The Heart of Madness

Commissioned by and dedicated to the Folly Quarter Middle School Band (Ellicott City, MD), Andrew Spang, Conductor, this thrilling composition is a musical text painting three of Edgar Allan Poe’s literary works: The Bells, The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart. Poe was best known for his Gothic writing depicting imaginative tales of horror and the macabre. Each musical section depicts a musical journey of the literary work.

The Bells is a heavily onomatopoeic work, which becomes darker and darker as the poem progresses. The Raven tells of a raven’s mysterious visit to a distraught lover tracing the man’s slow descent into madness. The Tell-Tale Heart depicts a murderous narrator who eventually loses his sanity.

Click here to visit the FJH Music Site to hear and see the music.