Funeral March of a Marionette (Charles Gounod)
Program Notes
Composed by Charles Gounod,, arranged by Ian Deterling.
Charles Gounod composed Marche Funébre d’une Marionnette (Funeral March of a Marionette) in 1872. Initially conceived as part of a series of short piano works titled Suite Burlesque, the composition stands as a singular piece due to the series never being completed. The work is structured in ternary form (ABA), following a narrative in which a marionette meets its demise in a duel. The piece opens in D minor with a brief introduction depicting the duel and the marionette's death. As the piece unfolds into the first 'A' section, the somber tone portrays the beginning of the funeral procession led by the marionette's friends. The middle ‘B’ section introduces a lighter, more cheerful mood (in D Major) as the mourners pause for refreshments. The somber mood returns in the final ‘A’ section, as the procession resumes. Funeral March of a Marionette has been used in numerous films and television shows, most notably for the opening of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.”