The Noon Witch
Encyclopedia
The Noon Witch Op. 108, B 196, is a symphonic poem
written in 1896 by Antonín Dvořák
inspired by the Karel Erben poem Polednice from the collection Kytice
. Polednice is based on the noon demon "Lady Midday
" of slavic mythology
.
A mother warns her son that, if he does not behave himself, the noon witch will come and take him away. In fact, the child does not listen and the witch comes at the stroke of noon. Soon afterwards, the father arrives to see his wife who has fainted with the dead body of their little son in her arms.
The Noon Witch was written in 1896. A semi-public performance was given at the Prague Conservatory on 3 June 1896 under Antonín Bennewitz
. Its first full public premiere was on 21 November 1896, in London, under the baton of Henry Wood. The piece lasts about 13 minutes.
Symphonic poem
A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...
written in 1896 by Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
inspired by the Karel Erben poem Polednice from the collection Kytice
Kytice
Kytice is a collection of ballads by the Czech author Karel Jaromír Erben, first published in 1853 and considered a classic...
. Polednice is based on the noon demon "Lady Midday
Lady Midday
Pscipolnitsa is a character of myth and tradition, common to much of Eastern Europe.Referred to as Południca in Polish, Полудница in Serbian, Polednice in Czech, Poludnica in Slovak, Полудница in Bulgarian, and Полудница in Russian, the Pscipolnitsa is a noon demon in Slavic mythology...
" of slavic mythology
Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation.The religion possesses many common traits with other religions descended from the Proto-Indo-European religion....
.
A mother warns her son that, if he does not behave himself, the noon witch will come and take him away. In fact, the child does not listen and the witch comes at the stroke of noon. Soon afterwards, the father arrives to see his wife who has fainted with the dead body of their little son in her arms.
The Noon Witch was written in 1896. A semi-public performance was given at the Prague Conservatory on 3 June 1896 under Antonín Bennewitz
Antonín Bennewitz
Antonín Bennewitz was a Czech violinist, conductor and teacher. He was in a line of violinists that extended back to Giovanni Battista Viotti, and forward to Jan Kubelík and Wolfgang Schneiderhan....
. Its first full public premiere was on 21 November 1896, in London, under the baton of Henry Wood. The piece lasts about 13 minutes.
External links
- Classical Public Radio Network on a recording of The Noon Witch
- Answers.com info
- Classical Music and Literature (blog) for a look at the piece's motifs based on aspects of the poem.