The Symphonie Fantastique was written by Hector Berlioz in 1840. It reflects on Berlioz's imagination of the supernatural, and his beloved Harriet Smithson. It is a Romantic program symphony, a new genre that merged the structure the classical symphony with descriptive nature of the 19th century program music.
Berlioz's obsession with Harriet was what influenced him to write this symphony. It is about a lovesick artist in an optium trance is haunted buy a vision of his beloved, which becomes an idée fixe or a fixed idea. In the orchestra, Berlioz makes very specific performance indications. The ophicleide is a 19th century brass instrument that is now replaced by a tuba that plays the Dies Irae. Another instrument was the cloches that mimic bells in the piece. Portamento is a type of articulation that is half way between staccato and legato that is found in the music. Col legno is a very unique way to play string instruments. The player would strike the strings with the bow stick. As mentioned before, the idée fixe was the fixed melody. Its sweet sound represents his beloved aka his obsession with Harriet. In all, the piece has 5 movements.
Movement One
Title: Reveries, Passions
The first movement opens in the key of C-, but after the appearance of his beloved idée fixe, it modulates to C+. The tempo is largo, but again, the idée fixe is different and changes the speed to allegro.
Movement Two
Title: A Ball
Movement Two is in A+. The tempo is Allegro non troppo, and it is in triple meter. The ball resembles a waltz like dance. In the opening measures, the clarinets are featured.
Movement Three
Title: Scene in the Fields
The third movement is in Ternary form (ABA). It is in 6/8 time and the tempo is a slow adagio. The instrument that opens this movement is the English horn and the oboes then gives an answer. Berlioz gives the oboe players a special direction to play off stage because he wants the sound to show distance.
Movement Four
Title: March to the Scaffold
The key of the fourth movement is G-. The tempo this time is allegretto non troppo. It is in duple meter, march style. The clarinet plays the idée fixe at the end but is interrupted by a loud core that cuts of the melody. It resembles the artist thinking of his beloved but interrupted by the drop of a blade.
Movement Five
Title: Dream of a Witches' Sabbath
The final movement opens in C- and larghetto, but later changing to allegro. The meter is 6/8 time. The artist himself is now in hell and being taunted by the witches. The mood of the introduction is nightmarish and unusual. The instruments use very soft muted string to evoke a “hellish” atmosphere and high woodwinds evoke screams and the witches' streams of laughter. The Allegro section contains an idée fixe played by high clarinets. A new key is established from this: Bb+. Berlioz creates a macabre effect from the transformation he has given to the fixed idea with ornaments to reveal the grotesque in tune. Ominous chiming of the bells rings 13 times following the foreshadowing of the Dance of the Witches.
The part that comes next is called Dies Irae meaning Day of Wrath. The origin of this theme is a traditional Gregorian chant for the ancient mass of the dead. The theme is sounded in the bassoons and the ophicleides or tubas. It is first slow, than twice as fast in the brass. Then it turns into a burlesque of the Dies irae in strings and woodwinds in altered rhythm. A new key, C+, is established that lasts the remainder of this movement. The principal texture of this passage is fugal and polyphonic. Because of the major mode, set fugally to emphasize, it contributes to the mocking in the witch's Dance. In the closing section of the last movement, Berlioz combines two earlier themes the Witches Dance and Dies Irae. The strings play a dance tune with the wood of their bows (col legno). It alternates with loud brass statements of the Dies Irae builds to the final cadence and makes the climax unforgettable.
The symphonie fantastique shows six specific characteristics of Romanticism. The first is the expanded form of the symphony, originally from the classical era. The second is it is not only about the classical structure of symphony, it is also program music. Another characteristic of Romanticism is the importance of an individual. The love sick artist is what this entire symphony is about. The fourth Romantic element is the use of strangness and wonder, especially during the fourth movement at the dramatic fall of the blade. Another is the element of supernatural, such as the 5th movement that takes place in hell, and the witches Sabbath. And last, the use of improved instruments and instrumental techniques, like the col legno.
