Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique is a key work in romanticism, program music, and the development of the orchestra. It is noted for its title and detailed program, connection with the composer's personal life, and five-movement design. This handbook provides a close analysis of the symphony, its formal properties, and melodic and textural elements, appealing to music lovers, scholars, and students. It also contains a translation of the program, which sheds light on the form and character of each movement.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 180 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique is a pivotal work in the understanding of romanticism, program music, and the development of the orchestra, post-Beethoven. It is renowned for its title and detailed program, as well as its connection with the composer's personal life and loves. This handbook contextualizes the symphony within its time and considers influences, literary as well as musical, that shaped its conception. Providing a close analysis of the symphony, its formal properties, melodic and textural elements (including harmony and counterpoint), it is a rich but accessible study that will appeal to music lovers, scholars, and students. It contains a translation of the program, which sheds light on the form and character of each movement, and the unusual use of a melodic idea fixe representing a beloved woman. The unusual five-movement design permits a range of musical topics to be discussed and related to traditional symphonic elements: sonata form, a long Adagio, dance-type movements, and thematic development.

Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique is a pivotal work in the understanding of romanticism, program music, and the development of the orchestra, post-Beethoven. It is renowned for its title and detailed program, as well as its connection with the composer's personal life and loves. This handbook contextualizes the symphony within its time and considers influences, literary as well as musical, that shaped its conception. Providing a close analysis of the symphony, its formal properties, melodic and textural elements (including harmony and counterpoint), it is a rich but accessible study that will appeal to music lovers, scholars, and students. It contains a translation of the program, which sheds light on the form and character of each movement, and the unusual use of a melodic idea fixe representing a beloved woman. The unusual five-movement design permits a range of musical topics to be discussed and related to traditional symphonic elements: sonata form, a long Adagio, dance-type movements, and thematic development.

Weight: 230g
Dimension: 139 x 216 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781009074889