B-MU124 Music History
04 September 20XX
The Use of Idée fixe in the first movement of Berlioz’s Fantastic Symphony
Abstract
Louis-Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) was a composer that showcased the hallmarks of Romanticism . He was remarkable for his orchestral work, one of which is his program symphony known as Fantastic Symphony. This symphony is said to have a correspondent with former great works that were being developed and modified. Moreover, the used of idée fixe throughout five movements suggest changes in the mood became the main core of this composition.
In the first movement, a variety of emotion can be seen , which also give a vague idea of how the idée fixe affect throughout the symphony.This essay investigates the musical elements in which Berlioz attained such an influential work to this date and will be focusing on the used of idée fixe in the first movement.
Introduction
Louis Hector Berlioz (1803 – 1869) was a French composer, critic and conductor of 19th century of Romanticism, known largely for his symphony work. While he is notable for his capability in using musical vocabulary and his harmony choices to color sound that led him to achieve a wider range of volume and colourful sonorities, he is also accredited by having a great contribution to the development of program music as a form. The idea of program music was flourished during Romantic era that came to fruition of Symphony No. 6 in F Major “Pastorale” by Ludwig van Beethoven, which inspired many composers afterwards including Berlioz that can be seen in his first symphony.
Based on the book “Memoires” we can see that Berlioz was enthralled by many preceding works that formulate his first composition. It is stated that the symphony represents the convergence and assimilation of different influence both musical and literary. Fantastic Symphony is said to be a descriptive symphony on Goethe’s Faust as Berlioz tells in his memoirs that it was written while he was still under the influence of Goethe, whose Faust he had recently read. (http://www.hberlioz.com/Predecessors/beethoven.htm).
Berlioz used the idea of culminating the feeling of longing, dreaming and having passion in an inferno and transformed these materials into a highly structured symphony where musical unity is an essential fundamental. These ideas become the recurring theme and the leading motive of the composer’s life (Berlioz Fantastic Symphony Edward T. Cone pg 5). He borrowed the melody from his cantata “Herminine” as his idée fixe that elaborated in endless form and shape to depict his beloved. (Berlioz Fantastic Symphony Edward T Cone pg 11)
The first movement titled “Rêveries-Passions” which shows the fluctuation of an emotion as Berlioz stated in his programme notes:
“ The author imagines that a young musician, afflicted by the sickness of spirit which a famous writer has called the vagueness of passions (le vague des passions), sees for the first time a woman who unites all the charms of the ideal person his imagination was dreaming of, and falls desperately in love with her. By a strange anomaly, the beloved image never presents itself to the artist’s mind without being associated with a musical idea, in which he recognises a certain quality of passion, but endowed with the nobility and shyness which he credits to the object of his love.
This melodic image and its model keep haunting him ceaselessly like a double idée fixe. This explains the constant recurrence in all the movements of the symphony of the melody which launches the first allegro. The transitions from this state of dreamy melancholy, interrupted by occasional upsurges of aimless joy, to delirious passion, with its outbursts of fury and jealousy, its returns of tenderness, its tears, its religious consolations – all this forms the subject of the first movement..”
On that account, the idée fixe constantly reappears throughout this particular movement with a different modification each time. Moreover, it also represent a fundamental idea of how the idée fixe impact on another movement as well.
This essay will investigate how Berlioz employed the idée fixe in first movement in order to communicate the plot to the listener. The music will be discussed chronologically as per the section shown in table 1.1 below
Bars
Section
Description
B. Analysis
Schumann suggests that in Berlioz’s symphony, “Berlioz rejected writing the more symmetrical melodies then in academic fashion, and instead looked for melodies that were so intense in every note as to defy normal harmonization”, as seen in the figure 2.1. Berlioz made use of unresolved melody in each of the asymmetrical phrases as he ends the first phrase in the leading tone of C Major. This creates a strong tendency to resolve to the home key, yet Berlioz does not resolve. While in the second phrase, there are three ascending sequences in which the last is expanded. The identical thing happen in the succeeding phrase as the further the melody ascends, the more it gets passionate, as it tends to avoid the home key. As it descends, it becomes increasingly chromatic in which Bernstein describe this as “falling back into despair”. (Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerto pg 320) The prolongation of the tonic key as well as the semitone that disperse in the idée fixe is a prominent element for this melody in order to give us a yearning and hopeless feeling at the same time. Generally, the melody itself consists a series of emotion that as it combined, it gives an ideal picture of a lovesick feeling.
Figure 2.1. The melody of idée fixe. The text below shows the character of the melody.
The first movement is in ABA form, it begins in a state of dreamy melancholy in the dominant key of C minor that give a sorrowful mood, suggesting an artist’s spirits in the day before he saw his beloved. The idée fixe melody can already be heard briefly in bar 3, particularly a yearning figuration, in which it illustrates that the Artist was in despair and lonely. The use of semitone is underlying in the first section symbolize an anticipation to the idée fixe. The absence of a cadential point is the main device, spreading throughout the symphony (as can be seen at the end of first phrase). With an abrupt change of dynamic , the scalic movement of the parallel Major key emerge in, introducing the B section.The bracketed figure below is the transition section before it abruptly interrupted by the scalic movement of parallel major introducing B section.
Figure 2.2 First theme of first movement.
Bracketed figure is the transition of A section.
The B section has a carefree character as a result of the key signature itself and the rhythmic alteration. However, this segment did not last long before the A’ section melody begin to emerge. As aforementioned, this first section is a preparation for the idée fixe, which can be seen in the A’ section. This illustrate an aimless joy, as Berlioz described in his programme note. Here,Berlioz used the first idée fixe melody and inverted in the flute; while the violin and viola are playing the ‘sigh’ figuration from the main theme . This melody progressingly being stretched and built up to idée fixe, reflects the temper and visions of an intoxicated artist.
Figure 2.3. A’ section.
In preparatory to idée fixe, the dynamic are dramatically distinct in which Bernstein describe this as “psychedelic firework” ( Leonard Berstein’s Young People’s Concerts pg 322). Moreover, the two eighth notes have a important role throughout the rest of the movement, in which can also be seen in the following accompaniment. .As the idée fixe emerge in unison of flute and violins, not only the dynamic change drastically but also the tempo markings change unexpectedly. However, as those devices is used to illustrate Artist’s anxiety, at the same time it also creates a mellifluous sound as a result of the homophonic texture and minimal accompaniment. Thus, simultaneously it also reveals the artist’s impression of Harriet Smithson as a warm-hearted woman
Figure 2.4 The first idée fixe
By using a series of scalic movement and tremollo strings, Berlioz succeed in giving us an impression that his first meeting led to an upsurge of joy. The following melody is a continuation from the A section melody but in the parallel major. Even so, this portion varies two distinct emotions as it sometimes interrupted by a long note, reminiscing his beloved.Moreover, a yearning figure is also occured, which gives an ideal picture of romantic fever as it happen simultaneously and periodically before another idée fixe appear.
Figure 2.5. A series of devices that is being used to distinct the mood
In Figure 2.6., Berlioz made use the low-register instruments to play a fragment melody idée fixe contrasted with the previous one which give a darker sound, while the woodwind is playing the ‘sigh’ figuration. In consequence, the melody progressingly build up to anguish as it getting chromatic each time. As aforementioned, the eighth notes figure is also appear not only as accompaniment but also as a melody. This section is concluded in a canon figure with a fragment of closing melody in the idée fixe with a slight modification.
Figure 2.6. A fragment melody of Idée fixe
The following section is also a preparation melody to the main theme as the strings instruments plays a series of chromatic scale , which is a modification of the yearning figure of the idée fixe. Besides, a sudden change of dynamic is also begin to be perceived. Simultaneously, this led to a sudden explosion of A Major chord that conclude this section.
Figure 2.7. A yearning scalic figuration
The second idée fixe has a minor difference as the accompaniment figurations are identical. The melody is played by woodwind, that accompanied by the eighth note and tremollando in strings with a more stable and calm tempo.
Figure 2.8. The second idée fixe
As in the idée fixe melody end in a despair, this time the melody continues to fall lower into a deeper despair, in which can be seen from the canon figuration ( Figure 2.9). Subsequently, the falling figure are still proceeding as another instruments emerge in until the whole orchestra is takes on the melody. An unforeseen changes of mood suggest the sensitive artist’s emotional confusion and passion; but also jealousy and fury. This fall to the end of the idée fixe melody with a slight alteration each time, which cause a suspension that seems unable to resolve.
Figure 2.9. Canon figure
As aformentioned, as this particular movement is about idée fixe, we skip to the another section that make a more ditinct mood. In Figure 2.3, the chromatic harmony is being used once more to outline the melody that is progressingly rises to its climax. This creates a dramatic and prolonged suspension as it conveys a delirious passion and upsurges aimless joy. On top of that, the same melody is being overlapped as another instrumentation is being added which make it sound polyphonic and more tense than earlier counterpart. While in the climax, the trumpet and timpani are added on top of the rumbling sound of the string instruments to illustrate the outburst of fury and jealousy. Within the climax, an idée fixe can be heard subsequently in the instrumentations but it modulates to parallel minor key in the end before the climax proceeds. After a series of long and stormy developments the end of the movement alludes retrospectively to the introduction as the mood gradually become subdued.
Figure 2.3 ‘Rising action’ of 1st movement