Hansel & Gretel

Act 1

Scene 1

The scene begins in the home of Hansel and Gretel. It is a poor woodcutters home. Hansel and Gretel’s parents are sad because they are running low on food and they are worried. (music is sad and in the unusual key of A Phrygian.) Their conversation is interrupted by Hansel and Gretel who burst into the room in a joyful and playful manner. (Music shifts to a waltz like theme in F major.) Their mom finds them a small loaf of bread and sends them outside to play. After the children leave, the parents resume their worried conversation
(the music returns to the parents theme and music in A Phrygian.)

Scene 2

This scene begins with Hansel and Gretel playing in their yard. Unfortunately, they soon grow bored and decide to go for a walk in the woods. As a precaution, they leave behind a trail of bread crumbs to help them find their way home. (the music begins on a happy note with the children’s waltz theme in F major. However it begins to take on a menacing undercurrent as the children get farther from home.) As the scene ends, the mother appears in the doorway to call her children in for dinner only to find them gone.

Scene 3

This scene begins with the entrance of a beautiful magical bird. The bird dances happily about for a bit, then discovers the bread crumbs. She joyfully collects the bread crumbs following the trail of the children. Unfortunately this means the children can no longer find their way home as all of the bread has disappeared. (The music of the bird is spritely and dance like in a related Lydian mode)

Act 2

Scene 4

This scene takes place in the woods. Hansel and Gretel are desperately searching for the bread crumbs as it begins to grow dark. (Their theme grows dark by modulating their waltz into the related minor key. There is a hint of the witches theme woven into this music even though she has not yet appeared.) They stop to rest by a tree and fall fast asleep.

Scene 5

This scene opens showing a beautiful candy house which has appeared in the woods. Hansel and Gretel enter. They cautiously approach the candy house. As they are very hungry by now, they begin to pull some candy pieces off to eat. (Music is magical and joyful.) Suddenly the witch appears disguised as a sweet old lady. She greets them and invites them inside. (music becomes a bit more creepy as the theme of the witch begins to play under the theme of the house.) After a short conversation, the scene ends with the children entering the house.

Scene 6

Back in the woods, the parents of Hansel and Gretel are desperately searching for their children. (Music is the parents’ theme).

Act 3

Scene 7

This scene takes place inside the witch’s house. There are 3 beds, a table, an oven, and some chairs. As the scene opens, the witch, still disguised as the old woman, is pulling some bread out of the oven. She serves it to the children along with some large lollipops from the house. As they eat they grow sleepy and the witch encourages them to rest on the beds. As soon as the children fall asleep, the witch casts a spell to place them in a cage. Then tired, the witch falls asleep in the third bed. ( Music for this part is a combination of happy children’s music, becoming lullaby music, and finally giving way to spell music which is creepy.)

Hansel and Gretel wake up and realize they have been caught. They begin to cry and to call out for help. Suddenly the bird, who has heard their cries, appears. And, being a magical bird, casts a spell to free the children! (Music of the bird and spell music).

Now free, the children sneak up on the witch and toss her in the oven. (Music is tense building to a climax in which the witch plays a cadenza before disappearing.)

The scene ends with the bird leading the children out of the house and back into the woods.

Scene 8 

Back in the woods, the children’s parents are searching for them. The bird finds the parents and leads them to where the children are asleep under a tree. The children awaken and are reunited with their parents. They hug and joyfully begin the trip back home. There they will live happily ever after.