Product Description
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik was composed in 1787 but remained unpublished until about a quarter century after Mozarts death. Today, however, it is one of the composers best known compositions. Indeed, it probably qualifies as one of the best known compositions in all music, thanks in large part to its use in the 1984 Academy Award-winning film Amadeus.
At the time of composition, Mozart was trying to complete the second act of his opera, Don Giovanni. The opera was a commissioned work and the deadline for completion was looming. So why did he take the time to create this four-movement serenade? That remains, for the most part, an unanswered question.
Mozarts entry for this piece in his records begins "Eine kleine Nacht-Musik." Nachtmusik really meant serenade, a music form that originated as a nighttime courting song but by Mozarts time had come to mean a chamber work of instrumental pieces. So Mozart was really noting completion of "a little serenade." Nonetheless, the title is often translated literally as "a little night music."
This version includes all four sections and is part translation, part arrangement. It sticks close to the original Mozart score, which called for two violins, viola, cello and double bass. But the registers have been altered where necessary to bring the music down to the normal playing range of brass instruments. As now written, Trumpets highest notes are the A above their staff. The violas alto clef part has been translated and divided between Horn in F and Trombone, with most going to the latter. Horn in Fs highest notes are the G at the top of its staff; its lowest, E below its staff. Trombone: E above; F below. Tuba goes as low as G below the staff and as high as G in the top space of the staff.
Completed in 2021, performance time for
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik runs about 20 minutes. The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for trombone) at no charge. He would also like to receive your suggestions, comments, corrections and criticisms. Contact him directly at lessmith61@bellsouth.net. For more arrangements by Les, enter "Sweetwater Brass Press" (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus search box. (Also, purchase of this piece entitles you to your choice of another of his arrangements at no charge; send a copy of your purchase receipt directly to him at lessmith61@bellsouth.net.)
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.