Spooky classical music for kids: 16 pieces for Halloween

Classical music has skeletons, witches, trolls, and a sorcerer’s broom, which makes Halloween an easy time to start listening. The pieces below are sorted into three groups, from a little spooky to dark and loud. Begin with “In the Hall of the Mountain King” for a young child and Danse macabre for a child of six and up. Tell the story first, and keep the volume low the first time.

A little spooky: ages 3 to 6

“In the Hall of the Mountain King,” by Grieg. A young man named Peer tries to slip out of a troll king’s hall. The tune starts low and slow, then gets faster and louder until the trolls give chase. About two and a half minutes. See the Peer Gynt listening guide.

“Fossils” from The Carnival of the Animals, by Saint-Saëns. A xylophone plays the clatter of bones. About a minute and a half. See the Carnival of the Animals guide.

Funeral March of a Marionette, by Gounod. A puppet has broken, and the other puppets carry it off in a march that is more funny than sad. Read Gounod for kids.

“March of the Trolls,” by Grieg. A quick piano piece in which trolls stamp past, stop for a gentle tune, and stamp back again.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, by Dukas. A young helper casts a spell on a broom and cannot stop it. About ten minutes. See the Sorcerer’s Apprentice guide.

Spooky: ages 6 to 9

Danse macabre, by Saint-Saëns. At midnight, Death tunes a fiddle and skeletons dance until the rooster crows. See the Danse macabre guide.

“The Hut on Hen’s Legs,” from Pictures at an Exhibition, by Mussorgsky. The witch Baba Yaga lives in a hut that walks on chicken legs. See the Pictures at an Exhibition guide.

“Witches’ Ride” from Hansel and Gretel, by Humperdinck. The orchestra gallops as the witch flies on her broom. See Hansel and Gretel for kids.

Toccata and Fugue in D minor, attributed to Bach. The opening is the organ sound many people link with haunted houses. Play the first minute.

“Infernal Dance” from The Firebird, by Stravinsky. A loud bang starts the dance of an evil sorcerer’s monsters. See the Firebird guide.

“Gnomus,” from Pictures at an Exhibition, by Mussorgsky. A gnome lurches and stops, lurches and stops.

Dark and loud: ages 9 and up

Night on Bald Mountain, by Mussorgsky. Witches and spirits gather on a mountain top until a church bell sends them away. See the Night on Bald Mountain guide.

“Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath,” from the Symphonie fantastique, by Berlioz. Bells toll, bassoons and low brass play an old church chant, and the violinists tap their strings with the wood of the bow. Read Berlioz for kids.

“Mars, the Bringer of War,” from The Planets, by Holst. A pounding rhythm with five beats in each bar. See the Planets guide.

“Dance of the Knights,” from Romeo and Juliet, by Prokofiev. Heavy brass and stamping strings for two families who hate each other.

“Erlkönig,” by Schubert. A song for one singer and piano. A father rides through the night with his sick child while a spirit calls to the boy. The ending is sad, so read the story first. Read Schubert for kids.

What makes music sound spooky

Minor keys. Most of these pieces are in minor keys, which many listeners hear as dark. See major and minor scales explained.

Low instruments. Bassoons, tubas, double basses, and low brass carry the creeping tunes.

Sudden loud chords. A quiet passage followed by a crash makes a listener jump.

Clattering sounds. The xylophone stands in for bones in Danse macabre and “Fossils.”

Shaking strings. Violins play one note with a fast, tiny back-and-forth of the bow. It sounds like a shiver.

A tense pair of notes. Early in Danse macabre, a solo violin plays two open strings together. The top string is tuned a half step low, so the pair makes a harsh interval that people once nicknamed “the devil in music.”

A 35-minute Halloween playlist

1. Funeral March of a Marionette
2. “Fossils”
3. “In the Hall of the Mountain King”
4. Danse macabre
5. “The Hut on Hen’s Legs”
6. “Witches’ Ride”
7. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

This order starts gentle, peaks in the middle, and ends with a story.

Things to do together

Monster freeze dance. Dance like a skeleton, a troll, or a witch. Freeze when the music stops.

Guess the creature. Play a piece with no title. Ask what kind of creature it is and how it moves.

Draw the scene. Fold a page in four and draw four moments from Danse macabre.

Flashlight conducting. Turn off the lights and conduct on the ceiling with a flashlight. Big circles for loud, small circles for soft.

Spooky bingo. Make a card with the listening bingo maker. Add squares such as “xylophone,” “sudden loud chord,” and “gets faster.”

Make the sounds. Tell a short ghost story. Your child adds the sound effects with a drum, a shaker, and a creaky door.

For a sensitive child

• Listen in daylight first
• Tell the story before you press play
• Keep the volume low
• Say that the musicians are pretending, like actors
• Stay with the first group of pieces
• Let your child hold the pause button

More pieces with stories

For the famous organ piece, read Toccata and Fugue in D minor for kids. See classical music that tells a story and the full set of listening guides. Write down a favorite on a listening journal page.