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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 2 September 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 cuts in after 4 bars.

Text

The original lyrics are probably by Mozart himself.^[1] There is a very strong resemblance to a postscript by his mother to one of Wolfgang's letters on 26 September 1777 to his father. A similar phrase occurs in Mozart's letter from 7 July 1770 to his sister.^[2]

[^[4]] [^[5]]</poem>

Original version^[3]

Original version
Bona nox! 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.	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.

Completely expurgated version^[6]
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

Although lacking its original use of five languages^[5] (Latin, Italian, French, English, and German^[7]) and not quite as rhyming, the completely expurgated version found widespread distribution in traditional German Haus Musik.^[8]

References

"Bona nox! bist a rechta Ox": Score in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe

^ NMA Score, Introduction, p. VIII
^ 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
^ Spengler. "The pope, the musicians and the Jews", Asia Times.
^ Spaethling, Robert (2000). Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life: Selected Letters, p.18. ISBN 0-393-04719-9. From a German children's rhyme that is still contemporary in southern Germany: "Gute Nacht, scheiß ins Bett daß'kracht".
^ ^a ^b Neal Zaslaw, William Cowdery (1990). The Compleat Mozart: a Guide to the Musical Works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, p.105. ISBN 0-393-02886-0. "in Viennese dialect".
^ Holger Mario Stüwe: Critical Report, p. b/65
^ Osborne, Charles (ed.) (1966). Opera 66, p.219. Alan Ross. ASIN: B000GJAHB2.
^ "Bona nox" in 34 German song books

External links

"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

[1] NMA Score, Introduction, p. VIII

[2] 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

[3] Spengler. "The pope, the musicians and the Jews", Asia Times.

[4] Spaethling, Robert (2000). Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life: Selected Letters, p.18. ISBN 0-393-04719-9. From a German children's rhyme that is still contemporary in southern Germany: "Gute Nacht, scheiß ins Bett daß'kracht".

[Compleat-5] Neal Zaslaw, William Cowdery (1990). The Compleat Mozart: a Guide to the Musical Works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, p.105. ISBN 0-393-02886-0. "in Viennese dialect".

[6] Holger Mario Stüwe: Critical Report, p. b/65

[7] Osborne, Charles (ed.) (1966). Opera 66, p.219. Alan Ross. ASIN: B000GJAHB2.

[8] "Bona nox" in 34 German song books

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@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 !colspan=2|Original version<ref>Spengler. "[http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/GE10Aa01.html The pope, the musicians and the Jews]", ''Asia Times''.</ref>
 |-
+[<ref>Spaethling, Robert (2000). ''Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life: Selected Letters'', p.18. ISBN 0-393-04719-9. From a German children's rhyme that is still contemporary in southern Germany: "Gute Nacht, scheiß ins Bett daß'kracht".</ref>]
-|width="250px"|<poem>Bona nox!
-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.</poem>
-|<poem>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,
-Shit in your bed and make it burst; [<ref>Spaethling, Robert (2000). ''Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life: Selected Letters'', p.18. ISBN 0-393-04719-9. From a German children's rhyme that is still contemporary in southern Germany: "Gute Nacht, scheiß ins Bett daß'kracht".</ref>]
-Good night, sleep tight,
-And stick your ass to your mouth. [<ref name="Compleat">Neal Zaslaw, William Cowdery (1990). ''The Compleat Mozart: a Guide to the Musical Works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart'', p.105. ISBN 0-393-02886-0. "in Viennese dialect".</ref>]</poem>
-|}
+[<ref name="Compleat">Neal Zaslaw, William Cowdery (1990). ''The Compleat Mozart: a Guide to the Musical Works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart'', p.105. ISBN 0-393-02886-0. "in Viennese dialect".</ref>]</poem>
+|}
+[[File:Wolfgang-amadeus-mozart 1-revert.jpg|right|Mozart]]
 :{|
-!colspan=2|Partially expurgated version
+!colspan=2|Original version
 |-
 |width="250px"|<poem>Bona nox!