Night on Bald Mountain

Description

Night On Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky

Arranged for Flute Orchestra by Shaul Ben-Meir

Instrumentation: piccolo, 6 c flutes, 2 alto flutes, bass flute,  contrabass flute; (Flute5 plays handbell or chime in D, if available, in the ending measures)

Duration: c. 14:00

Score and parts

Among Modest Mussorgsky’s most well-known compositions, his tone poem “Night on Bald Mountain” was featured in the 1940 Disney animated film, Fantasia. Originally existing in a few different versions, the final version was actually an orchestration of the work created by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov five years after Mussorgsky’s death.  The work is a depiction of a witches’ sabbath taking place on St. John’s Eve on Bald Mountain.  The use of the handbell or chime is reminiscent of the morning church bell and is particularly effective in the imagery of the dawning of the new day.

This piece is often programmed during the Halloween season, making use of its eerie subject matter and plaintive melodies.