Symphonie Fantastique Analysis

The Magical Mysteries of Music When one examines the field of fine arts today, he is unlikely to find a category as mysterious, captivating, and expressive as music. Given the vast and varied psychological and physiological effects that music has on individuals, it is easy to discern that composers utilize a variety of complex techniques to stimulate our myriad of senses. Most simply, perhaps, is the usage of musical patterns that match the lyrics of a piece. For an early example, in Weelkes’ madrigal As Vesta Was from Latmos Hill Descending, when the text says “chase after” or “move quickly”, “…the music becomes fast… voices chase [each other].” (Wright 77). Additionally, when words like “pain” and “anguish” are used, “…biting dissonance …show more content…
In Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, Berlioz utilizes a, “[sforzando] crashing chord, then pizzicatos (head is severed and falls) …” (Wright 262). Again, word painting is used, as we associate the loud crash with the drop of a guillotine. Additionally, in the 5th movement of this symphony, Berlioz grotesquely mutates the idee fixe with trills and accidentals and creates an eerie sound by utilizing glissandos and col legno strings to signify the entrance of witches. As listeners, we initially find these harsh sounds unpleasant, given that there is, “genuine sensory dissonance in some [tones], caused by the unpleasant sensation between two tones [with similar frequency].” (Ball 161). However, as we “listen to it enough times, we may begin to understand it and [like] it.” (Levin 237). Overall, we acclimate to different types of music as we perpetually listen to them: appreciation is a process, rather than an isolated …show more content…
Perhaps most central to the success of the piece is Wagner’s use of leitmotifs: over thirty in this five-minute composition. As listeners, we are drawn to a piece of music that “…strikes the right balance between simplicity and complexity.” (Levin 235). While this piece has very dense orchestration, rampant polyphony, and abundant modulation, the listener is left with a sense of familiarity through Wagner’s leitmotifs. Whenever the heroic Valkyrie motive sounds, a feeling of safety and security is instilled in the listener, for the warrior goddesses have returned. However, when this motive fades away, we are led to, “dramatic descents in the strings and woodwinds [and] bold chromatic chords.” (Wright 302). Ingeniously, Wagner is able to balance complex, unpredictable developmental material with the heroic leitmotif, creating “hooks in the music that will stand out in our minds…landmarks [that will] invoke a cognitive schema.” (Levin

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Symphonie Fantastique Analysis