Literature and Arts B-51: First Nights
Ellen Exner
Fall 2006
Writing Assignment – Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
Due next section meeting
In the Symphonie fantastique, Berlioz makes use of a musical device called an idée fixe to
establish connections between all five movements of the symphony. Simply stated, the idée fixe
is a melodic idea that is woven throughout the entire symphony. It appears in several different
forms and in a variety of contexts. From information that Berlioz provides to his listeners, we
are made to understand that the idée fixe is meant to evoke an image of Berlioz's ideal "beloved."
Below, I've listed five separate appearances of the idée fixe throughout the Symphonie
fantastique. Beginning with the first one (this is, in fact, the first appearance of the idée fixe in
the symphony) provide a brief description of each of the five appearances of the idée fixe as
listed below. Consider, but do not necessarily limit yourself to, the following questions:
-
What instruments are playing?
What instruments carry the main melodic idea?
What instruments, if any, are providing the accompaniment?
What is the texture?
Do you hear the entire idée fixe, or just a portion thereof?
How would you describe the character or mood of the excerpt?
Using information from the program of the symphony (translation found on pp. 249251 of the First Nights textbook), how might one reasonably understand the dramatic
situation that Berlioz is attempting to evoke at this moment?
Selected appearances of the idée fixe in Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique
Track timings refer to the recorded performances with John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et
Romantique and with Roger Norrington and the London Classical Players. Page and measure numbers refer to the
copy of the score found in Volume II of the First Nights sourcebook.
Page/measure #
Gardiner
Norrington
Mvmt. I
550/1-551/2
4.50-5.28
4.45-5.23
Mvmt. II
580/12-581/23
2.00-2.40
2.03-2.43
Mvmt. III
606/9-607/10
7.24-8.14
6.26-7.08
Mvmt. IV
635/7-636/3
6.08-6.16
6.52-7.01
Mvmt. V
694/1-645/11
1.46-2.15
1.42-2.12