Danse Macabre by
Camille Saint-Saëns
Danse Macabre is based on a French tale where Death comes out on Halloween night and plays a violin at midnight so the skeletons can come out and dance for one night. The piece features violin prominently throughout, from the initial theme waking up the skeletons to the end when the skeletons go back to rest until next Halloween! Watch this spooky animation of the story here.
Der Erlkönig by Franz Schubert
Der Erlkönig is a piece based on a poem by Goethe, a famous German poet who has had several classical pieces based on his works. Der Erlkönig tells the story of a man and his son riding in the night on horseback. The son repeatedly tells his father that he thinks he sees the elf king chasing after them and the father dismisses him. By the time they arrive at their destination, the son has died. Listen to it here. Click here to read the poetry and the translation.
Totentanz by Franz LisztTotentanz is a piano concerto that is a theme and variations on Dies irae, a Medieval Gregorian chant melody that is about the last judgement before death. Listen to it here and see how many variations you can hear!
The Ride of the
Valkyries by Richard Wagner
The Ride of the Valkyries is from Wagner’s opera Die Walküre, which is part of his larger opera work, The Ring Cycle. In Norse legend, valkyries are women who decide who will live and who will die on the battlefield. They then escort the dead to the underworld. Watch a performance of the scene from Die Walküre here.
Funeral March of a
Marionette by Charles Gounod
This brief piece depicts a marionette puppet dying and marching to its own funeral. Despite it being a slightly dark theme, it has a fairly upbeat melody. Listen here to see if you can picture a puppet marching to its final resting place!
March to the Scaffold
and Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath from Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz
Symphonie Fantastique tells the story of a man who falls in love with a woman, his beloved, and the madness that ensues afterwards. At one point in the story, he falls asleep and dreams he is on his way to be executed! In March to the Scaffold, we hear the procession heading to his beheading, then at the very end, we hear the theme of his beloved followed by a loud crash, then plucked strings. The crash represents the beheading, and the plucked strings is the sound of the head rolling away. Pretty scary, right? Then, in his dream, he goes to the underworld and witnesses a witches' sabbath! In this movement, we hear creepy pitch bends and grace note combinations as well as the Dies irae, as mentioned above in Totentanz! Listen to the March to the Scaffold here. Listen to Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath here.
What elements make music sound scary or spooky?
- High pitched "screeching"
- Strong low voices
- Plucked strings
- Pitch bends
- Minor key
- Dissonant sounds
- Sudden change in dynamics
Are there any other elements that make music scary to you? Comment below and let us know!
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