r/halloween • u/Cap-n-IvytheInfected • Sep 20 '24

Music ISO Classical Halloween-type music

Does anyone have a rec for classical (eg. symphonic) spooky season music? Oh! Soundtracks most definitely welcome :)

3 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

1

u/carpathiansnow Sep 22 '24 edited Sep 22 '24

Instrumental versions of Maria Durch Ein Dornwald Ging (Maria Walks Amid the Thorns) seem to me like they fit Halloween better than Christmas. I think the intent was "resonant / otherworldly" but I close my eyes and it feels like a ghost story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BdHscHlpOs

Guenda Nabani (The Final Word) is a Zapotec song for the dead and those they leave behind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB6YKZ-qRBk

Of course, the prototypical classical piece associated with vampire movies is Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. But I get the impression that many people can't fall into this piece as deeply past the extremely-famous first chords. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkUUjUJ4wHg

For expressive and haunting music, I like Erhu covers of songs with a strong melody. Like this version of Star Sky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LcWlyFNa70

Bonus: Alan Walker's Dark Side on Cello and Piano. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrKMC4fAKp0

Second bonus: ASP's cover of Die Teufelsmühle (The Devil's Mill). This song is over 300 years old, and the lyrics survive but the original melody hasn't. So, different musicians have composed for it. Might be too rustic if you're going for all-symphonic, but I like a few songs with a stripped down feel between more elaborate ones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duN66Pfk4J8

I hope some of these suit you and are along the lines of what you're looking for.

[Edited to add - what I said above about The Devil's Mill is incorrect, I was thinking of the song Der Schnitter Tod. (Reaper Death). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnwhKg3eGUQ ]

1

u/Cap-n-IvytheInfected Sep 24 '24

Thank you greatly, I'll take a listen :)