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, Conductor Score & Parts

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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, Conductor Score & Parts

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

Item: 36-A840802

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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.

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Additional Details
Series: Kalmus Opera Library
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
UPC: 612735561604
SKU: 36-A840802
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) transformed Italian opera from a vehicle for vocal display into a unified musical drama. By the time he composed Macbeth, his tenth opera, he had grown restless with the conventional frameworks that governed the genre. His explicit ambition to create something "unlike any other" reshaped how composers thought about storytelling through music, blending orchestral development with dramatic momentum in ways that challenged the opera establishment.

Verdi's later revision of Macbeth for Paris demonstrated his willingness to rethink his own work in pursuit of artistic truth. This opera marks the moment when his compositional voice matured beyond virtuosity into genuine expressive power. For music educators, Verdi's trajectory through this score exemplifies how constraints, whether imposed by tradition or by the demands of a specific dramatic moment, can spark innovation rather than inhibit it.

Why we love this

This Introduction and Chorus showcases Verdi at a crucial creative moment: breaking free from Italian opera formulas to write something genuinely unsettling. The witches' music is orchestrally innovative and dramatically gripping, giving your ensemble a chance to inhabit one of opera's most atmospheric and theatrically compelling scenes. Programming this excerpt introduces singers and instrumentalists alike to how Verdi uses tonality, orchestration, and choral color to create supernatural menace.

What to expect

Mysterious, restless, and darkly theatrical. Verdi's orchestra creates a hovering, unstable sound world through unexpected harmonic shifts and instrumental colors that feel strange and compelling. The witches' voices emerge from and sink back into this instrumental fog, making the music feel less like a traditional opera chorus and more like a supernatural force taking shape before the listener's ears.

Who it's for

Opera orchestras and advanced university or regional opera programs looking to program a Verdi excerpt that showcases his mature dramatic and orchestral voice. This is ideal for conductors seeking to deepen musicians' understanding of how Italian opera evolved beyond bel canto conventions, and for singers and players ready to engage with Verdi's more sophisticated harmonic and textural language.

How to get the most out of it

  • Balance the chorus around the orchestra's primary melodic lines rather than doubling them. The witches should feel integrated into the orchestral fabric, not floating above it.
  • Set a tempo that allows clarity in the choral articulation without losing the propulsive forward motion. Rhythmic precision matters more than speed here.
  • Work your string section on the character of their rhythmic figures, they drive much of the unsettling quality of this introduction. Crisp attacks serve the drama better than lush tone.
  • If conducting without singers present, emphasize the orchestral layering that creates the supernatural atmosphere. This excerpt stands entirely on orchestral merit.

How to use it

Program this as a concert opener or dramatic centerpiece in an all-Verdi or all-opera evening, where its atmospheric intensity can command full attention. The self-contained nature of the introduction and chorus makes it work well as a showcase for your orchestra and women's chorus without requiring the full opera, and it pairs effectively with later Verdi excerpts that show his dramatic evolution.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading and executing Verdi's harmonic language and tonal ambiguity
  • Ensemble coordination between orchestra and chorus in dramatic contexts
  • Sustaining unified choral tone and text clarity within an intricate orchestral texture
  • Understanding orchestration and instrumental color as dramatic tools
  • Conducting and performing in a non-traditional harmonic environment that challenges tonal expectations

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