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Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14

183053 min

This guide follows Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 (1830) in five parts: Reveries - Passions (sonata form), Un bal, Scene aux champs, Marche au supplice and Songe d'une nuit du sabbat (sonata form).

Recording: hr-Sinfonieorchester, Alain Altinoglu

I Reveries - Passions · Sonata form · 16 sections

: A
: B
: A′
: C
:
(repeat)
:
: Part 1
: Part 2
: Part 3
: Part 4
AnalysisComments
  1. IReveries - Passions · Sonata form
  2. IIUn bal
  3. IIIScene aux champs
  4. IV au supplice
  5. VSonge d'une nuit du sabbat · Sonata form
IReveries - PassionsSonata form0:09–14:25

A slow, hazy shows the artist dreaming. At the , where the begins, the violins and flute announce the , the melody of the woman he loves. Berlioz asks for this section to be repeated, so that the tune settles in the ear. Then come the and the . The is marked Religiosamente (in a religious manner).

  1. : A
  2. : B
  3. : A′
  4. : C
  6. :
  8. (repeat)
  10. :
  13. : Part 1
  14. : Part 2
  15. : Part 3
  16. : Part 4
IIUn bal14:57–21:01

A at a brilliant party. This is the only with two harps, and they add glamour from the onward. The (A) grows out of the , transformed into a flowing dance. A contrasting section (B) follows and then the . Then the starts.

  2. A
  3. B
  4. A1
  5. : i
  6. ii
  7. iii
IIIScene aux champs21:32–37:08

A in F major. Two shepherds call to each other in the : a cor anglais on stage and an oboe offstage. The (A) is given to flute and violins. Halfway through, the on oboe and flute over agitated strings and troubles the peace. At the end four timpani play distant thunder, and the music dies away into silence and loneliness.

  2. A
  3. B
  4. A1
  5. B1
  6. C
  7. A2
  8. D
IV au supplice37:41–43:31

A in G minor that swings between somber and fierce and brilliant and solemn. Berlioz reworked music from his abandoned opera Les Francs-juges for it. In the (the ), a clarinet briefly recalls the , like a last thought of love, and the fatal blow cuts it off. Four falling notes depict the head rolling, and the brass end the with a triumphant blare.

  2. A
  3. B
  4. A1
  5. B
  6. A2
  7. : i
  8. ii
  9. iii
VSonge d'une nuit du sabbatSonata form43:42–52:49

The witches' sabbath opens with a slow, ominous of string tremolos. The on the high E-flat clarinet, twisted with trills into a mocking dance tune. Bells toll, and bassoons and tubas parody the , the old for the dead. The witches' round dance becomes a wild fugue, and finally the two tunes sound together, with the strings tapping the wood of their bows (col legno) like rattling bones. Then the begins.

  1. : i
  3. iii
  4. :
  7. 1
  9. 2

Section boundaries in music are not always sharp; a transition may be felt over a pause or a held chord.

At a glance

  1. I. Reveries - PassionsSonata form · 14 min · 527 bars · half note ≈ 135 bpm
  2. II. Un bal6 min · 368 bars · eighth note ≈ 178 bpm
  3. III. Scene aux champs16 min · 199 bars · eighth note ≈ 81 bpm
  4. IV. Marche au supplice6 min · 178 bars · half note ≈ 82 bpm
  5. V. Songe d'une nuit du sabbatSonata form · 9 min · 524 bars · dotted quarter note ≈ 129 bpm

Instruments: Piccolo, Flute, Oboe, English horn, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Trumpet, Cornet, Trombone, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion, Glockenspiel, bells, Harp, Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Double bass

Hector Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14, I. Reveries - Passions: first page of the score
Full score

Questions

How long is Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14?
About 53 min in this recording, in 5 movements: I 14 min, II 6 min, III 16 min, IV 6 min and V 9 min.
What form are its movements in?
I: sonata form and V: sonata form.
Which instruments play in Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14?
Piccolo, Flute, Oboe, English horn, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Trumpet, Cornet, Trombone, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion, Glockenspiel, bells, Harp, Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello and Double bass.
How fast is it played?
In this recording, measured from the score: I half note ≈ 135 bpm, II eighth note ≈ 178 bpm, III eighth note ≈ 81 bpm, IV half note ≈ 82 bpm and V dotted quarter note ≈ 129 bpm.
Is there a score of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14?
Yes, of every movement.

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Path 02

Symphonies everyone should know

Twelve symphonies from Mozart's Fortieth to Shostakovich's Fifth, the core of the concert repertoire.

Mozart → Haydn → Beethoven → Schubert → Berlioz → Mendelssohn → Brahms → Mahler → Tchaikovsky → Dvořák → Shostakovich

12 works · 8 h 9 min

In the catalog

Hector BerliozSymphoniesRomantic periodSonata formEdexcel A Level Music set work

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