research context, not inclusion in an IPTV package or permission to redistribute a recording.

Likewise, a video platform’s own numeric ID belongs to its item record and should not be read as another Mozart catalogue number.

A search result may point to a score, an autograph manuscript or a recording. Confirm the resource type before assuming the catalogue link itself contains a playable performance.

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