Danse Macabre

Description

Danse Macabre is possibly one of Saint-Saens’ most identifiable symphonic works. Saint-Saens was inspired to compose Danse Macabre after visiting the catacombs beneath the streets of Paris known to be the final resting place of victims of the French Revolution. Saint-Saens began this work in the early 1870s, originally setting the music to a poem by Henri Cazalis. Initially, the piece was written for voice and piano but Saint-Saens reworked it a few years later, substituting solo violin for voice and adding full orchestra. The piece opens with twelve single D’s representing the twelve strokes of midnight. Death, represented by the solo violin, calls for the dead from their graves to dance for him while he plays his fiddle. The dance continues vigorously until the crow of a roster represented by the oboe. The piece ends with the last skeletons scurrying back to their graves.