Danse Macabre

Camille Saint-Saens

Danse macabre The Dance of Death

Written by French composer Saint-Saens

Music based on poem by Henri Cazialis

Tells the story of Death and skeletons having a party

in a graveyard

Points to listen for

12 soft chimes of the witching hour
Harp and French Horn
Mysterious cloaked figure of Death
drumming his heels upon
the tombstones
Cellos/basses pizzicato

 Death tunes his violin urging the

skeletons to rise from grave
Solo violin tuning up
All begin to dance, waltz tune heard
Flute and Violins

Deaths main theme heard

Solo violin accompanied by pizzicato
strings

 Eerie clatter of skeletons bones

First heard on violin, then xylophone
Pace of waltz becomes more frantic. Wind
rustles through the graveyard trees
Strings

 Climax of the music

trombone plays the main waltz
theme
Sudden silence as dawn breaks
Oboe

 Skeletons disappear into their graves.

We hear a reminder of deaths melancholy
Violin
Waltz tune

Now listen to the whole piece which lasts for 7 minutes and answer
the questions.

tions

en the skeletons first begin to dance we hear a

tune played on the _________ and the _______.

ich instrument signifies the eerie clatter of bo

a good choice of instrument to use? Why ?

the waltz becomes more frantic which family o

ments show the rustling of the wind?

hear Deaths main theme played by a brass

ment. Which one?

hy is there sudden silence?

hich instrument imitates the cock crowing at

light of dawn?

hat does Death do after all the skeletons disap

their graves?

mework

w a set of drawings to illustrate the most impo

nts in Danse Macabre. Colour your pictures , b
ose your colours carefully- remember the stor
gins at midnight and ends as dawn breaks.

w one picture to illustrate an important event

ry.