North Coast Synthesis Ltd.

Vampire Waltz

The waltz is not one of the standard dances of a Baroque suite. It started to become popular with the upper classes only in the late 18th Century, after the end of the Baroque period. To a lady of Carmilla's breeding, at the time of her death in the early 18th Century, it would have been a scandalous, sexualized dance of the lower classes she disdained - and it makes sense that in her early undeath, as she descended into her new immoral existence, she would have taken up waltzing.

Apart from the personal relevance to the character, waltzes and vampires definitely go together in general. A quick Web search reveals countless pieces of music with names like "Vampire Waltz," "Waltz of the Vampire," and so on. Many of them are not even in 3/4 time. Mine is more traditional.

The key sequence in this movement is from F to Bb, Eb, C, and back to F; basically descending a fifth at a time into successive subdominants as Carmilla drags Laura into her world. The Eb augmented chord comes in more as the movement progresses, especially at the climax, where it serves as the pivot back to the dal segno repeat of the first strain.

Also on this server, though not part of the Carmilla suite, are a few other waltzes I've written, mostly for electronic organ.