Interestingly enough, the overwhelming majority of pre-1900 music is not titled (see this list for some exceptions). Back in the old days, it was quite common to write a whole symphony and just publish it as “Symphony No. 1”. More often than not, names that have become associated with a work (such as Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos) were not even assigned by the composer.
Interestingly enough, the overwhelming majority of pre-1900 music is not titled (see this list for some exceptions). Back in the old days, it was quite common to write a whole symphony and just publish it as “Symphony No. 1”. More often than not, names that have become associated with a work (such as Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos) were not even assigned by the composer.