Scheherazade was a very popular Middle Eastern tale dating back to the 9th century. It was the central tale for the 1001 Arabian Nights. Many stories were folklore that referenced historical events. They were also full of magic, allure, love stories, comedies and tragedies, legendary places... and places and events in the far reaches of imagination.

This story is about a strong and intelligent girl, Scheherazade, and the cruel Sultan (King) Sharayar who had ordered the girls of his kingdom put to death, one each night. Composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote a wonderful piece of music about Scheherazade. In the music, the Sultan's character is represented by strong and dark music  (the musical examples require that Adobe® Flash Player is installed. If you need Flash Player, go to: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ ):
(Example 1 - click on the arrow)   (this example is 19 seconds long)

Later we hear the Sultan's theme again but now it is faster and rougher:  
(Example 2)      (this example is 16 seconds long)

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Now we meet Scheherazade, a great story teller. Before he could have her killed, Scheherazade begged the King first to listen to one of her stories. Her entrancing storytelling is represented by this music:
(Example 3)     (this example is 41 seconds long)

Later, just before Scheherazade tells a scary and exciting tale, her theme sounds like this:  
(Example 4)    (this example is 32 seconds long)

The Sultan agreed to listen to Scheherazade's story, and so she began... but she stopped her fascinating tale at the most important point and offered to return the next night to finish her story. The King desperately wanted to hear the end of the exciting story so he asked her to return, postponing her death (since she had been the next girl sentenced to die).

Scheherazade continued to tell stories for the next one thousand and one nights, each night saving her own life and the lives of all the young girls of the kingdom as the Sultan eagerly anticipated her return with another story. Thus, the Arabian Nights are also known as l00l Nights. During these one thousand and one nights, the King had fallen in love with Scheherazade. He had become a wiser and kinder man by listening to Scheherazade and her tales; he spared her life, and made her his Queen.

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Here are some musical themes of the tales as heard in Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.

First, let's hear "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship." If you listen, you can feel the ocean's waves beneath the ship:  
(Example 5)     (this example is 3 minutes and 59seconds long)

In the second tale, we hear the theme of "The Kalendar Prince":  
(Example 6)    (this example is 1 minute and 23 seconds long)

The next story tells of "The Young Prince and The Young Princess":  
(Example 7)     (this example is 2 minutes and 36 seconds long)

The last of the tales in Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade tells a long story of a Festival at Baghdad, then Sinbad sailing out to sea where his ship is wrecked on a cliff jutting into the ocean:  
(Example 8)     (this example is 1 minute and 42 seconds long)