, K. 561, is a canon in A major for four voices a cappella by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Mozart entered this work into his personal catalogue on 1788 as part of a set of ten canons.
Music The canon is written in the time signature of cut common time and in the key signature of A major. The theme is 16 bars long; each of the four voices enters after four bars.
Text The original lyrics are probably by Mozart himself;NMA score, Introduction, p. VIII they include the words for "good night" in five different languages (Latin, Italian, French, English, and German).Neal Zaslaw, William Cowdery (1990). The Compleat Mozart: a Guide to the Musical Works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, p. 105. . "in Viennese dialect".Osborne, Charles (ed.) (1966). Opera 66, p. 219. Alan Ross. . The phrase "", found in the fourth-to-last and third-to-last lines, closely resembles a similar expression found in a postscript to one of Wolfgang's letters by his mother, written to his father; also in Mozart's letter from to his sister.Journal of Folklore Research 40.1 (2003) 33–70, Indiana University Press, Wolfgang Mieder: "Now I Sit Like a Rabbit in the Pepper": Proverbial Language in the Letters of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, p. 44
!colspan=2|Original versionSpengler. "The pope, the musicians and the Jews", Asia Times, 10 May 2005. |- |width="250px"|, |Good night! [Latin] You are quite an ox; Good night, [Italian] My dear Lotte; Good night, [French] Phooey, phooey; Good night, good night, [English] We still have far to go today; Good night, good night, Fart in your bed with a bang; [Spaethling, Robert (2000). Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life: Selected Letters, p. 18. . From a German children's rhyme that is still contemporary in southern Germany: "Gute Nacht, scheiß ins Bett daß'kracht".] Good night, sleep tight, And stick your ass to your mouth. []
!colspan=2|Partially expurgated version |- |width="250px"|Bona nox! bist a rechter Ochs, bona notte, liebe Lotte; bonne nuit, pfui, pfui; good night, good night, heut' müßma noch weit; gute Nacht, gute Nacht, 's wird höchste Zeit, gute Nacht, schlaf' fei g'sund und bleib' recht kugelrund. |Bona nox! You're quite an ox; Good night, My dear Lotte; Good night, Fie, fie; Good night, good night, We still have far to go today; Good night, good night, 'Tis highest time, good night, Sleep very well and Stay perfectly rotund.
!colspan=2|Completely expurgated versionHolger Mario Stüwe: Critical Report, p. b/65 |- |width="250px"|Gute Nacht! bis der Tag erwacht! Alle Sorgen, ruht bis morgen! Euch gute Nacht! Schlaf wohl! schliess(t) nur die Augen (jetzt) zu, schlaf mein Liebchen, fein sanft, schlaf in guter Ruh, gute Nacht! Schlaft fein süss, bis nun der Tag erwacht! |Good night! Until the morning breaks! All you sorrows, Rest till morrow! Good night to you! Sleep well! Close the eyes now fast, Sleep, my darling, Very gently, sleep resting well, Good night! Have sweet dreams, Until the morning breaks!
Reception The completely expurgated version found widespread distribution in traditional German ."Bona nox" in 34 German song books
See also Other canons which Mozart also entered on the 2 September 1788 into his catalogue are: "Difficile lectu mihi Mars", K. 559, and "O du eselhafter Peierl", K. 560a; other canons which also use a similarly robust language are "Leck mich im Arsch", K. 231, and "Leck mir den Arsch fein recht schön sauber", K. 233. Mozart and scatology
References
External links
"Bona nox! bist a rechta Ox", work details, Köchel-Verzeicnis, International Mozarteum Foundation "Bona nox! bist a rechta Ochs", score (for unknown reasons in G major) at the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki) Animated lyrics (expurgated) at the Scratch Project of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology