For many reasons, Symphonie fantastique remains an exemplary version of melodic romanticism up to date. The music is overwhelmingly influenced by many literary works. The symphony story borrows a lot from several literary sources such as Goethe’s “Faust” and “Confessions of an English Opium Eater” by Thomas (Hoi, 2013). It trails an extra-musical story that he devised, and this is not common in earlier symphonies, thus making his program symphony outstanding. It relates a story of an artist who ones fell in love with an actress yet ended up being unhappy and desperate due to the unrequited love. It is in his depths of hopelessness that he swallows opium in overdose to kill himself. Luckily, he survives the poison but suffers wild, emotional dreams about his unfaithful darling in his illusion.
Berlioz’s understanding of the magical capabilities of diverse musical instruments is unique. His color and harmony choice is romantic and as a result, the orchestra size is expanded thus achieving a mixture of colorful sonorities and volume.
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Each of his five movements employs unique orchestral requirements. He adapts formal classical styles which suits his romantic requirements. This allows the program sequence to dominate his work’s structure. Spectacularly, a fixed idea, a melodic allusion to his darling, unites the movements of the symphony. Consequently, the shape is changed thus varying its nature for programmatic purposes. This includes the harmony, rhythm, meter, tempo, and instruments.
The first movement introduces the fixed idea through flute and violins alongside a spare string accompaniment (Schiavo, 2017). It is played three times in complete and severally in fragments. Berlioz deliberately imbalances the songs’ theme by playing unequal length phrases. This marks a sudden change from the ideal classical period’s balance and order suggesting a troubled heart. With extremely comprehensive marks and much chromaticism, he applies intensity in each phrase. This movement is divided into three parts: an introduction, the development and the sequence of codas.
Lilting Waltz introduces the second movement. However, it is broken up by the surprising occurrence of the fixed idea. By changing the rhythm, waltz’s triple meter is accommodated. The theme interrupts the intoxicating melody of the waltz and in counterpoint units with it.
Two shepherds who are answering each other by use of pipes commence the third movement. The scene happens in the countryside. While cor anglais rings plaintively, the oboe from off-stage responds. The fixed idea is played by flute and the clarinet responds at first and then the oboe. An English horn plays an accelerating melody that has pauses linking the notes. Oboe produces a faint echo. The horn repeats and extends the melody while the oboe at first echo and later plays in accompaniment. Two more phrases are stated by the horn and gentle tremolo string accents them. The movement portrays Berlioz in depressed solitude, reflecting in a pastoral setting. It trails the whole story from hope and anticipation to disaster and despair (Senegor, 2018). This happens during the “B” part basically the symphony mid-point.
During the fourth movement, the melody’s musical line is torn between diverse instruments. This forms a striking sound effect in performances that are alive. He dreams of killing his darling and is sentenced to death and he marches to scaffold. His apprehension maxes out as he approaches the guillotine. The solo clarinet plays the fixed idea as the march ends. A descending melody denotes the artist keeling the blade of the guillotine down.
The fifth and the last movement, displays the killed artist descending in hell. His murdered darling and a group of witches hail him. The rhythmic wrap of the fixed idea depicts the changing of the darling. The timid and noble fixed theme loses the character and it sounds raucous and vulgar as it is presented by the noisy high clarinet.
References
Hoi, H,W.(2013)Work Analysis Hector Berlioz (1803- 1869): Symphonie fantastique: Épisode de la vie d'un Artiste ... encinq parties (Fantastic Symphony: An Episode in the Life of an Artist, in Five Parts), Retrieved from https://helenmusicology.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/work-analysis-2013-hector-berlioz-symphonie-fantastique-1830.pdf
Schiavo,P.(2017). Hector Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 (“Fantastic Symphony”). Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/judy/Downloads/BerliozSymphoniefantastique.pdf
Senegor, M. (2017)Symphonie Fantastique (1830). Episode in the Life of An Artist; A Fantastic Symphony in Five Movements Hector Berlioz. Retrieved from https://www.morissenegor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Berlioz-Symphonie-Fantastique.pdf
