Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique was an exceptional symphony that stood out for two main reasons: first was the idée fixe, and second was programme that Berlioz gave to the audience prior to  the performance.

We first hear the idée fixe in the first movement. It is played with the flute and violins with a lower register playing short staccato notes. The idée fixe is interesting because it involves a buildup of tension and some sort of release in itself. Because this is suppose to represent Heriott, we already get a sense that she is going to be mysterious and there will be many ups and downs regarding her relationship. This idée fixe will continue to be used throughout all five movements of the symphony but each time with a different emotion and feeling.

The programme that is handed out prior to the symphony has a strong effect on the listener. Throughout the first movement, we can easily hear the protagonist’s struggles described in the programme. This movement consists of floating, airy melodies, followed by grand buildups and drops that represent every emotion possibly felt. We have slow melodies, immediately followed by rushes of excitement and many short notes. This is especially evident towards the end starting at around 9 minutes. Within the last 4 minutes of the piece, we hear clean simple melodies, followed by minor sounds, and then fanfare like sections with a strong percussion. Then immediately, simple solos that are interrupted by grand fanfares once again. In this section, we can understand the barrage of feelings and emotions Berlioz has described in his programme.

The second movement is perhaps the most simple of the movements. After a short introduction, this movement sounds like a very typical waltz or some sort of ballroom dancing music played in a triple meter. Although it is often interrupted with idée fixe that seems to intrude and then join into the dancing. The music then starts to speed up and become a little more confusing as it strays from the typical waltz sound and bounces back and forth between two ideas.

In the third movement, we hear a duet or exchange between an flute and oboe or clarinet. This represents the two shepherds that Perlioz described. Other instruments slowly join in with various strings giving you a sense of the rustling trees. This peaceful state continues until about 7 minutes into the piece, where various instruments seem to have an exchange with different melodies. The minor sounds give you a sense of betrayal as the protagonist is once again overcome by his emotions and confusion regarding Heriott. We have a mix of solos and ideas until about 13 minutes, when the same soloist as in the beginning of the movement is interrupted by the timpani which represents thunder. Unlike the beginning though, there is no response from the other soloist, and the movement ends without a response.

In the fourth movement we can clearly hear the march that was described in the text. However, it doesn’t give off a sense of death until it is interrupted with other melodies and instruments. towards the end, the melodies once again interrupt each other and go up and down to enforce the sound of confusion. The idée fixe makes a brief appearance towards the end to be interrupted by a fanfare that represents the fatal blow.

In the last movement, the idée fixe appears in brief chunks again but is harder to uncover as it has changed sounds almost completely. We have various instruments that sound like they are conversing with each other as the different creatures and monsters followed by happy uplifting melodies that become chaotic and rise and fall constantly. Finally, a tuba melody introduces a mysterious dark feeling perhaps signaling the arrival of the witch. It seems like Berlioz ends the symphony as he did the first movement, with various instruments and sections playing different melodies and interrupting each other with buildups and than brief releases of tension.

Throughout this symphony we can clearly see the idée fixe changing and representing different emotions and feelings. However, I feel like Berlioz’s text had an even larger effect on the way we listened to and perceived his symphony. Along with the text, we could clearly understand the various melodies and instruments and what they were representing. This successfully created a sort of story with characters and a plot without actual actors or people performing. This plot and story made Berlioz’s symphony truly revolutionary and different.