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, Choral 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, Choral Score

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

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

Item: 36-A840892
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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.

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Additional Details
Series: Kalmus Opera Library
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
ISBN10: 8-898107-96-X
ISBN13: 979-8-898107-96-3
UPC: 612735565336
SKU: 36-A840892
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 refusing to accept its conventions as fixed. Where his predecessors worked within established frameworks, Verdi pushed against them, particularly in Macbeth, where he abandoned the romantic love plot that anchored nearly every opera of his era. His correspondence with librettist Francesco Piave reveals an artist consumed with innovation: "If we cannot make it a masterpiece, let us at least do something out of the ordinary." This restless creative drive defined his entire career, from his early works through the late masterpieces that consolidated his legacy as opera's most essential voice.

Verdi's importance to music education lies not in his facility with melody alone, but in how he married dramatic architecture to musical logic. Macbeth demonstrates this fusion particularly well: the supernatural atmosphere demands orchestral colors and harmonic language that had no precedent in Italian opera. Teachers and directors return to his work because it shows students that rule-breaking requires mastery of the rules first, and because his operas reward both the casual listener and the analyst equally.

Why we love this

This excerpt captures Verdi at a pivotal moment, his first deliberate attempt to break Italian operatic mold, and it arrives in a choral score that makes the supernatural atmosphere viscerally accessible. The orchestration alone teaches your ensemble something about color and darkness that routine repertoire simply cannot. Choosing this piece signals to your singers and orchestra that you value repertoire that demands something unusual of them.

What to expect

The music feels dark, fractured, and deliberately strange. Verdi avoids predictable harmonic motion and instead uses dissonance and instrumental color to build an atmosphere of dread. The witches' voices emerge from fog and shadow, not from the sunlit world of conventional opera.

Who it's for

This score works for advanced high school choirs, college ensembles, and professional opera choruses ready to tackle serious operatic demands. You'll need strong readers in your soprano section and an orchestra capable of handling Verdi's orchestration with confidence and security.

How to get the most out of it

  • Balance the three soprano lines carefully; the top voice carries the melodic argument, but the middle and lower voices need clarity to create the eerie texture Verdi intended.
  • Coordinate the orchestral percussion with the choral rhythm. The timpani and other percussion should feel like part of the harmonic language, not an accompaniment layer.
  • Shape the dynamic contrasts sharply. The witches' music demands abrupt shifts between f and p, so rehearse transitions without softening edges.
  • Work the recitative-like passages with precise diction. Italian word stress and clear consonants will cut through the orchestral texture.

How to use it

This excerpt serves beautifully as the opening movement of a Verdi-focused concert or as a dramatic centerpiece in an opera scene program. Pair it with other excerpts from Macbeth or use it alongside later Verdi works to show how his style evolved. It's substantial enough to stand alone and distinctive enough to make a strong impression.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading three-part soprano writing with independent lines
  • Executing rapid dynamic shifts in ensemble contexts
  • Sustaining unison on longer notes while maintaining ensemble precision
  • Balancing choral blend with dramatic articulation
  • Responding to orchestral cues and entrances in a complex score

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