Orchestral Halloween Playlist

12 Orchestral works with a Halloween vibe

OCTOBER 31ST, 2021

To start, this is not a top 12 list.

We wanted to celebrate Halloween with a 12 orchestral music playlist that embodies the spirit of the holiday; Sorry, no candy from us this year. There is no specific order to this list. We may come back to this subject and create an actual top 12 orchestral Halloween music list, but for now, we just wanted to share some works that we enjoy listening to during this spooky time of the year.

We love Halloween. It is one of our favorite holidays. Watching some great horror movies, seeing the cities and people decorate, pumpkins (all parts of a pumpkin are great, from its inner seeds to the outer shell used for Jack-o-Lanterns), the colors (oranges, greens, purples), and stories that keep you awake at night, we enjoy all parts of Halloween. And what we haven't seen so much of is music written by great composers that give that same chill and vibe, which is all so fitting during this spooktacular holiday. Thus, what could be better than an orchestral playlist of creepy music that may give you goosebumps.

How did we choose the works in this playlist? There was no fundamental pre-requisite other than it being an orchestral work. It doesn't have to be the complete work. If a movement of a symphony, suite, etc., was enough to capture the spirit of Halloween, we included just that movement. The music gave us a chill with its sonorous atmosphere or oozed with ominous tones throughout the work. Not all will be horror Halloween feels; some pieces may be a bit more family-friendly. However, most of the orchestral works chosen lean closer to spooky vibes vs. a Disney Halloween.

We did have one rule in this playlist. Again to give you a good sample of composers, we only listed one work per composer. Since the subject matter is not too often written (not many composers want to spook their audiences), we didn't have too much of an issue with following this guideline.

Now that you have a good understanding of how we created the list, it is time to dive deep into the horror, chilling music that may keep you up at night. It may not keep you up at night unless you have a vivid imagination.

Sergei RACHMANINOFF
Isle of the Dead

We think this first one speaks pretty much for itself, Isle of the Dead. What else can you expect from a work that includes "Dead" in its title? The piece begins oozing with an ambiance of dread and chill. The low strings create an ominous undertone to start the work, and this undertone doesn't stop. It only builds and builds.

An image is tied to this piece that captures the essence of the work through painting. However, we enjoy picturing the cave from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, on its own with waves crashing against it, storms surrounding it, and an overall sense of darkness hidden within it. The scene in the movie would work perfectly with this music too.

In this work, like others that we'll see in this playlist of haunting music, we find a prevalent motif that has fascinated many composers from the past and in the present. A motif of the Dies Irae chant is used in full force by Rachmaninov.

Dies Irae was an ancient Gregorian chant composed by someone we don't know (could have been the Devil himself, probably not). It was used to describe the "Day of Wrath." The last judgment on our souls, where those unchosen would suffer in eternal flames on earth. As such, this simple melody has continued to be used by composers; you can even find its use at the beginning of "The Shining." And you'll see it pop up throughout the list. It is a chilling melody.

For good reason, this small fragment of the more extended melody is obsessively used throughout Isle of the Dead by Rachmaninov. It creates such chilling tension that it will make you fear any island on its own covered in shadows.

Hector BERLIOZ
Symphonie Fantastique
V. Dream of a Witches Sabbath

Since we just spoke about it in the last piece, we will tell you that this work also references the famous Dies Irae melody, however, much differently and in its fuller form than in Isle of the Dead.

Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique is programmatic music in its most literal sense. It tells the story of an artist, Berlioz himself, as the main character. In its most literal sense, the fifth movement is a satanic dream. After falling to the guillotines in the last movement (we're not making this up. We encourage you to listen to the entire work), the composer sees himself falling into hell.

The work comes with a chilling witch dance portrayed by the woodwind in a chilly airy tone. The low voices contrast with a heavy and intense tone that reaches the depths of their range, making it almost inaudible when moving between notes. As we reach the work's climax, we begin to hear the chilling sound of a church bell chiming, which ushers in the complete theme of the Dies Irae chanted by low winds. Different groups repeat it multiple times, almost as if it was being done in a ritual to mock the central character's death.

As the music comes to an end, we get a frantic combination of the different themes coming together, from the dance to the Dies Irae to the fugue theme that came just before it. This work is a chilling and wild ride, with a little less dread than the Isle of the Dead and more of a Disney Haunted Mansion vibe.

Camille SAINT-SAENS
Danse Macabre

We've already spoken about this work before as it made our first top 12 list of orchestral works in under 10 minutes. However, we can continue to praise this phenomenal work.

It has a creepy beginning with the violin's iconic opening as if it was ushering in a grim evening of dancing. Now this work falls more into the more family-friendly vibe of Halloween. Though, you may not think that when you hear the xylophones coming in with their theme that references the beating of the bones of a skeleton as if they were an instrument.

The melodies are hauntingly beautiful. They range from lyrical themes of the macabre to aggressive poignant dances. The work is a ghostly ride from beginning to end that keeps you on your toes with its chilling sonorities. And guess what? It also references the Dies Irae as a fragment. We think you'll begin noticing a theme with all these haunting orchestral works.

Johann Sebastian BACH
Toccata and Fugue in d minor
(arr. By Leopold Stokowski)

Now you may call this a cheat since the work was originally composed for organ. However, the theme is so chilling that it was hard to resist including, and the arrangement by Stokowski is pretty great.

It's a dramatic work with an ominous undertone. The beginning Toccata is an almost foreboding theme that almost feels as if it's ushering in the chaotic fugue to come. Whether it's the theme itself, the galloping runs, or the orchestration from Stokowski, the Toccata kicks off a chilling start to this famous work.

Then comes the fugue…

Bach was a master of the fugue form. It may not have the same spine-chilling air as the Toccata, but its battling lines can at times create chaos; however, it's all done in a good way as we know Bach would do. Additionally, the orchestration of Stokowski brilliantly makes it sound like an organ, which has such a strong history with the horror genre. The final chord will give you goosebumps as the work comes to an end.

Modest MUSSORGSKY
Night on Bald Mountain

If this work were a few minutes shorter, it would have easily made the top twelve under 10 minutes. Whether the sense of dread came from the imagery created by Disney's Fantasia or the music itself, Night on Bald Mountain will continue to be associated with horror and Halloween.

It's a work of high drama with dark and intense harmonies. There are two popular versions—the original composed by Mussorgsky himself and one arranged by Rimsky-Korsakov. Either one is a great listening; you can't go wrong with your choice in listening.

The works come with spine-chilling violin runs and repetitive attacks played over brass's looming and dark theme in their low register. Similar to the Dansce Macabre or the "Dream of a Witches Sabbath" from Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, we hear a dark dance, which has the sound as if witches were dancing in a ritual to summon a dark being.

The clashing of voices, energetic swirls, and heavy dramatic low brass theme come to a halt in what we will call its third act, where we hear a lament. It is almost as if the witches who were dancing to summon the dark figure regret their actions.

Carl ORFF
Carmina Burana
O Fortuna

This work is almost epicenes epitomized. It is a powerful work written for choir and orchestra. Whether the Latin singing or the dramatic, high tension music, "O Fortuna" stirs feelings of misfortune on a grand scale.

As soon as you listen, you are hit with full choir, foreboding timpani strikes, and brass fanfare. Afterward, we have a slow intimidating build-up from the choir and strings, taking their time to lead back to the extraordinary dynamism of the beginning.

This is one of the most famous works to come from the 20th century for a reason. For us, we get images of a fiery inferno, a battle between angels and demons, or judgment day. However, you may get images of being in a new car. The opening of "O Fortuna" has made it around into a commercial for quite some time.

Giuseppe VERDI
Requiem
Dies Irae

It may not be hard to see how this made the list. The second movement of Verdi's famous, powerful, and epic Requiem, "Dies Irae," creates the setting of Judgement Day. With that, we get music with the spine-chilling energy of orchestra with the fury of the chorus. Surprisingly, you won't hear a reference to the popular Dies Irae theme that we've been introduced to in this playlist.

The opening of this section is completely dramatic, similar to the Carmina Burana "O Fortuna." It starts with a full orchestra, powerful brass, and choir singing in full force "Dies Irae." The high voices sound like screaming shrieks as if the people experiencing this Judgement Day are pleading for forgiveness or escape from their unfortunate surroundings. Then, a trumpet solo, turned into an ensemble fanfare, is ominous as if calling the flames from the underworld, which is all too familiar with the narrative of Judgement Day.

We recommend not listening to this in the beginning at the highest volume level. You may blow our your ears.

Charles IVES
Central Park in the Dark

We enter the bizarre, creepy world Ive's created depicting Central Park at night, moving on from the more religious horror tones. The work sounds like it's giving listeners a warning and caution about traversing Central Park in the middle of the night. The world he creates for this famous park is certainly eerily whether he thought so or not.

He originally commented that the work was a picture-in-sounds, the sounds of nature and happenings when sitting on a bench in Central Park on a hot summer night. Around the mid-point, it undoubtedly depicts many clashing lines, creating a chaotic distortion of different sounds that you may hear when walking through the park, even the famous, "Hello! Ma baby." While Ive's meant for this work to be just a representation of sounds one would hear while in the park, we find its sounds disturbing. It almost sounds like a shadowy figure is hiding around the corner, ready to pop out at any moment. Watch out and be careful when walking alone at night.

Igor STRAVINSKY
Firebird Suite
Introduction and
Infernal Dance of King Kaschel

Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite is one of our favorites and has so much to offer. It has a few movements in its work that bring an ominous chill that raises the hair on our arms.

The introduction is measured and steady as it sets a dark undertone for the entire suite. It favors the lowest voices as they play in their lowest register, barely audible to our ears. We're introduced to flourishes of other sounds as if you're hearing steps around you that you can't see in the night or noise from unseen animals; you'll even hear the sounds of a shriek.

The Infernal Dance of King Kaschel is an apt description for its sound. It has the atmosphere of a dark, fiery dance that's ritualistic with a high cost (possibly sacrifice?). It's a frantic ride, which will have you breathing heavily as if you're dancing briskly yourself. Again, we also have the calls from the trumpet, as if it was calling forth a dark being to cause even more trouble to those feverishly dancing in this ritual.

Stravinsky's primal rhythmic energy, unconventional meter, and intense harmonic language created much dark, frightful music. If we didn't make rules for this playlist, we could have added a few other works by this well-known composer.

Edvard GRIEG
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1
IV. In the Hall of the Mountain King

The well-known theme "In the Hall of the Mountain King" has always sounded like the theme of a dark villain, more Disney villain than Michael Myers. This short work made our list, but its haunting little tune is attractive and hypnotic. Its gradual build-up adds to its already foreboding melody. The poignant strikes and chorus help give this work a general feeling of dread that will make you stay away from any villain who may enter with this tune as their theme song.

Alexander MOSOLOV
The Iron Foundry

Also known as the Music of the Machines, you will start questioning the machines around you as you hear this work. Its ostinato and almost chaotic theme creates the image of a working factory, but with a twist…

the machines are not on your side. It's a short work that may have been intended more of a song of the working man in a steel or iron factory, but it has the spirit of a horror classic to us. It's oozing with dissonance that makes you tremble with the dark sight you may see in a machine factory where the machines have turned on their masters. The dystopian tale we see when hearing this work is one we want to stay away from.

Gregorian Chant
Dies Irae

We've already mentioned this so many times in the works that quoted the material from this Gregorian chant. The fact that we heard this playing one year at a Halloween Horror nights event gives it credence for how terrifying this tune can be, especially when sung by the choir.

This is not an orchestral work but a chant to be sung. However, like our top 12 list of orchestral works, we're giving ourselves one cheat. This also isn't a top 12 list, so there's less at stake here.

The chant describes the Day of Judgement. However, the music that is referenced so often is in the first few lines. What makes these lines so chilling? What makes it so often referenced by composers when depicting dark subjects? It's honestly a simple tune that circles down around a minor third in its first half and circles up and down that same minor third in the second half, but its simplicity has forever been linked with a foreboding, supernatural evil, or depictions of darkness. Whether humanity made it so this tune was linked with darkness through its first use with the Dies Irae chant, or there's something more to it with its sound, we will never know since it's now so intricately intertwined with the subject of horror.

Closing Statement

We hope you enjoy this horror playlist. You can add it to your Spotify library at the link below. If there is a piece you think should have been included, please leave a comment below. Happy Halloween and have a tremendous horror-filled listening time!