Symphonie Fantastique (1830) – Hector Berlioz
Symphonie Fantastique is said to be the most significant work of French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz, written in 1830. Berlioz, born December 1803, was no child prodigy, not studying music until age 12, however in 1924 he abandoned his Parisian medical studies to peruse his compositional career. Symphonie Fantastique differs from the previous symphonies of Berlioz, as this follows a narrative through the music, therefore making it an early example of a program symphony. The programme follows the story of an artist (thought ot be Berlioz), struggling through an opium induced haze and visions of his beloved – Harriet Smithson, a shakesperean actress. In his mind, Berlioz imagines the ideal girl, …show more content…
The opeing is marvelously atmospheric of a sinister world with incredibly inventive orchestration. A prolonged unsettling diminished chord is played as the artist sees himself at a witches’ Sabbath, in the midst of a hideous gathering of goblins, sorcerers and monsters, who have come together for his funeral. Of the entire symphony, this movement is the most revolutionary in terms of sound design. Berlioz orchestrates strange noises, groans and outbursts of laughter – hardly music at all. The world presented is the opposite of rationality and contains the influences of Goethe, Byron and gothic novelists. The high woodwinds play triplets and the sighing falls of the idée fixe are mocked with a sneering glissando. A drumroll in pianississimo, now the trumpets [play triplets. The opening bars are repeated now a semi-tone higher and the diminished chord returns. Nothing like this has been heard in music before – this is almost twentieth century in style. Berlioz is creating a scene through music – one of a hellish underworld. Through this passage, triplets are tossed from the woodwinds to trumpets and back and forth, ending in the glissando. The drumrolls become gradually louder and the timpani play C and G pedal notes. The movement has now moved into the second prelude and into allegro. The original version of idée fixe was sweet and noble, however now – played on B flat clarinet – has transformed into a mocking, leering mask, leading into a sudden change in tempo and dynamic; the music is full of loud chords and repeated phrases. The crowd goes wild as the artist’s beloved is brought center-stage in hell. A much shriller, E flat clarinet replaces the B flat and this version of the leitmotif includes all of the original elements from the first movement (the rising arpeggio, a fall, another rising arpeggio and another fall) but the
Symphonie Fantastique is said to be the most significant work of French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz, written in 1830. Berlioz, born December 1803, was no child prodigy, not studying music until age 12, however in 1924 he abandoned his Parisian medical studies to peruse his compositional career. Symphonie Fantastique differs from the previous symphonies of Berlioz, as this follows a narrative through the music, therefore making it an early example of a program symphony. The programme follows the story of an artist (thought ot be Berlioz), struggling through an opium induced haze and visions of his beloved – Harriet Smithson, a shakesperean actress. In his mind, Berlioz imagines the ideal girl, …show more content…
The opeing is marvelously atmospheric of a sinister world with incredibly inventive orchestration. A prolonged unsettling diminished chord is played as the artist sees himself at a witches’ Sabbath, in the midst of a hideous gathering of goblins, sorcerers and monsters, who have come together for his funeral. Of the entire symphony, this movement is the most revolutionary in terms of sound design. Berlioz orchestrates strange noises, groans and outbursts of laughter – hardly music at all. The world presented is the opposite of rationality and contains the influences of Goethe, Byron and gothic novelists. The high woodwinds play triplets and the sighing falls of the idée fixe are mocked with a sneering glissando. A drumroll in pianississimo, now the trumpets [play triplets. The opening bars are repeated now a semi-tone higher and the diminished chord returns. Nothing like this has been heard in music before – this is almost twentieth century in style. Berlioz is creating a scene through music – one of a hellish underworld. Through this passage, triplets are tossed from the woodwinds to trumpets and back and forth, ending in the glissando. The drumrolls become gradually louder and the timpani play C and G pedal notes. The movement has now moved into the second prelude and into allegro. The original version of idée fixe was sweet and noble, however now – played on B flat clarinet – has transformed into a mocking, leering mask, leading into a sudden change in tempo and dynamic; the music is full of loud chords and repeated phrases. The crowd goes wild as the artist’s beloved is brought center-stage in hell. A much shriller, E flat clarinet replaces the B flat and this version of the leitmotif includes all of the original elements from the first movement (the rising arpeggio, a fall, another rising arpeggio and another fall) but the