October Listening Activity – Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Dans Macabre”
Get into the Halloween spirit with this thrilling orchestral work by Camille Saint-Saëns. According to an old French legend, Death appears at midnight every Halloween, playing his violin to summon skeletons from their graves to dance until dawn. In Danse Macabre, Saint-Saëns turns that spooky story into music — full of eerie effects, dancing rhythms, and colorful orchestration.
👂💀 Things to listen for:
The harp signals the clock striking midnight at the very beginning of the piece. Count all twelve chimes.
The solo violin represents Death’s fiddle.
The xylophone mimics rattling bones.
The orchestra creates a swirling, ghostly dance.
💬 Discussion Questions:
How does Saint-Saëns use different instruments to create a spooky or mysterious mood?
Can you identify when the “dance” begins? What musical elements make it sound like dancing?
What happens when the music suddenly becomes softer or quieter–what might that represent in the story?
Listen for moments of contrast–loud vs. soft, fast vs. slow. How do these help tell the story?
Near the end, the music suddenly fades away. What might be happening in the story at that moment?
Which instrument or musical idea stood out most to you? Why?
If you could describe the piece in one word (other than “spooky”), what would it be?
Fun Fact: The Solo Violin is tuned differently than usual. Its highest string, usually E, is tuned down to Eb, a technique called scordatura. This change allows the violinist to play the dissonant tritone interval (A and Eb) using open strings in the opening motif. This interval was historically associated with the “Devil in music” and contributes to the piece’s eerie and demonic atmosphere.
🎧 Listen to Danse Macabre
Charles Dutoit conducting the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
