Danse Macabre (Dance of Death) was inspired by a poem of Henri Cazalis: Zig, zig, zig, Death in a cadence, Striking with his heel a tomb, Death at midnight plays a dance-tune, Zig, zig, zig, on his violin. Saint-Saens great use of melody and dissonance makes this an orchestral classic, and now a classic for quintet.
