Music Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe
By Michael Campion

Edgar Allan Poe is today considered a master of the macabre and one of the greatest writers who ever lived. His tragic and emotionally painful life gave birth to searching, mysterious, and terrifying writings of poetry and prose, and he is today recognized as a genius of literary form. Poe’s incredibly masterful handling of rhythm and sound, coupled with his use of symbolism and a natural instinct for the music in words, has inspired artists of all genres. Composers especially must have felt like they hit the jackpot. Here are some of the best Poe-inspired pieces.

A work based on The Fall of the House of Usher stands out. The Usher Waltz by Nikita Koshkin is a musical representation of a bizarre guitar improvisation as described in the story. Played by Roderick Usher, it shows the gradual deterioration of Usher’s senses in the face of the soul-searing events that have overtaken him.

Andre Caplet’s tone poem inspired by The Masque of the Red Death is a blow-by-blow account of the terrifying, and terrifyingly timely story of a prince, who, defying the plague that is ravaging the land, gives a grand ball for his equally foolhardy guests. At the stroke of midnight death arrives to claim his victims. Caplet’s use of the harp to create both the gay and the tragic is masterful.

Another of Poe’s famous stories to receive musical life is The Pit and the Pendulum written by Englishman Joseph Holbrooke. The composer was fascinated by Poe and wrote more than a dozen works inspired by his writings. The tale of a victim of the Spanish Inquisition who is mentally and physically tortured is frighteningly realized by Holbrooke, as is the heroic rescue that brings a hopeful conclusion.

Hear these and other works inspired by Poe on Noises, Sounds and Sweet Airs on Sunday, October 30^th at 6:30 on KCME. I’ll also be presenting music for Halloween on the same day at 6pm on Classics for Kids and on American Landscapes Halloween evening at 6pm.