Danse Macabre
by Camille Saint-Saens
Clarinet Quartet - Sheet Music

Bass clarinet quartet

SKU: P2.30032

Composed by Camille Saint-Saens. Arranged by Cornelius Boots. Chamber music. Published by Potenza Music (P2.30032).

Danse Macabre is certainly a musical mini-adventure, and more of my compositions have been generated or inspired by adventures and imagination than, say, abstract feelings or focused method application (although there are some exceptions). Certainly Saint-Saens' use of melody, rhythm and orchestration are creative and adventurous in this piece, but largely it is the form of this adventure that gives it such brilliance and effectiveness when presented to an audience. Therefore, the tempo, dynamic, and voicing shifts should be approached with sincerity and a cinematic perspective while the momentum of the piece continues to build. According to the original score performance notes, the piece (composed in 1874) was inspired by the poem by Henri Cazalis and is in the 3 sections: Midnight and Death tunes his violin---Dance of Death--Daylight and the cock crows.