Mozart - “Leck mich im Arsch“ - Canon in B flat for 6 Voices, K. 231 / K. 382c

Leck mich im Arsch (literally “Lick me in the arse“) is a canon in B-flat major composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, K. 231 (K. 382c), with lyrics in German. It was one of a set of at least six canons probably written in Vienna in 1782. Sung by six voices as a three-part round, it is thought to be a party piece for his friends. A literal translation of the song’s title and lyrics into English would be “Lick me in the arse“. A more idiomatic translation would be “Kiss my arse!“ Mozart died in 1791 and his widow, Constanze Mozart, sent the manuscripts of the canons to publishers Breitkopf & Härtel in 1799, saying that they would need to be adapted for publication. The publisher changed the title and lyrics of this canon to the more acceptable “Laßt froh uns sein“ (“Let us be glad!“), similar to the traditional German Christmas carol, “Lasst uns froh und munter sein“. Of Mozart’s original text, only the first words were doc