“When one is in the hold of this ill-wished beast, one has a hundred different feelings at a time. One cries, dances, vomits, trembles, laughs, pales, cries, faints, and one will suffer great pain, and finally after a few days, if unaided, you die. Sweat and antidotes relieve the sick, but the sovereign and the only remedy
is Music.”
Such were the words of Italian librarian Francesco Cancellieri in his treatise on Tarantism—a terrible malady brought on from the bite of a tarantula. In 16th-century Italy, this affliction was seemingly common and its only remedy was a vigorously agitated dance accompanied by mandolins, flutes, and clarinets. This prescription was apparently strong enough to combat the shaking limbs and full-body convulsions induced by a spider bite.
These claims are completely unsubstantiated; any arachnophile will admit that tarantula bites are effectively harmless to humans. Although it was also rumored to be a dance for Dionysian cult rituals, the simplest answer is the most probable: the tarantelle was given its name due to being a style of dance popular in Taranto, Italy.
Twenty-two year old Camille Saint-Saëns was not in a Dionysian cult when he wrote the Tarantelle (1857) for flute, clarinet, and piano, nor did he suffer from Tarantism when he orchestrated the work in 1879. He did, however, opt to highlight the flute and clarinet as soloists in line with the historical precedent. His use of plucked strings in the mischievous accompaniment emulates the 16th-century use of mandolin. The Tarantelle is airy and macabre, but includes luxuriant melodic lines akin to bel canto. Saint-Saëns’ work was premiered at opera-master Giacomo Rossini’s glimmering parlour in a private concert—the composer performed the piano accompaniment—and this bel canto element was enough to convince attendees that Rossini had composed the Tarantelle. At dinner immediately afterwards, Rossini passed compliments and congratulations to the younger composer, admitting Camille had indeed written the delightful work. The praise and accolades were a catalyst for the young composer, duly working to make Camille Saint-Saëns a household name in French musical circles.
Tarantelle does much to showcase the skill of each individual soloist, though it also exemplifies the talent required to play pristinely in tandem. After each soloist flits through running eighth note lines, the duo blows through quickly articulated triplets and boisterous trills. The Tarantelle ends in a feverish flurry with a final burst of triplets from the full orchestra.