Mozart’s “Kleine Nachtmusik” is surely one of the most popular works of so-called classical music. Although his manuscript is not completely free of corrections, it is still undoubtedly one of Mozart’s most beautiful and serves as the (sole) source for our Urtext edition. Mozart wanted to see his most famous serenade performed by a string quartet with double bass (HN1005); but it is well-known that it also sounds good when played by a chamber orchestra, so the parts can also be ordered individually. And there is another little extra: The editor believes he has identified the much discussed person to whom the “Kleine Nachtmusik” was dedicated – the answer can be read in the preface.
G. Henle Publishers stands for Urtext sheet music of the highest quality. The Urtext editions not only provide the undistorted and authoritative musical text but are also aesthetically pleasing, optimised for practical use and extremely durable. And then there is the strong, distinctive blue profile: (almost) all of the Urtext editions are bound in the characteristic blue cardboard.
Musicians trust Henle's blue Urtext editions because they:
- provide an undistorted, reliable and authoritative musical text
- offer superb, aesthetically appealing music engraving
- are optimised for practical use (page turns, fingerings)
- are of high quality and durable (cover, paper, binding)
- contain a short preface that introduces the work (particularly useful for AMEB exams) in German, English and French, as well as explanatory footnotes for particularly interesting passages in the score
- contain a description of the sources, an evaluation of the sources, readings and a documentation of the corrections made (= "Critical Report") in German and English, and often also in French
