Bona Nox

Is it hubris for me to edit Mozart?

I am no Classical-era scholar, but when I wanted to do a certain Mozart canon with the Rockford Aces, the available scores had two problems.

1. The key was too high.

2. I needed a very specific text. Mozart’s original text is scatological and not high school appropriate. Another version that is often used turns it into a children’s lullaby. I wanted the semi-expurgated version that retained the rudeness while eliminating the inappropriateness. (Read about the piece and the texts here.)

3. The piece lacked an ending and I wanted something more substantial than the fade away we use for many canons.

So I took the available score on CPDL, transposed it, used the version of the text I wanted, and composed a coda to be sung on cue.

Here are the Rockford Aces singing it at our fall concert.

And my score is now available for free download at CPDL.