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CHAPTERfi41 Personal Soundtracks: Berlioz
and the Program Symphony
d. IV. March to the Scaffold
e. V. Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath
2. program by Berlioz: autobiographical
a. infatuation with Harriet Smithson
b. meeting the beloved; ultimate demise of the
artist
c. Romantic era: fascinated with grotesque and
super natural
d. Dies irae quoted in last movement
3. idée flxe (fixed idea): recurrent theme
a. represents the composer’s beloved (Smithson)
b. unifying thread; literary and musical
significance
c. thematic transformation: varied appearances
4. March to the Scaffold, mvt. 4
a. opium- induced dream
b. artist dreams he has killed the beloved
c. witnesses his own execution
d. instruments in unusual ranges
e. sudden dynamic changes
5. Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath, mvt. 5
a. witches’ sabbath, gathered for his funeral
b. beloved comes to infernal orgy
c. Dies irae quoted (“Day of Wrath” from
ancient Mass for the Dead)
C. LG 32: Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, IV and V
(1830)
1. mvt. 4: March to the Scaffold; Allegretto non
troppo
a. sonata- like form, two march themes
b. Theme A: downward minor scale
c. Theme B: diabolical march tune, brass and
woodwinds
d. idée flxe at end, clarinet: “last thought of
love”
OUTLINE
I. Romantic Program Music
A. Program music: instrumental music with literary or
pictorial associations
1. program supplied by composer; indicated in title
or explanatory notes
a. specific characters and events, or general
mood, character
2. brought music closer to poetry, painting
3. works relate to moral, po liti cal issues
B. Romantics cultivated program music over absolute
music
1. absolute (pure) music: without literary or picto–
rial meanings
II. Berlioz and the Symphonie fantastique
A. Hector Berlioz (1803–1869)
1. French composer, conductor
2. first great proponent of musical Romanticism in
France
3. left medical school to study music
4. influenced by Beethoven and Shakespeare
5. infatuated with Shakespearean actress, Harriet
Smithson
6. 1830, won Prix de Rome, studied in Italy
7. musical style: intense, bold, passionate
a. master of orchestration: daring originality,
bold innovator, huge orchestral forces
8. output: orchestral overtures, program symphonies,
choral music, three operas, writings about music
B. Symphonie fantastique
1. five– movement program symphony
a. I. Reveries, Passions
b. II. A Ball
c. III. Scene in the Fields
Personal Soundtracks: Berlioz and the Program Symphony | 169
2. Have students form pairs and read the program to the
fourth movement of Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique.
Ask them to take notes on how Berlioz depicts this story
through musical gestures. After listening to the move–
ment, give the pairs a few minutes to discuss their
responses and call on volunteers to share with the class.
Remind students to employ musical terms when offering
their analyses. For example, how does Berlioz depict the
program through dynamics, tempo, form, timbre, instru–
mentation, tonality, rhythm, style, and so on? If time per–
mits, repeat the entire exercise with the fifth movement.
ASSIGNMENT SUGGESTIONS
1. The German composer and critic Robert Schumann
whether music can really do what Berlioz demands of it
in his symphony, then try to associate with it dif fer ent,
Do you think it is pos si ble to achieve what Schumann
suggests? Try this experiment on your own: Play the
fourth movement for a friend or family member who has
or understanding the value of music? Is it impor tant that
we know the intent of a composer, especially in a piece
of programmatic music? Why or why not?
3. The improvements in instrument design and technology
made pos si ble by the Industrial Revolution are discussed
in the Interface, “Musical Instruments and New Tech-
e. sudden fortissimo chord: “fall of the blade”
f. ends with loud, triumphant chords; cheers
from the crowd
2. mvt. 5: Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath; Larghetto,
Allegro assai
a. slow and eerie opening: muted strings, chro–
matic scales
b. Allegro: idée flxe “a vulgar tune” in high clar–
inet; trills, grace notes
c. dissonant, chromatic harmonies
d. Dies irae quoted, first slow, then twice as fast
e. “Dance of Witches” builds in a fugal setting
f. dance and Dies irae combined, builds to final
cadence
OVERVIEW
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
3. To recognize Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique as one of
the first and most enduring programmatic symphonies
of the nineteenth century
LECTURE SUGGESTIONS
ment, pausing between to ask the class how Berlioz
modifies the melody through the pro cess of thematic
transformation. The theme occurs in the second move–
170 | Chapterfi41
This is one of my mother’s favorite songs; it brings
back memories of my first musical experiences, and of
course the summertime, when it would often play in my
This piece also has wonderful memories for me, but it
also tells listeners about my identity as a keyboard
musician. There is also great joy and optimism in this
music, which gives listeners an idea about my world out–
look. In this per for mance, I would have the organist
strengthen the registration at the end to provide a more
of the music. The unpredictability of this piece mirrors
that which we all face in our lives. To emphasize this, I
would extend the music to last much longer than it appears
here.
This is the song that served as the first dance at my
wedding. It illustrates to audiences how impor tant and
meaningful my wife is to my life. This song also speaks
TEACHING CHALLENGES
SUPPLEMENTAL REPERTORY
Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette
Liszt: Les préludes
SUPPLEMENTAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
vs. program music debate of the nineteenth century.
Cone, EdwardT., ed. Berlioz: Fantastic Symphony: An Authorita–
tive Score. New York: Norton, 1971. From Norton’s Critical
Scores series. Cone’s accompanying material includes discus–
YOUR TURN TO EXPLORE
What excerpts from your favorite music might you use to tell