Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns
First Performed in 1874.
Based on a poem by Henry Cazalis and old french superstition
According to the superstition, "Death" appears at midnight every year on Halloween. Death has the power to call forth the dead from their graves to dance for him while he plays his fiddle. Skeletons, dance until the first break of dawn, when as the cock crows they must return to their graves until next year.
The music was used during the lecture hall exposition scene with 'Giles' and the 'scoobies' in Hush. Iit was also used as the theme music to english mystery series 'Jonathan Creek' - coincidentally ASH appeared in the pilot just before joining the cast of BtVS as Giles.
Zig,Zig,Zig Death in a cadence,
Striking with his heel a tomb
Death at Midnight plays a dance tune
Zig Zig Zig on his violin
The winter wind blows and the night is dark
Moans are heard in the linden trees
Through the gloom white skeletons pass
Running and leaping in their shrouds
Zig Zig Zig each one is frisking
The bones of the dancers are heard to crack
But hist of a sudden they quit the round
They push forward, they fly; the cock has crowed.