Scary Music
De Boself

Scary music that's also classical piano music is a great idea!

Your students, like mine, will find this free printable piano music for dark nights lots of fun.

Music for Halloween De Boself

Please scroll down the page for the download links.

The video above is almost exactly like the version I have here.

This music was kindly shared with me by piano teacher and composer/arranger Tabitha S. Kierszka of the Netherlands. Here is what she says about it:

"This is a scary little piece. The original title was Neckender Kobold, or The Merry/Happy Kobold, by Theodor Oesten (19th century).

"I have doubled the note values, quarters instead of 8ths, otherwise it is unchanged. It has the flavour of Schubert's Erlkonig, and it can be played really exciting if it can be mastered at speed with all the dynamics."

The Merry Kobold, by Theodor Oesten

Please scroll down the page for the download links.

So Tabitha made it easier to read - a good idea for students whose playing ability is beyond their rhythm-reading ability (most piano students).

There is lots of tension in this scary music! That allows your student to play with drama. Though the music sounds difficult, it is much easier to play than your student might think.  And kids enjoy it!


Give your students the joy of learning Beethoven's famous Für Elise in an easy-to-read format... every note from the ORIGINAL piece is here  in this beautiful new setting


Make sure they are acquainted with chord inversions for the left hand as shown in the cadence progressions of these free "Key of --" sheets, and then they will find the Em chords changing to the Am and suspended Em chords easy and fun.

This music was written about the antics or mischief of a kind of elf-like being, a sprite.  From Wikipedia:

"The kobold (occasionally cobold) is a sprite stemming from Germanic mythology and surviving into modern times in German folklore.

"Although usually invisible, a kobold can materialise in the form of an animal, fire, a human being, and a candle.

"The most common depictions of kobolds show them as humanlike figures the size of small children.

"Kobolds who live in human homes wear the clothing of peasants; those who live in mines are hunched and ugly; and kobolds who live on ships smoke pipes and wear sailor clothing."

Thank you, Tabitha, for this easy-to-read version of The Merry Kobold!




The link to the piano music PDF:



Download scary music De Boself, free classical sheet music


More Halloween or Mysterious-sounding Music:

Beethoven's 5th Symphony theme - arresting, somewhat ominous, & recognizable by almost everyone, this great theme comes in three levels of difficulty!


De Boself - a charming arrangement of a classical piece from the Netherlands about a mischievous gnome-like creature


Funeral March by Frederic Chopin - somber and reflective, there are several levels of difficulty offered here


Halloween Song Set - a collection of 8 songs for young beginners, with "safe" lyrics (for the most part) that won't offend parents!


Halloween Songs for Late Elementary and Intermediate Piano- four original pieces with multiple settings, all with lyrics to sing or give your students the shivers!


Have You Seen the Ghost of John - a beautiful minor vocal round with unlikely lyrics about a skeleton!


Toccata in Dm theme, by J.S. Bach - this is the super-dramatic theme that we associate with an organ-playing villain! Three arrangements.


Zombies are Everywhere - this song about watching out for zombies is action-packed, with a singable melody!


Interested in songs from the Bible for your students or church?  Check out my other website, SingTheBibleStory.com!

SingTheBibleStory.com clickable logo link

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Kim in Washington:
My son is hooked...I've been introducing piano to my son on and off for a year or so, but he's not had much interest. Then I gave him "Monsters Everywhere". He loved playing it with the organ sound on our piano. He memorized it that week and I'm printing off the other Halloween songs to keep him going. I love the detailed instructions on teaching since he is my first student! Thanks so much.
Dana:
That is so neat that your son has experienced the magic and mystery of music through this little song. That is so exciting to me! Thanks for writing, Kim!

Halloween Songbook music book

Joy: I bought your Halloween Songs, wrote teacher accompaniment for some, and performed with 17 of my students in costume at an assisted living facility. It was a "win-win" situation.

The kids and residents loved it and the parents were very pleased with the service aspect of their children's performance as well.

Thank you for sharing these lovely pieces that introduce the minor key in a very simple and interesting way to early elementary students. 

Sheetmusicplus Halloween Spooktacular music book - with The Addams Family theme!

Comments

Do you have a funny story about this music, or does it remind you of something you'd like to share with other readers? Do you have a question? I'd love to hear it!

Please note that all comments are moderated, and will not appear until I have approved them. Also, IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR MUSIC THAT IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, YOUR REQUEST WILL BE IGNORED. That's pretty much any music written in the last 75 years...

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How do you pronounce "De Boself?" I have a student who's going to be playing it at my Halloween recital. Dana: Hi, Erica, I'm not Dutch, …

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About the Author

Dana Thynes

Hi, I'm Dana!  (Say that like "Anna".)  I'm the owner of Music-for-Music-Teachers.com, and a newer site, SingTheBibleStory.com.

Like some of you, I've been playing the piano since early childhood, and have added a few other instruments along the way, plus an interest in arranging and composing music.

You can find out more about me and the reason for this website at my About Me page.