This piece was composed by Paul Dukas from 1896-1897. It can be classified as a symphonic poem since it is only one movement and represents a story. It is orchestrated for two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, two soprano clarinets, a bass clarinet, three bassoons, a contrabassoon, two trumpets, two cornets, timpani, glockenspiel, three trombones,  four horns, cymbals, a bass drum, a triangle, strings, and a harp.

The story this story depicts is one of a master sorcerer and his apprentice. The sorcerer has given his apprentice the task of carrying buckets of water from a well to a cauldron. After doing this for some time, the apprentice decides to attempt some of his master’s most advanced spells in order to make his task easier. In his attempts, he managed to bring a broom to life and ordered it to carry the water. Things began to go awry when the apprentice forget’s how to make the bucket stop its task. As for the rest of the story, I’ll leave it to you to figure out how things turn out.

My first experience with this piece came when I was a toddler. I was gazing at the television screen, entranced by the scenes flashing before my eyes. The movie was Disney’s Fantasia and I was completely in love. I can probably trace my love for classical music back to this film. My favorite piece in this film was always The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Perhaps this is because I felt linked to the young apprentice, enthralled by the world of wonder that existed around me, or maybe because I felt the desire to learn all the world’s secrets, I always knew when it was time to hear this piece. I hope you will share my fascination with this piece.