Night on Bald Mountain is Mussorgsky’s witches sabbath on a Russian mountaintop, and the interactive player below tames it for you: hear the theme at half speed, watch the notes and keys light up, and drag the score to drill any measure. Easy sheet music, fingering, and a free printable PDF follow.
Learn it with the interactive player
- Slow it down: x0.5 or x0.75 while you learn the notes, back to x1 once they flow.
- Pause anywhere: the current keys stay lit so you can find them on your own piano.
- Drag the score left or right, or use the 15s buttons, to replay a phrase.
The sheet music, section by section
Drill Section A at x0.5 on the player: the summoning hammers E5-E5-D5-C5, snaps back B4-C5-B4-A4, and repeats - straight quarter notes, forte, over a pounding A2-A2-E3-E3 bass.
Section B turns up the fire: the summoning returns fortissimo, A minor arpeggios climb A4-C5-E5, and the D sharp 5 against E5 clash peaks before the piece stops dead on a single A - an abrupt end, exactly as written.
The full score
Keep the full score relentless: Allegro feroce means fast and ferocious, so lock both hands to the same quarter-note grid and let there be no softness until the sudden final cutoff.
Note by note: keys and fingering
- Right hand: One driving position from A4 to E5: thumb (1) on A4, then B4 (2), C5 (3), D5 (4), E5 (5). The summoning theme hammers E5-E5-D5-C5 in quarters, the climax alternates D#5 (4) against E5 (5), and the last cadence drops the thumb onto G#4.
- Left hand: Pounding single quarter notes: pinky (5) doubles A2-A2, thumb (1) answers E3-E3, with middle (3) on C3 and index (2) on D3 in the middle phrase.
| Note | On the Staff | On the Keyboard | Finger |
|---|---|---|---|
| E5 | Fourth space of treble staff | White key right of the two black keys above C5 | RH Pinky (5) |
| D5 | Fourth line of treble staff | White key between the two black keys above C5 | RH Ring (4) |
| C5 | Third space of treble staff | White key left of the two black keys above middle C | RH Middle (3) |
| B4 | Third line of treble staff | White key right of the three black keys | RH Index (2) |
| A4 | Second space of treble staff | White key between the last two of three black keys | RH Thumb (1) |
| D#5 | Fourth line of treble staff, with a sharp sign | Black key right of D5 | RH Ring (4) |
| G#4 | Second line of treble staff, with a sharp sign | Black key right of G4 | RH Thumb (1) |
| A2 | First space of bass staff | White key between the last two of three black keys, two octaves down | LH Pinky (5) |
| C3 | Second space of bass staff | White key left of the two black keys below middle C | LH Middle (3) |
| D3 | Middle line of bass staff | White key between the two black keys below middle C | LH Index (2) |
| E3 | Third space of bass staff | White key right of the two black keys below middle C | LH Thumb (1) |
Prefer a video? Watch the keys light up
Same color code as the player: green marks the right hand, blue the left hand, with the score and keyboard in one vertical video.
The story behind Night on Bald Mountain
Modest Mussorgsky finished his tone poem about a witches sabbath on St. John's Eve in 1867, painting demons gathering on the bare mountain of Slavic legend until distant church bells scatter them at dawn. His mentor Balakirev refused to perform it, and the raw original stayed unheard in Mussorgsky's lifetime; after his death in 1881, Rimsky-Korsakov reworked and premiered the polished version audiences know in 1886. Disney's Fantasia made it the definitive image of musical horror in 1940, with the demon Chernabog unfolding his wings to this theme. Our arrangement distills the summoning theme into driving A minor quarter notes for two hands.
Get the printable PDF
The printable PDF of this easy Night on Bald Mountain theme - full score, hand positions, and a step-by-step practice guide - ships inside our free Halloween pack together with fourteen other spooky pieces.
Ferocious forte playing needs a bench that will not budge, and an Adjustable Piano Bench with Back Support gives you a firm, height-matched base for all that pounding.
FAQ
How hard is Night on Bald Mountain on piano?
The orchestral work is a monster, but this theme arrangement is a controlled one: Level 3 of our Halloween collection. The right hand stays in one A4 to E5 position with two black keys, D sharp 5 and G sharp 4, and the challenge is stamina at 120 BPM rather than reach.
How long does it take to learn Night on Bald Mountain?
Expect two to three weeks. The notes fall into place fast because the summoning phrase repeats four times; getting both hands to hammer aligned quarter notes at Allegro feroce speed without tensing up is what takes the practice.
What level is Night on Bald Mountain?
Level 3 of our Halloween collection, the Midnight Classics. It demands the fastest sustained playing of the set, chromatic D sharp 5 clashes, forte and fortissimo control, and an abrupt written cutoff ending - real performance skills.
What are the notes for Night on Bald Mountain?
The summoning is E5, E5, D5, C5, then B4, C5, B4, A4, repeated. The middle phrase climbs A4, B4, C5, D5 to E5, and the climax alternates D sharp 5 and E5 before closing B4, G sharp 4, B4, A4. The left hand pounds A2, A2, E3, E3 with C3 and D3 passing notes. Full table above.