Kevin Sutton in reply to me: >The term usually implies a revision. I am fairly certain that it literally >means "after." Since the Prokofiev second violin sonata, for example, was >also reworked by the composer for flute, the flute version might be known >as Opus X bis, so that one could tell that the music was a revision or >alteration of a pre-existing and recognized work. I'm actually not sure about this. I have gone through life believing the word means 'second' or 'again', with a connotation of 'immediately.' After a concert, enthusiastic audiences would demand a reprise of the favourite piece by shouting 'bis' -- indicating a repeat, not a revision. Is there a connection between this and the Russian word 'bistro' (I'm going to get challenged on transliteration again -- I can hear it coming!) that means 'hurry up' and from which the French coined the word? Tim Mahon [log in to unmask]