“To the side
Of the room
Hasten, broom,
As of old! 
Spirits I have ne’er untied
Save to act as they are told.”

In paragraphs are clearly pointed the episodes:  the boy’s delight at finding himself alone to conjure the spirits; the invocation to the water, recurring later as refrain (which in the French is not addressed to the spirit); then the insistent summons of the spirit in the broom; the latter’s obedient course to the river and his oft-repeated fetching of the water; the boy’s call to him to stop,—­he has forgotten the formula; his terror over the impending flood; he threatens in his anguish to destroy the broom; he calls once more to stop; the repeated threat; he cleaves the spirit in two and rejoices; he despairs as two spirits are now adding to the flood; he invokes the master who returns; the master dismisses the broom to the corner.

There is the touch of magic in the first harmonics of strings, and the sense of sorcery is always sustained in the strange harmonies.[A]

[Footnote A:  The flageolet tones of the strings seem wonderfully designed in their ghostly sound for such an aerial touch.  Dukas uses them later in divided violins, violas and cellos, having thus a triad of harmonics doubled in the octave.

The remaining instruments are:  Piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass-clarinet, 3 bassoons, contra-bassoon (or contra-bass sarrusophon); 4 horns, 2 trumpets (often muted); 2 cornets-a-pistons; 3 trombones; 3 kettle-drums; harp; glockenspiel; big drum, cymbals and triangle.]

After a mystic descent of eerie chords, a melodious cooing phrase begins in higher wood, echoed from one voice to the other, while the spirit-notes are still sounding.

Suddenly dashes a stream of descending spray, met by another ascending; in the midst the first phrase is rapidly sounded (in muted trumpet).  As suddenly the first solemn moment has returned, the phrase has grown in melody, while uncanny harmonies prevail.  Amidst a new feverish rush a call rings

[Music:  (Wood and pizz. strings) Vivace (Horns and trumpets)]

loud and oft (in trumpets and horns) ending in an insistent, furious summons.  The silence that ensues is as speaking (or in its way as deafening) as were the calls.

After what seems like the grating of ancient joints, set in reluctant motion, the whole tune of the first wooing phrase moves in steady gait, in comic bassoons, to the tripping of strings, further and fuller extended as other voices join.  The beginning phrase of chords recurs as answer.  Ever the lumbering trip continues, with strange turn of harmony and color, followed ever by the weird answer.  A fuller apparition comes with the loud, though muffled tones of the trumpets.  The original tune grows in new turns and folds of melody, daintily tipped with the ring of bells over the light tones of the wood.  The brilliant

[Music:  Vivace (Melody in 3 bassoons) (Acc’t in pizz. strings)]