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{{Short description|1874 tone poem written by Camille Saint-Saëns}}
'''''Danse Macabre''''' (first performed in [[1875]]) is the name of [[opus number|opus]] 40 by [[France|French]] composer [[Camille Saint-Saëns]].
{{for|the medieval allegory|Danse Macabre}}
{{italic title}}
{{use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
'''''Danse macabre''''', [[opus number|Op.]] 40, is a [[symphonic poem]] for orchestra, written in 1874 by the French composer [[Camille Saint-Saëns]]. It premiered 24 January 1875. It is in the key of [[G minor]]. It started out in 1872 as an [[art song]] for voice and piano with a French text by the poet [[Henri Cazalis]].<ref>{{cite Grove|last=Boyd|first=Malcolm|title=Dance of death (Fr. {{lang|fr|danse macabre}}; Ger. {{lang|de|Totentanz}}|id=07153|year=2001}} {{subscription required}}</ref> In 1874, the composer expanded and reworked the piece into a symphonic poem, replacing the vocal line with a solo violin part.


==Analysis==
The composition is based upon a poem by [[Henri Cazalis]], on an old [[France|French]] [[superstition]]:
{{listen|type=music|filename=Saint-Saëns - Danse macabre (Fourestier, 1953).flac|title=''Danse macabre''|description=[[Colonne Orchestra]], [[Louis Fourestier]] conducting (1953)}}
According to legend, [[Personifications of death|Death]] appears at midnight every year on [[Halloween]]. Death calls forth the dead from their [[grave (burial)|graves]] to dance for him while he plays his [[violin|fiddle]] (here represented by a solo violin). His skeletons dance for him until the cockerel crows at dawn, when they must return to their graves until the next year.


The piece opens with a harp playing a single note, D, twelve times (the twelve strokes of midnight) which is accompanied by soft chords from the string section. The solo violin enters playing the [[tritone]], which was known as the ''[[Tritone#Historical uses|diabolus in musica]]'' ("the Devil in music") during the Medieval and [[Baroque music|Baroque]] eras, consisting of an A and an E{{music|flat}}—in an example of [[scordatura]] tuning, the violinist's E string has actually been tuned down to an E{{music|flat}} to create the dissonant tritone.
:''Zig, zig, zig, Death in a cadence,
:Striking with his heel a tomb,
:Death at midnight plays a dance-tune,
:Zig, zig, zig, on his violin.
:The winter wind blows and the night is dark;
:Moans are heard in the linden trees.
:Through the gloom, white skeletons pass,
:Running and leaping in their shrouds.
:Zig, zig, zig, each one is frisking,
:The bones of the dancers are heard to crack—
:But hist! of a sudden they quit the round,
:They push forward, they fly; the cock has crowed.''


:[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=684]]
According to the ancient superstition, "[[Death (personification)|Death]]" appears at [[midnight]] every year on [[Halloween]]. Death has the power to call forth the [[death|dead]] from their [[grave (burial)|graves]] to [[dance]] for him while he plays his [[violin|fiddle]] (represented by a solo violin with its E-string tuned to an E-flat in an example of [[scordatura]] tuning). His [[skeleton]]s dance for him until the first break of [[dawn]], when they must return to their graves until the next year.


The piece opens with a harp playing a single note, D, twelve times to signify the clock striking midnight, accompanied by soft chords from the string section. This then leads to the eerie E flat and A chords (also known as a [[tritone]] or the "[[Devil's chord]]") played by a solo violin, representing death on his fiddle. After which the main theme is heard on a solo flute and is followed by a descending scale on the solo violin. The rest of the orchestra, particularly the lower instruments of the string section, then joins in on the descending scale. The main theme and the scale is then heard throughout the various sections of the orchestra until it breaks to the solo violin and the harp playing the scale. The piece becomes more energetic and climaxes at this point; the full orchestra playing with strong dynamics.Towards the end of the piece, there is another violin solo, now modulating, which is then joined by the rest of the orchestra. The final section, a pianissimo, represents the dawn breaking and the skeletons returning to their graves.
The first theme is heard on a solo flute,<ref>[[#IMSLP|IMSLP]] full score, p. 3</ref> followed by the second theme, a descending scale on the solo violin which is accompanied by soft chords from the string section.<ref>[[#IMSLP|full score]], p. 4, bar 4</ref> The first and second themes, or fragments of them, are then heard throughout the various sections of the orchestra. The piece becomes more energetic and at its midpoint, right after a [[contrapuntal]] section based on the second theme,<ref>[[#IMSLP|full score]], p. 13, rehearsal letter C</ref> there is a direct quote<ref>[[#IMSLP|full score]], p. 16, rehearsal letter D</ref> played by the woodwinds of ''[[Dies irae]]'', a [[Gregorian chant]] from the [[Requiem]] that is melodically related to the work's second theme. The ''Dies irae'' is presented unusually in a major key. After this section the piece returns to the first and second themes and climaxes with the full orchestra playing very strong dynamics. Then there is an abrupt break in the texture<ref>[[#IMSLP|full score]], p. 50, bar 6</ref> and the [[coda (music)|coda]] represents the dawn breaking (a [[cockerel]]'s crow, played by the [[oboe]]) and the skeletons returning to their graves.


The piece makes particular use of the [[xylophone]] in a particular theme to imitate the sounds of rattling [[bone]]s. Saint-Saëns uses a similar [[motif (music)|motif]] in the ''Fossils'' part of his ''[[The Carnival of the Animals|Carnival of the Animals]]''.
The piece makes particular use of the [[xylophone]] to imitate the sounds of rattling bones. Saint-Saëns uses a similar [[motif (music)|motif]] in the ''Fossils'' movement of ''[[The Carnival of the Animals]]''.

The progression and melody of the minor waltz are similar to the jibes (e.g. "their sweethearts all are dead") of the Sailors' Chorus in "Helmsman/Steersman, Leave Your Watch," which begins the third act of Wagner's earlier opera, "The Flying Dutchman".

==Instrumentation==
''Danse macabre'' is scored for an [[obbligato]] violin and an orchestra consisting of one [[piccolo]], two [[Western concert flute|flute]]s, two [[oboe]]s, two [[clarinet]]s in B{{music|flat}}, two [[bassoon]]s; four [[French horn|horns]] in G and D, two [[trumpet]]s in D, three [[trombone]]s, one [[tuba]]; a percussion section that includes [[timpani]], [[xylophone]], [[bass drum]], [[cymbal]]s and [[Triangle (musical instrument)|triangle]]; one [[harp]] and [[string section|strings]].


==Reception==
==Reception==
When ''Danse macabre'' was first performed on 24 January 1875, it was not well received and caused widespread feelings of anxiety. The 21st century scholar, [[Roger Nichols (musical scholar)|Roger Nichols]], mentions adverse reaction to "the deformed ''Dies irae'' plainsong", the "horrible screeching from solo violin", the use of a xylophone, and "the hypnotic repetitions", in which Nichols hears a pre-echo of [[Maurice Ravel|Ravel]]'s ''[[Boléro]]''.<ref name=nichols>[[Roger Nichols (musical scholar)|Nichols, Roger]] (2012), Notes to Chandos CD CHSA 5104, {{OCLC|794163802}}</ref>
When ''Danse Macabre'' first premiered, it was not received well. Audiences were quite unsettled by the disturbing, yet innovative, sounds that Saint-Saëns elicited.
Shortly after the [[premiere]], it was transcribed into a [[piano]] [[arrangement]] by [[Franz Liszt]] (S.555), a good friend of Saint-Saëns, who recognized the genius of ''Danse Macabre'' and greeted it with much enthusiasm. It was again later transcribed into a popular piano arrangement by [[virtuoso]] pianist [[Vladimir Horowitz]].


It has grown to be considered one of Saint-Saëns' masterpieces, widely regarded and reproduced in both high and popular culture.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}
==Use in Soundtracks==

''Danse Macabre'' has been used as background music in horror [[television]] series such as ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' (in the mostly [[dialogue]]-free "[[Hush (Buffy episode)|Hush]]"), and was used as the haunting theme tune to the [[United Kingdom|British]] series ''[[Jonathan Creek]]''. It is also heard in a key scene in [[Jean Renoir|Jean Renoir's]] 1939 film ''[[The Rules of the Game]]''. The [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[amusement park]] [[Efteling]] uses it as the background theme for their [[haunted house]] ride. It is used in ''[[Mickey Mouse Works]]'' for the Silly Symphony's version of ''[[Hansel and Gretel]]'', starring [[Mickey Mouse|Mickey]] and [[Minnie Mouse|Minnie]]. It has also been used in the French film ''Un long dimanche de fiançailles'' (known in English as ''[[A Very Long Engagement]]'') starring [[Audrey Tautou]], and in the American film ''[[Tombstone (film)|Tombstone]]'' accompanying a stage production of the story of [[Faust]]. Another example is seen in ''[[Shrek the Third]]'' in several scenes including Prince Charming. It has also appeared in the anime ''[[Princess Tutu]]'', in AKT 24 as the background music for most part of the episode. It was also used in the documentary ''[[The Road to Dracula]]'', about the film ''[[Dracula (1931 film)|Dracula]]'' with [[Béla Lugosi]].
==Transcriptions==
A short piece of Danse Macabre was played on the ''[[The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius|Jimmy Neutron]]'' episode "[[The League of Villains]]", where the junkman was dancing with Beautiful Gorgeous. A record containing this song is used to solve a puzzle in the original ''[[Alone in the Dark (video game)|Alone in the Dark]]'' game. This song is used as the [[theme song]] for a [[Minnesota]] based radio show, Mystery Theatre as a theme song for a section called "[[Sherlock Holmes.]]"
Shortly after the premiere, the piece was transcribed into a piano solo arrangement by [[Franz Liszt]] (S.555),<ref>{{cite book |title=Franz Liszt: A Guide to Research |last=Salle |first=Michael |year=2004 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=0-415-94011-7 |page=460 }}</ref> a good friend of Saint-Saëns. Next to countless other piano solo transcriptions, [[Ernest Guiraud]] wrote a version for piano four hands and Saint-Saëns himself wrote a version for two pianos, and in 1877 also a version for violin and piano. In 1942, [[Vladimir Horowitz]] made extensive changes to the Liszt transcription. This version is played most often today.
An accordion-based version is the soundtrack to the "Mr Tourette" sketches in the British animated comedy series Modern Toss.

There is an arrangement for [[Pierrot ensemble]] (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano) by Tim Mulleman, and an organ transcription by [[Edwin Lemare]]. [[Greg Anderson (pianist)|Greg Anderson]] created a version for two pianos, two percussionists and violin, which he titled ''Danse Macbre Baccanale''.

==Usage==
{{More citations needed|1=section|date=August 2024}}
* The piece is played offstage during the first act of Henrik Ibsen's 1896 play ''[[John Gabriel Borkman]].''
* The 1922 film short film ''[[Danse Macabre (1922 film)|Danse Macabre]]'' is one of twelve "visual symphonies" set to classical music by it director [[Dudley Murphy]]. It depicts the ballet dancers [[Adolph Bolm]] as Youth and [[Ruth Page (ballerina)|Ruth Page]] as Love attempting to evade the grasp of Death ([[Olin Howland]]) in Spain during the [[Black Plague]].
* The piece was used for the trailer of 1922 Swedish-Danish silent horror film ''[[Häxan]]''.
* The piece is used as a recurring ironic motif in Jean Renoir's 1939 film ''[[The Rules of the Game]]'' (''La Règle du jeu''),
* The piece was used in dance performances, including those of [[Natalia Vladimirovna Trouhanowa]] in June 1911 and later by [[Anna Pavlova]] (1881–1931).<ref>{{cite book |title=Legacies of Twentieth-century Dance |last=Garafola |first=Lynn |year=2005 |publisher=Wesleyan University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8195-6674-4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/legaciesoftwenti0000gara/page/155 155–156] |url=https://archive.org/details/legaciesoftwenti0000gara/page/155 }}</ref>
* The piece is used in the Dutch theme park ''[[Efteling]]'' in the attraction [[Haunted Castle (Efteling)|Haunted Castle]] (1978) and its successor ''Danse Macabre'' (2024).
* It can be heard in ''[[Alone in the Dark (1992 video game)|Alone in the Dark]]'' after setting the record on the Gramophone in the Dance Hall.
* A portion of the piece can be heard in the 1993 [[western film]] ''[[Tombstone (film)|Tombstone]]'' during the performance of the stage version of ''[[Faust]]''.
* An adaptation of the piece is used as the theme music for ''[[Jonathan Creek]]'' (1997–2016), a mystery crime series on British television.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classicfm.com/composers/saint-saens/guides/saint-saens-facts/jonathan-creek-13/|title=A Danse Macabre|website=[[Classic FM (UK)]]|access-date=3 February 2018}}</ref>
* The music was heard in a 2002 [[Disney]] [[animated]] film ''[[Mickey's House of Villains]]'' and the 1999 ''[[Mickey Mouse Works]]'' episode titled "Hansel and Gretel", starring [[Mickey Mouse]] and [[Minnie Mouse]] as the titular duo.
* The piece is played in the ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' episode "[[Hush (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Hush]]" (1999), in which the character [[Rupert Giles]] plays the song while describing the episode's villains, the Gentlemen.
* The piece is used in the animated television series ''[[Modern Toss (TV series)|Modern Toss]]'' (2005–2008) as the theme tune for the character ''Mr. Tourette – Master Signwriter''.
*This piece can be heard in the play performed at the end of the movie ''[[Shrek the Third|Shrek The Third]]'' (2007).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413267/soundtrack/?ref_=tt_trv_snd|title =''Shrek the Third'' (2007)| website=[[IMDb]]}}{{better source needed|date=August 2024}}</ref>
* In Neil Gaiman's novel ''[[The Graveyard Book]]'' (2008) the characters dance the "Macabray". In the audiobook, ''Danse macabre'' is played between chapters.
* Korean figure skater [[Yuna Kim]] used the piece as her short program music in 2008–2009 season.
* The piece is used as a track in the Napoleonic Wars expansion pack for the game ''[[Mount & Blade: Warband]]'' (2010) by TaleWorlds Entertainment.
* The piece is also referenced in Neil Gaiman's book ''[[American Gods]]'' (2011).
* The piece is used in several instances during the 2011 ''[[Grimm (TV series)|Grimm]]'' episode "[[Danse Macabre (Grimm)|Danse Macabre]]", which is named after the piece.
* The 2011 film ''[[Hugo (film)|Hugo]]'' features the piece during a brief scene showing the history of early films.
* The piece is used as the ending theme of the horror-themed [[Nickelodeon]] series ''[[Deadtime Stories (TV series)|Deadtime Stories]]'' (2012–2013).
* A looped part of the piece can be purchased as a [[vehicle horn]] in the 2013 video game ''[[Grand Theft Auto Online]]'', only during Halloween event weeks.
* The piece can be heard during the New Year's Eve festivities in the 2014 [[Gothic horror|gothic horror film]], ''[[Stonehearst Asylum]].''
* The piece is used in the 2014 production "Immortal" by [[The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps]].
* A synthesized version of the piece is used in the soundtrack for the anime television series ''[[Dimension W]]'' (2016).
* The piece is used in the opening of season 2, episode 8, of the [[USA Network|USA]] original, ''[[Mr. Robot]]'' (2016).
* The piece is arranged in multiple levels of ''[[The End Is Nigh (video game)|The End is Nigh]]'' (2017), such as "The End" and "Mortaman".
* This piece is used in the soundtrack of the video games ''[[The Crew 2]]'' (2018) and ''[[Forza Horizon 5]]'' (2021).
* The piece is used in multiple episodes of the television series ''[[What We Do in the Shadows (TV series)|What We Do in the Shadows]]'' (2019).
* The piece is used in the first episode of ''[[Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer]]'' (2019).
* The piece is used as the main theme for ''[[Ratched (TV series)|Ratched]]'' (2020).
* This piece is played in Crowley's car as Aziraphale drives it from London to Edinburgh in season 2, episode 3 of the television show ''[[Good Omens (TV series)|Good Omens]]'' (2023).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14954256/soundtrack/?ref_=tt_trv_snd | title=''Good Omens'' (2023) | website=[[IMDb]]}}{{better source needed|date=August 2024}}</ref>
* The piece was played during the [[2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{anchor|IMSLP}}{{IMSLP|work=Danse macabre, Op.40 (Saint-Saëns, Camille)|cname=''Danse macabre'' (Saint-Saëns)}}
* [http://www.karadar.com/Dictionary/saint-saens.html Downloadable Midi file of ''Danse Macabre'']
* {{YouTube|kcwQdVxnBHU|Performance of the Franz Liszt arrangement}} by Michael Kaykov (2021)
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ_w_ZLmqAU YouTube recording] of ''Danse Macabre''

[[Category:Compositions by Camille Saint-Saëns]]
{{Camille Saint-Saëns}}
[[Category:Symphonic poems]]
{{Death and mortality in art}}
{{Portal bar|Classical music}}
{{Authority control}}


[[fr:Danse macabre (Camille Saint-Saëns)]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danse macabre (Saint-Saens)}}
[[Category:1874 compositions]]
[[nl:Danse macabre (Saint-Saëns)]]
[[Category:Symphonic poems by Camille Saint-Saëns]]
[[ja:死の舞踏 (サン＝サーンス)]]
[[pl:Danse macabre (Saint-Saëns)]]
[[Category:Concertante works by Camille Saint-Saëns]]
[[Category:Compositions in G minor]]
[[Category:Death in music]]
[[Category:Halloween compositions]]
[[Category:Music based on art]]
[[Category:Music based on European myths and legends]]
[[Category:Music based on poems]]
[[Category:Music with dedications]]
[[Category:The Devil in classical music]]
[[Category:Compositions for violin and orchestra]]
[[Category:Horror television theme songs]]

Latest revision as of 12:26, 9 December 2024

For the medieval allegory, see Danse Macabre.

Danse macabre, Op. 40, is a symphonic poem for orchestra, written in 1874 by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns. It premiered 24 January 1875. It is in the key of G minor. It started out in 1872 as an art song for voice and piano with a French text by the poet Henri Cazalis.[1] In 1874, the composer expanded and reworked the piece into a symphonic poem, replacing the vocal line with a solo violin part.

Analysis

[edit]
Danse macabre
Colonne Orchestra, Louis Fourestier conducting (1953)
Problems playing this file? See media help.

According to legend, Death appears at midnight every year on Halloween. Death calls forth the dead from their graves to dance for him while he plays his fiddle (here represented by a solo violin). His skeletons dance for him until the cockerel crows at dawn, when they must return to their graves until the next year.

The piece opens with a harp playing a single note, D, twelve times (the twelve strokes of midnight) which is accompanied by soft chords from the string section. The solo violin enters playing the tritone, which was known as the diabolus in musica ("the Devil in music") during the Medieval and Baroque eras, consisting of an A and an E♭—in an example of scordatura tuning, the violinist's E string has actually been tuned down to an E♭ to create the dissonant tritone.

The first theme is heard on a solo flute,[2] followed by the second theme, a descending scale on the solo violin which is accompanied by soft chords from the string section.[3] The first and second themes, or fragments of them, are then heard throughout the various sections of the orchestra. The piece becomes more energetic and at its midpoint, right after a contrapuntal section based on the second theme,[4] there is a direct quote[5] played by the woodwinds of Dies irae, a Gregorian chant from the Requiem that is melodically related to the work's second theme. The Dies irae is presented unusually in a major key. After this section the piece returns to the first and second themes and climaxes with the full orchestra playing very strong dynamics. Then there is an abrupt break in the texture[6] and the coda represents the dawn breaking (a cockerel's crow, played by the oboe) and the skeletons returning to their graves.

The piece makes particular use of the xylophone to imitate the sounds of rattling bones. Saint-Saëns uses a similar motif in the Fossils movement of The Carnival of the Animals.

The progression and melody of the minor waltz are similar to the jibes (e.g. "their sweethearts all are dead") of the Sailors' Chorus in "Helmsman/Steersman, Leave Your Watch," which begins the third act of Wagner's earlier opera, "The Flying Dutchman".

Instrumentation

[edit]

Danse macabre is scored for an obbligato violin and an orchestra consisting of one piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in B♭, two bassoons; four horns in G and D, two trumpets in D, three trombones, one tuba; a percussion section that includes timpani, xylophone, bass drum, cymbals and triangle; one harp and strings.

Reception

[edit]

When Danse macabre was first performed on 24 January 1875, it was not well received and caused widespread feelings of anxiety. The 21st century scholar, Roger Nichols, mentions adverse reaction to "the deformed Dies irae plainsong", the "horrible screeching from solo violin", the use of a xylophone, and "the hypnotic repetitions", in which Nichols hears a pre-echo of Ravel's Boléro.[7]

It has grown to be considered one of Saint-Saëns' masterpieces, widely regarded and reproduced in both high and popular culture.[citation needed]

Transcriptions

[edit]

Shortly after the premiere, the piece was transcribed into a piano solo arrangement by Franz Liszt (S.555),[8] a good friend of Saint-Saëns. Next to countless other piano solo transcriptions, Ernest Guiraud wrote a version for piano four hands and Saint-Saëns himself wrote a version for two pianos, and in 1877 also a version for violin and piano. In 1942, Vladimir Horowitz made extensive changes to the Liszt transcription. This version is played most often today.

There is an arrangement for Pierrot ensemble (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano) by Tim Mulleman, and an organ transcription by Edwin Lemare. Greg Anderson created a version for two pianos, two percussionists and violin, which he titled Danse Macbre Baccanale.

Usage

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Boyd, Malcolm (2001). "Dance of death (Fr. danse macabre; Ger. Totentanz". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.07153. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription required)
  2. ^ IMSLP full score, p. 3
  3. ^ full score, p. 4, bar 4
  4. ^ full score, p. 13, rehearsal letter C
  5. ^ full score, p. 16, rehearsal letter D
  6. ^ full score, p. 50, bar 6
  7. ^ Nichols, Roger (2012), Notes to Chandos CD CHSA 5104, OCLC 794163802
  8. ^ Salle, Michael (2004). Franz Liszt: A Guide to Research. New York: Routledge. p. 460. ISBN 0-415-94011-7.
  9. ^ Garafola, Lynn (2005). Legacies of Twentieth-century Dance. New York: Wesleyan University Press. pp. 155–156. ISBN 978-0-8195-6674-4.
  10. ^ "A Danse Macabre". Classic FM (UK). Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  11. ^ "Shrek the Third (2007)". IMDb.[better source needed]
  12. ^ "Good Omens (2023)". IMDb.[better source needed]
[edit]
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