Bona nox
Encyclopedia
Bona nox! bist a rechta Ox, K. 561, is a canon
in A major
for four voices a cappella
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
; Mozart entered this work into his catalogue on as part of a set of ten canons.
of cut common time and in the key signature
of A major. The theme is 16 bars
long; each of the four voices cuts in after 4 bars.
to one of Wolfgang's letters on to his father. A similar phrase occurs in Mozart's letter from to his sister
.
Canon (music)
In music, a canon is a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration . The initial melody is called the leader , while the imitative melody, which is played in a different voice, is called the follower...
in A major
A major
A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps.Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor...
for four voices a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
; Mozart entered this work into his catalogue on as part of a set of ten canons.
Music
The canon is written in the time signatureTime signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of cut common time and in the key signature
Key signature
In musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the equivalent natural notes unless otherwise altered with an accidental...
of A major. The theme is 16 bars
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
long; each of the four voices cuts in after 4 bars.
Text
The original lyrics are probably by Mozart himself. There is a very strong resemblance to a postscript by his motherAnna Maria Mozart
Anna Maria Walburga Mozart was the mother of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Maria Anna Mozart.-Biography:...
to one of Wolfgang's letters on to his father. A similar phrase occurs in Mozart's letter from to his sister
Maria Anna Mozart
Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart , nicknamed "Nannerl", was a musician, the older sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and daughter of Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart.-Childhood:...
.
| Original version | |
|---|---|
bist a rechta Ochs; bona notte, liebe Lotte; bonne nuit, pfui, pfui; good night, good night, heut müßma noch weit; gute Nacht, gute Nacht, scheiß ins Bett daß' kracht; gute Nacht, schlaf fei g'sund und reck' den Arsch zum Mund. |
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, Shit in your bed with all your might; [] Good night, sleep tight, And stick your ass to your mouth. [] |
| Partially expurgated version | |
|---|---|
bist a rechter Ochs, bona notte, liebe Lotte; bonne nuit, pfui, pfui; good night, good night, heut' müßma no weit; gute Nacht, gute Nacht, 's wird höchste Zeit, gute Nacht, schlaf' fei g'sund und bleib' recht kugelrund. |
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. |
| Completely expurgated version | |
|---|---|
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! |
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
Although lacking its original use of five languages (Latin, Italian, French, English, and German) and not quite as rhyming, the completely expurgated version found widespread distribution in traditional German Haus Musik.See also
- Other canons which Mozart also entered on the 2 September 1788 into his catalogue are: "Difficile lectu mihi MarsDifficile lectu (Mozart)Difficile lectu, K. 559, is a canon composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The music, in F major, is set for three singers. The words are probably by Mozart himself....
" K. 559, and "O du eselhafter PeierlO du eselhafter Peierl (Mozart)O du eselhafter Peierl, K. 560a, is a canon composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The music, originally in F major, is set for four singers. The words are probably by Mozart himself.-Origin:...
" K. 560a; other canons which also use a similarly robust language are "Leck mich im ArschLeck mich im ArschLeck mich im Arsch is a canon in B-flat major composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, K. 231 , with lyrics in German. It was one of a set of at least six canons probably written in Vienna in 1782...
" K. 231, and "Leck mir den Arsch fein recht schön sauberLeck mir den Arsch fein recht schön sauberLeck mir den Arsch fein recht schön sauber is a canon for three voices in B-flat major, K. 233/382d, long thought to have been composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart during 1782 in Vienna.-Authenticity:...
" K. 233. - For general discussion of scatology in Mozart, see Mozart and scatologyMozart and scatologyWolfgang Amadeus Mozart displayed scatological humor in his letters and a few recreational compositions. This material has long been a puzzle for Mozart scholarship...
.
External links
- "Bona nox! bist a rechta Ochs", score (for unknown reasons in G majorG majorG major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...
) at the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)Choral Public Domain LibraryThe Choral Public Domain Library is a sheet music archive which focuses on choral and vocal music in the public domain or otherwise freely available for printing and performing .-Description:... - Animated lyrics (expurgated) at the Scratch Project of the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...