Sheet Music: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

TitleThe Sorcerer's Apprentice
Alternate titlesL'apprenti sorcier
ComposerPaul Dukas (1865–1935)
InstrumentationFlute solo
KeyF minor
RangeD♮4–C6
Time signature3/8
Tempo116 BPM
Performance time0:15
Difficulty levelintermediate
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (46 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (139 kB)
Date added2009-07-06
Last updated2009-07-06
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 2.4 (above average)
Categories
Film music, Romantic, Symphonic poems

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Monday 6 July 2009

Tune of the Day: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Theme from “L'apprenti sorcier” by Paul Dukas
Mickey Mouse

“The Sorcerer's Apprentice” (original French title “L'apprenti sorcier”) is a symphonic poem composed by Paul Dukas in 1897. It was inspired by Goethe's 1797 poem of the same name (“Der Zauberlehrling” in German).

Although Dukas's musical piece, first published in 1897, was already quite well known and popular, it was made particularly famous by its inclusion in the 1940 Walt Disney animated film Fantasia, in which Mickey Mouse plays the role of the apprentice. The popularity of the musical piece in Fantasia caused it to be used again in Fantasia 2000.

Perhaps the best-known Mickey Mouse short after Steamboat Willy, The Sorcerer's Apprentice tells the story of Goethe's famous poem, which is a story of wizard's meek assistant who attempts to work some of the magical feats of his master, before he knows how to properly control them. Interestingly, the sorcerer's anger with his apprentice, which appears in Fantasia, does not appear in the Goethe source poem