The Tarantella: A Dance Born from a "Spider Bite" (KS3)

10 hours ago
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Imagine a dance so fast and energetic that it was once thought to be the only cure for a poisonous spider bite. That is the incredible story of the Tarantella, one of Italy’s most famous folk dances. While we often see it today as a joyful celebration at weddings, its history is a wild mix of medical mystery, ancient ritual, and high-speed musical energy.

Explainer Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NqSeL_K5Bk

The Legend of Tarantism

The Tarantella gets its name from the city of Taranto in Southern Italy. Back in the 15th to 17th centuries, a strange phenomenon called "tarantism" swept through the region. Local legend said that if you were bitten by a wolf spider (the Lycosa tarantula), you would fall into a delirious state with physical convulsions and hysteria.

The only "cure"? You had to dance! Afflicted people, known as tarantata, would dance to a frantic, fast-paced rhythm called pizzica (meaning "bite") until they were utterly exhausted. It was believed that this intense movement allowed the victim to "sweat out the poison." While modern science tells us the spider’s bite is actually harmless, musicologists believe the dance was a vital way for people in restrictive societies to express repressed emotions and find communal relief.

Musical DNA: How to Spot a Tarantella

The Tarantella isn't just fast; it has a very specific "musical fingerprint" that makes it recognizable.

Rhythmic Drive: It is almost always in 6/8 or 3/8 time (compound duple time). This creates a "galloping" or "whirling" feeling that never seems to stop.
Perpetual Motion: The music often features a relentless flow of eighth notes (quavers), giving it a sense of "spinning" motion.
The "DA-da" Pattern: Listen for specific rhythmic patterns like alternating DA-da DA-da or DA-da-da DA-da-da.
Major and Minor Keys: The music often flips back and forth between major and minor keys, which can create a mood that feels both exciting and a bit "dark" or "delirious."
Traditional Instruments: You’ll almost always hear a tambourine leading the way, often accompanied by mandolins, guitars, accordions, and violins.

From the Village Square to the Concert Hall

By the 19th century, the Tarantella moved from being a folk ritual to a "show-off" piece for classical composers. They loved its speed and technical difficulty. If you are a piano student, you have likely come across one of these famous versions in your graded exams:

Composer	Piece Title	Difficulty Level	Musical Focus
Edmund Parlow	Tarantella "Calabria"	Grade 3-4	A charming Tarantella, brimming with the perpetual motion and specific "musical fingerprints" one would expect, serving as an ideal introduction to the technical agility of this historic genre.
Stephen Heller	Petite Tarantelle, Op. 46 No. 7	Grade 4-5	Fast tempo (Vivace); builds finger dexterity and includes octaves.
Friedrich Burgmüller	Tarantella in D minor, Op. 100 No. 20	Grade 5	Rondo form; focuses on finger substitution and staccato articulation.
Samuel Maykapar	Tarantella No. 6, Op. 33	Grade 5-6	Early Romantic style; focuses on melodic nuance and technical agility.

Why Study the Tarantella?

For musicians today, the Tarantella is more than just a history lesson, it’s a workout!

Studying these pieces helps you develop:

Rhythmic Precision: Keeping that 6/8 pulse steady at a high speed is a challenge.
Finger Dexterity: The "spinning" eighth notes require clear, independent finger work.
Musical Expression: Balancing the "dark" origins of the dance with its "festive" modern feel helps you tell a story through your playing.

Whether you are watching a whirlwind performance at a wedding or practicing it on your instrument, the Tarantella remains a powerful bridge between ancient folklore and modern musical artistry.

Key Stage 3 Comprehension Questions

Answer the questions in your Music Journal and show your teacher the at next lesson.

What was the original legend (tarantism) that inspired the Tarantella dance, and what was the supposed "cure"?
Name two musical features that act as a "musical fingerprint" to help you identify a Tarantella.
According to the blog post, what two skills can a musician develop by studying the Tarantella?

Key Stage 3 Glossary

Tarantella: One of Italy’s most famous, fast, and energetic folk dances.
Tarantism: A historical phenomenon where people believed they were poisoned by a spider bite and needed to dance frantically as a cure.
Pizzica: The name of the frantic, fast-paced rhythm or dance used as the supposed cure for tarantism, meaning "bite".
6/8 or 3/8 time: The specific musical timing (or time signature) that gives the Tarantella its characteristic "galloping" or "whirling" feeling.
Quavers (Eighth notes): The short, fast notes that create the relentless, "spinning" motion in the music.
Perpetual Motion: A musical characteristic where the notes seem to flow continuously and never stop.
Tambourine: The traditional instrument that almost always leads the music in a Tarantella performance.
Finger Dexterity: The skill of having clear, quick, and independent movement in the fingers, which is developed by practicing Tarantella pieces.

For Further Study

Ernesto De Martino and Dorothy Louise Zinn (2005). The Land of Remorse : a Study of Southern Italian Tarantism. [online] London: Free Association Books. Available at: https://www.scribd.com/document/529066147/The-Land-of-Remorse-a-Study-of-Southern-Italian-Tarantism-by-Ernesto-de-Martino-Z-lib-org [Accessed 14 Jul. 2025].
Hall, Dr.C. (2025). Burgmüller: Tarantella, Op. 100 No. 20 | Cory Hall, pianist-composer. [online] Youtu.be. Available at: https://youtu.be/XjPHDkE27Cw?si=5YwqvdbBAb9bVSgW [Accessed 14 Jul. 2025].
IMSLP (n.d.). 25 Études Faciles Et Progressives. [online] imslp.org. Available at: https://imslp.org/wiki/25_%C3%89tudes_faciles_et_progressives,_Op.100_(Burgm%C3%BCller,_Friedrich) [Accessed 14 Jul. 2025].
IMSLP (n.d.). 30 Etudes progressives, Op.46. [online] imslp.org. Available at: https://imslp.org/wiki/30_Etudes_progressives,_Op.46_(Heller,_Stephen) [Accessed 14 Jul. 2025].
Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (2020). Southern Italy’s Tarantella the ‘Dance of the Spider’ Folk Dances oF the WorlD: Made Possible in Part by a Grant from the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department PMS 285. [online] Available at: https://iamla.org/docs/IAMLA_TarantellaLesson.pdf [Accessed 14 Jul. 2025].
Parlow, E. (2020). Calabria (Parlow, Edmund) - IMSLP. [online] Imslp.org. Available at: https://imslp.org/wiki/Calabria_(Parlow%2C_Edmund) [Accessed 26 May 2026].
RoadToVirtuosity - Sheet Music (2025). Heller - Tarantella Op. 46, No. 7. [online] Youtu.be. Available at: https://youtu.be/kuIUhAxdyu4?si=EXQao-8q8iRyxhkI [Accessed 14 Jul. 2025].
Roffel Automatisering (2023). The Classical Tarantella Dictonary Page on Classic Cat. [online] Classiccat.net. Available at: https://www.classiccat.net/dictionary/tarantella.php [Accessed 14 Jul. 2025].
Saint-Louis, L. (2013). La Tarantella Italiana. [online] History and Development of Dance/ Brockport. Available at: https://dancehistorydevelopment.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/la-tarantella-italiana/ [Accessed 14 Jul. 2025].
Tita, M. (2020). Healing Songs and Music in Southern Italy: the Case of Tarantism. Tautosakos Darbai, [online] 59, pp.134–146. doi:https://doi.org/10.51554/td.2020.28371.