8 Classical Pieces I Love for Halloween

Halloween is nearly here!  And if you’re looking for spooky, scary or creepy music, you’re in luck.  Here’s a list of my top 8 classical pieces for Halloween.  If the music alone doesn’t scare you, just read about the stories that accompany the music. What's more, you can download free sheet music for numbers 6, 5 and 1.

#8 The Erlking - Franz Schubert

This art-song paints a picture of riding on horseback through the woods at night, trying to get away from the ominous Erlking.

#7 Fossils - Camille Saint-Saëns 

What makes this piece fun is the fast staccato which sounds like skeletons dancing. Keep reading for more skeletons by Saint-Saëns. 

#6 Night on Bald Mountain - Modest Mussorgsky 

This tone poem creates a musical picture of a Witches’ Sabbath occurring on a night like Halloween. You can find the free piano sheet music here.

#5 In the Hall of the Mountain King - Edvard Grieg  

The main character, Peer (Peter) finds himself in the Hall of the Mountain King where he is captured by trolls and must find his way out. Download this popular tune that starts slow and gets progressively faster in three different versions from this page.

#4 Toccata and Fugue D minor - Johann Sebastian Bach  

This iconic piece is a MUST at every Halloween.  It is by far the most recognizable Halloween theme amongst classical music.

#3 The Water Goblin - Antonin Dvorak 

This piece is about a mischievous water goblin who traps drowning souls in teacups.

#2 Sorcerer’s Apprentice - Paul Dukas  

The story is based upon a poem about an old sorcerer who leaves his apprentice in the workshop for the afternoon.  The apprentice tries a magic spell to help him do chores but ends up ruining the workshop.

#1 Danse Macabre - Camille Saint-Saëns 

It is based upon the legend that Death plays the fiddle at midnight on Halloween, causing the skeletons in the cemetery to crawl out of the ground for a dance party. Grab the free sheet music here.&nbsp

For more free sheet music, downloadable PDFs and other resources from Lessonface teachers click here.

  This article was originally published in October of 2021. 

MORE ABOUT VERONICA GAUDREAU Hello, my name is Veronica. I have 20+ years experience teaching piano. The most important thing to me is making sure you are having fun taking piano lessons. Students who enjoy lessons practice more, accomplish more, and have more fun! My main areas are: Classical, Pop, Rock, Metal, Indie, New Age, & Easy Listening. I'm at the piano listening to and writing music daily; I love arranging and teaching pop, rock, indie & metal music for piano. > Book a lesson with Veronica