BERLIOZ - Symphonie Fantastique

1830 - romantic period

studied composition at a conservatoire

fascinated by beethoven’s music

very large symphony orchestra

modified sonata form

63 bars

largo, common time, b17 lively sextuplet scalic melody in violins, rests and pauses

beings with woodwind triplet dominant notes, then taken over by strings after C minor chord

begins with flutes and clarinets in octaves, bar 7 monophonic, joined by bassoons and oboes in a homophonic manner

begins in C minor, b17 tonic major, b24 tonic, b42 Ab maj, b61 tonic major

chords often diatonic and functional, b22 - dim 7th, perfect cadences to establish modulations, b46 Ab maj tonic pedal

a 7 bar linking section

con sordino, b17 senza sordini, a punta d’arco (delicate), b34 tremolo in upper strings

allegro agitato e appassionto assai, homophonic, alla breve, tonic major, quaver motif (heartbeat) introduced

pizz in double bass, arco in upper strings

exposition b72-161, idee fixe introduced

begins with an anacrusis, beings on the dominant, rises a perf 4th, then a maj 6th, descends in a conjunct manner (sigh-like motif), canto expressivo

flute and 1st violins play idee fixe in unison, b92 melody-dominated homophony - strings accompany melody, b121 double corde

b133 - transition passage with triplet crotchet melodies

2nd subject introduced

transition passage in Ab major, 2nd subject in G major, passes through E minor towards end

b123 4-3 suspension (dissonance), b146 dom 7th chords, ends with a V7 in C major

b94 part of IF played as ascending sequence, chromatic melodies, repetition, b111 descending broken chords

development

1st subject in lower strings, repetitive ascending melodies, b191 second subject in woodwind, ascending and descending chromatic scales

begins in G major, but chromaticism obscures the tonality

moto perputuo crotchets, 3 bars of silence before recapitulation

recapitulation

acts more like a development, playing with former material

G major w idee fixe, dominant pedal in horn, chromatic leaping quavers

idee fixe, repeated rising 4ths in violins, chromatic leaping quavers, descending appogiotura scales in strings, 2nd subject in cello - imitation through strings

coda

C major established in idee fixe, 3 plagal cadnces (religiosamente section), concludes on a paused C maj chord

b503 idee fixe is monophonic, homophonic

idee fixe begins after 3 bars of silence, descending arpeggios with accented offbeats, final section largo

“…serves to introduce musical movements and to motivate their character and expression”