The Noon Witch (or The Noonday Witch), Op. 108, B. 196, is a symphonic poem written in 1896 by Antonín Dvořák inspired by the Karel Erben poem Polednice from the collection Kytice. Polednice is based on the noon demon "Lady Midday" of slavic mythology.
A mother warns her son that, if he does not behave himself, the noon witch will come and take him away. In fact, the child does not listen and the witch comes at the stroke of noon. Soon afterwards, the father arrives to see his wife who has fainted with the dead body of their little son in her arms.
The Noon Witch was written in 1896. A semi-public performance was given at the Prague Conservatory on 3 June 1896 under Antonín Bennewitz. Its first full public premiere was on 21 November 1896, in London, under the baton of Henry Wood.[1] The piece lasts about 13 minutes.