Danse Macabre

Weekly Learning Objectives

To understand the musical elements.

To explore and analyse how musical elements have been used to tell the story of
Danse Macabre.
To use understanding of musical elements to create music that attempts to
represent the story.
Part 1
This piece of music is telling a story.

What do you think the story is about?

The Story of Danse Macabre...
The clock strikes midnight.

It is a dark, quiet night… there is a gentle breeze.

Suddenly, a ghost appears! He is playing a fiddle.

As he plays more and more ghosts and skeletons appear all around.

They begin to dance.

They dance through the night.

When the sun begins to appear, the

ghosts and skeletons disappear into

the shadows.
Musical Elements

Dynamics Tempo Pitch

Texture Instruments
How could we use music to represent these things?

1. The clock strikes midnight.

2. The ghost appears suddenly. Dynamics

Texture
3. The ghost is playing a fiddle.
Pitch
4. More ghosts appear.
Instruments

5. They all dance. Tempo

Let’s create our own version of the story.
Part 2
Listen to Danse Macabre again.
What can you hear in the music that represents these
moments in the story.

1. The clock strikes midnight.

Dynamics
2. The ghost appears suddenly. Texture

3. The ghost is playing a fiddle. Pitch

Instruments
4. More ghosts appear.
Tempo
5. They all dance.
Musical Elements

Dynamics Tempo Pitch

Texture Instruments
 Independent Work

You have 5 minutes.

Try and tell an aspect of the story of

Danse Macabre using instruments.
Dynamics Tempo
Instruments

Loud or Quiet? Fast or Slow?

Pitch Texture

High or Low? Thick or Thin?