Macbeth (No. 1): Act I, Sc. 1, Introduction and Chorus: Che faceste? Dite su! (Witches Chorus) Cover Image

Macbeth (No. 1): Act I, Sc. 1, Introduction and Chorus: Che faceste? Dite su! (Witches Chorus): Serious Opera, Orchestra Accompaniment, Oversize Score

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Macbeth (No. 1): Act I, Sc. 1, Introduction and Chorus: Che faceste? Dite su! (Witches Chorus) Cover Image
Macbeth (No. 1): Act I, Sc. 1, Introduction and Chorus: Che faceste? Dite su! (Witches Chorus): Serious Opera, Orchestra Accompaniment, Oversize Score

Macbeth (No. 1): Act I, Sc. 1, Introduction and Chorus: Che faceste? Dite su! (Witches Chorus): Serious Opera, Orchestra Accompaniment, Oversize Score

By Giuseppe Verdi/ Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on William Shakespeare's play

Item: 36-A840801OS
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Description
Written for the Teatro della Pergola in Florence, and premiering on March 14 1847, Macbeth was Giuseppe Verdi's (1813-1901) tenth opera and the first genuine masterpiece of his career. Adamant about creating an opera "unlike any other," it met with immediate success, though it struck Italian audiences as an oddity due to its lack of a great love affair as part of the plot. Seeking to do something musically different, Verdi wrote to librettist Francesco Piave, "If we cannot make it a masterpiece, let us at least do something out of the ordinary." The opera breaks many of the rules common in the framework of Italian opera, favoring a more fluid, cohesively unfolding music drama in, as Verdi later admitted, his own attempt at the Wagnerian "fusion of music and drama." Almost twenty years after the premiere, interest in a French version for a Paris premiere drove Verdi to revise and expand the opera. This version, with substantial changes and additions to the music and libretto both, premiered in Paris on April 19, 1865, and the Italian translation of this remains the preferred version for modern performances, although often MacBeth's death scene from the first version replaces the revised last act. Truly a great opera, and a favorite of Verdi himself, the opera has not shared the success of the composer's other works, but this is not due to any deficiency in the music, which captivates the listener from the beginning to the end. The Introduction and Chorus -- "Che faceste? Dite su!" (Witches' Chorus) - appears early in Act I, immediately following the witches' initial encounter with Macbeth and Banquo, as they excitedly report their mischief and prepare the prophetic forces that will drive the drama's tragic descent. Musically, the scene establishes an atmosphere of supernatural menace that was unusual for Italian opera of the time. This chorus remains one of the most recognizable moments in Macbeth, frequently performed both as a staged excerpt and in choral concert settings. Instrumentation: 1+1(Picc).2.2.2: 4.2.3+1(BTbn).0: Timp.Perc(1-2): Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set): Women's Chorus (SSS). Reprint edition. 11x14 oversized full score.

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Additional Details
Series: Kalmus Oversized Score Library
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
ISBN10: 8-898108-13-3
ISBN13: 979-8-898108-13-7
UPC: 612735574635
SKU: 36-A840801OS
Instrumentation: 1+1(Picc).2.2.2: 4.2.3+1(BTbn).0: Timp.Perc(1-2): Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set): Women's Chorus (SSS)

More about this title

About the Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

Giuseppe Verdi (1813, 1901) fundamentally reshaped Italian opera by rejecting formulaic structures in favor of dramatic integrity. His willingness to experiment with musical form and orchestration, especially visible in works like Macbeth, established him as a composer willing to challenge the conventions of his time. By the 1840s, Verdi had moved beyond the star-vehicle approach that dominated early 19th-century opera toward a more unified theatrical vision.

For music educators, Verdi's career demonstrates how artistic conviction and technical mastery reinforce each other. His orchestrations became increasingly sophisticated, and his operas offer rich material for teaching dramatic interpretation, harmonic color, and the relationship between text and music. Macbeth in particular reveals a composer at work solving specific dramatic problems through musical means.

Why we love this

The Witches Chorus in Act I establishes the supernatural menace that drives the entire drama, and this oversize score gives you the clarity you need to balance the chorus against a full orchestra while keeping the grotesque, unsettling character front and center. Verdi's orchestration here feels modern for 1847, with jagged rhythms and unusual instrumental combinations that reward careful rehearsal and make the dramatic payoff unmistakable.

What to expect

The opening creates an atmosphere of supernatural dread without sentimentality. Sparse, angular orchestration gives way to a driving choral unison punctuated by unsettling gestures in the winds and strings. The music feels dangerous and urgent, propelled by Verdi's refusal to let the listener settle into comfort.

Who it's for

Conductors and music directors preparing Macbeth for concert or staged performance, orchestras with strong choral resources, and students of operatic orchestration who want to understand how Verdi commands dramatic effect through instrumental and vocal writing. This score works best with singers experienced enough to maintain clarity and precision within the chorus.

How to get the most out of it

  • Establish the rhythmic unison of the chorus as your foundation; the witches' power comes from perfect coordination, not from individual vocal beauty. Drill the entrance and the syncopated figures separately before combining them with orchestra.
  • Balance the percussion and lower woodwinds carefully so the eerie instrumental color emerges without drowning out the text. The witches' words matter as much as the atmosphere.
  • Shape the dynamic crescendos with intent; this is not a gradual swell but a gathering of menace. Each wave should feel purposeful and incomplete until the final cadence.

How to use it

Program this as a concert excerpt when you want to showcase both your orchestra's dramatic range and your chorus's precision, or use it as the opening movement of a Macbeth concert performance. The piece stands effectively on its own and requires no context to deliver its impact, making it ideal for mixed concert programs that benefit from a strong dramatic opener.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading and conducting multiple independent rhythmic lines across orchestra and chorus simultaneously
  • Balancing choral clarity against orchestral texture in a dramatic context
  • Shaping dynamic and rhythmic intensity to create theatrical momentum
  • Interpreting orchestral color as a dramatic force, not mere accompaniment

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