Recording: Sir Colin Davis and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
- Rêveries – Passions
- Un bal
- Scène aux champs
- Marche au Supplice
- Songe d’une Nuit du Sabbat
Score: (Urtext edition only public domain in Germany, Canada)
Program Notes: English translation of both versions
Lecture points
Review sheet for Berlioz and Symphonie Fantastique
Berlioz
- not a virtuoso, never played piano (was guitarist)
- 1830 (age 27): wins Prix de Rome and writes Symphonie fantastique
- Grand traité d’instrumentation et d’orchestration modernes (Treatise on instrumentation), still used today
- Romantic lifestyle, nonconformal, moved around a lot, freelance career as guest conductor and critic
- wrote no pure abstract music, often drew inspiration from literature
- admired Gluck and Beethoven, knew many contemporaries including Liszt, Paganini, Mendelssohn
Symphonie fantastique
- written out of Berlioz’ obsession with Harriet Smithson (Irish actress in Shakespearean troupe)
- program music: music that follows an extramusical plot or text
- idée fixe: “fixed idea”, a recurring theme found in all movements
- more substantial than a motif, does not occur frequently
- key appearances: middle of I, II, and III; end of IV, early in V
- Sabbath: a day of rest and worship, versus witches’ sabbath, pagan rites associated with witchcraft
- Dies irae: latin for “Day of Wrath”, a medieval plainchant (Church music)
- unusual instrumentation: a very large orchestra (15/15/10/11/9 strings)
- special instruments include:
- ophicléide: “serpent”, precursor to tuba, a keyed brass instrument
- cloches: (French) bells, part of the large percussion forces
- detailed instructions in score, including playing techniques, mood, off-stage instruments
- con sordino (sord.): muted string instruments
- col legno: playing with the wood (back) of the bow, producing a weak and scratchy sound
- portamento: a vocal technique, joining notes by sliding (adopted for string instruments)