Ian Deterling

The Cabinet of Caligari for orchestra

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Op. 5 (2014)

  • Orchestra

  • ca. 4:30

Score/Parts PDF Previews

Program Notes

Sheet music available at: https://www.iandeterling.com/duet-in-dflat-major Duet in D-Flat Major was written in what could perhaps be best described as a burst of inspiration. After a couple of days of casually juggling some motifs around in my mind, something clicked and I woke up with a musical idea that I scrambled to write down as quickly as possible. I spent the majority of that day developing these ideas, and this became what is now the third movement. Some of the ‘leftover ideas’ that didn’t make it into the finale were used as seeds for the second movement - in particular, the motifs at measure 9 and from 70-80. The opening movement ended up being the last one written and begins with a noble and/or heroic fanfare in 6/16. The second movement cautiously meanders through unexpected harmonies, much like someone nervously exploring unfamiliar places. The finale is another fanfare, but has some mischievous fun after turning a few harmonic corners in minor. My goal with this duet was to create a musical universe that has the grandeur of an orchestra with just two voices. I’ve adapted this duet for a variety of instruments. The score reads as a small flex-band ensemble, but this piece is intended to be performed by just two musicians. Instruments: Part 1 -Clarinet in Bb -Tenor Saxophone in Bb -Trumpet in Bb -Horn in F -Alto Trombone Part 2 -Bass Clarinet -Bassoon -Baritone Saxophone -Trombone -Bass Trombone

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is silent German expressionist film from 1920. Considered by many to be the first 'true' horror film, Caligari was incredibly innovative with its use of cinematography, warped sets, and the first substantial use of what is now known as the ‘plot-twist’ ending. The title character of the film, Dr. Caligari, has a cabinet - (believe it or not!) - and in this cabinet lives the somnambulist (the sleepwalker), Cesare, who goes around carrying out the Dr.’s evil deeds.

  • Directed by Robert Wiene and staring Werner Krauss and Conrad Veidt, The Cabinet of Dr. Calagari continues to influence, inspire, and captivate filmmakers even today. This work for orchestra makes use of several themes used in Deterling's score that he composed to accompany the film:

    • ’Dr. Caligari’ theme [A] - first heard in bassoons and horns in measures 5-6.

    • ‘Dr. Caligari’ theme [B] - first heard in oboe 1 and clarinets in measures 13-14.

    • ‘Cesare’ theme - first heard in bassoons, low brass, and low strings in measures 20-22.

    • ‘Jane/Love’ theme - first heard in flutes and clarinet 1 measures 61-64.

    • ‘Plot twist is about to happen’ theme - first heard in violins 1 & 2 measures 113-116.

  • Instrumentation:

    • 2 Flutes

    • 2 Oboes

    • 2 Clarinets in Bb

    • 2 Bassoons

    • 4 Horns in F

    • 3 Trumpets in Bb

    • 2 Tenor Trombones

    • Bass Trombone

    • Tuba

    • Timpani

    • Percussion 1: Xylophone, Crash Cymbals

    • Percussion 2: Suspended Cymbal, Bass Drum, Tambourine, Tam-tam

    • Harp (optional)

    • Violin 1

    • Violin 2

    • Viola

    • Violoncello

    • Double Bass

What do I get when I order The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Op. 5?

  • You will receive the score and parts in the form of three PDFs:

    • Score formatted to Tabloid paper, 11” x 17” (279mm x 432mm)

    • Score formatted to US Letter-size paper, 8.5” x 11” (216mm x 279mm)

    • Complete set of parts

  • Once your order has been processed, you’ll be emailed a link where you can download the sheet music.

  • When you click on the link to download your music, you’ll be brought to the download page (see image)

Download page for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Op. 5

  • Note that the score and parts are separated into different PDF files.

  • You can download everything (‘Download All’ button at the bottom), save the files to Dropbox, or download selected score/parts individually.

  • My website is set to three download attempts (see ‘3 downloads remaining’ in the image). If an error occurs or if you need additional download attempts, contact me here and I’ll reset the limit for you.