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Chapter 29
Hector Berlioz
Symphonie fantastique, fourth movement
Chapter at a Glance
Listen to This First
The Modern Orchestra
Word-Music Relationships: The Program
Musical Form, Programmatic Form
Connect Your Playlist: Autobiographical Music
Listening Guide: Symphonie fantastique
Profile: Hector Berlioz (1803 1869)
Expand Your Playlist: Berlioz
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter and listening to the work, students should be able to:
29.2 Dis
Symphonie fantastique.
29.7 Describe the relative range of dynamics in the orchestra as compared to daily life.
Key Concepts
the modern orchestra, program music, major versus minor mode
Chapter Highlight: Program Music
Program music became increasingly important during the nineteenth century as many
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Chapter Summary
Symphony fantastique is a five-movement composition that tells a story in
sound. The artist endures an opium-induced dream in which he envisions his lover in a
series of scenes, and she is represented by a melody or idée fixe (fixed idea). Berlioz
wrote a guide to describe the action (given in Word-Music Relationships, p. 256). In the
Listening Guide
Several aspects of each part of the fourth movement of Berlio Symphony fantastique
contribute to a work whose form is easily discerned and whose programmatic intent is
rather obvious. The A section is in a minor key, and it is characterized by a march
MyMusicLab Resources
Automated Listening Guide: Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, fourth movement
Chapter Audio: Chapter 29
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Discussion Topics and Critical Thinking Questions
1. In 1830 (the date of the Symphonie fantastique), audiences were not used to having to
associate melodies or motifs with characters. Do you think the concept was something
that they understood quickly? Is it an effective tool?
2. The idea of program music and the idée fixe seem at odds with a clearly recognizable
musical structure (ABABA). How do these work together in the Symphonie
fantastique?
Activities and Exercises
1. Find examples of other works by Berlioz on video to compare the size and sound of the
2. Have students look closely at performances of orchestral music by major orchestras,
paying special attention to any devices used to protect the ears of the musicians.
Journaling Prompt
The use of a recurring theme to indicate a person, mood, object, or place is quite