November 1, 2009 at 1:41 AM
Enjoy some spooky music for Halloween. Saint-Saens's Danse Macabre was inspired by a French poem about ghosts who are summoned by the Devil to rise up from their graves at midnight to dance and then return to their graves at dawn. The piece begins with 12 notes played on the harp, signifying midnight. Then a violin, representing the Devil, plays some eerie chords, including the "Devil's chord," with the E string tuned down to E flat.
Loved it! Didn't know the bit about the E string tuned to E flat. How cool.
Thanks for the Halloween treat. Very tasty. : )
Ghirardelli is the best. One of my adult students brought milk chocolate/peanut butter, raspberry/dark chocolate, and almond/milk chocolate. It's been a lovely weekend...
Love the chocs!
Played this piece as 2nd violinist in youth symphony! Loved it!
This entry has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
Violinist.com is made possible by...
Juilliard Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies
Dimitri Musafia, Master Maker of Violin and Viola Cases
North Shore Chamber Music Festival
Violinist.com Business Directory
Violinist.com Guide to Online Learning
Johnson String Instrument and Carriage House Violins
Discover the best of Violinist.com in these collections of editor Laurie Niles' exclusive interviews.
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 1, with introduction by Hilary Hahn
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 2, with introduction by Rachel Barton Pine