What does the Dies Irae represent in the Symphonie Fantastique?
Christopher Anderson
Published Mar 03, 2026
What does the Dies Irae represent in the Symphonie Fantastique?
The fifth movement, Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath, depicts the Hero’s funeral. Witches and hideous monsters shriek, groan, and cackle amid quotes of the Dies Irae (the ancient chant evoking the Day of Wrath). The idée fixe now degenerates into a vulgar, grotesque parody of itself. Berlioz’s music evokes dramatic scenes.
What is the correct order for the movements of Berlioz’s programmatic Symphonie Fantastique?
There are five movements, instead of the four movements that were conventional for symphonies at the time: Rêveries – Passions (Reveries– Passions) Un bal (A Ball) Scène aux champs (Scene in the Fields)
What movement of Symphonie Fantastique A is also known as a dream?
Fifth Movement
Fifth Movement: “Songe d’une nuit du sabbat” (Dream of the Night of the Sabbath)
Are there multiple versions of Symphonie Fantastique?
Symphonie Fantastique: the symphony’s programme (1845 and 1855 versions) [Note: between 1830 and 1855 Berlioz made a number of changes to the programme of the symphony, which is given here in the two principal versions, that of the first edition of the score in 1845, and that of 1855.
Who composed Symphonie Fantastique?
Hector Berlioz
Symphonie fantastique/Composers
The story is a self-portrait of its composer, Hector Berlioz. Hector Berlioz was born in 1803 in La Cote St André, a small town near the French Alps. His mother was a devout Catholic and his father a noted doctor. At twelve, Berlioz discovered music.
What is the rhythm of Symphonie Fantastique?
It is played by the violins and solo flute. The rhythm that the lower string instruments play underneath is very agitated. The form of the movement is not much like the traditional sonata form. Berlioz was more interested in the idée fixe which keeps haunting the young artist all the way through.
What instruments are in Symphonie Fantastique?
Instrumentation: Two flutes, piccolo, two oboes plus off-stage oboe, English horn, two clarinets, piccolo clarinet, four bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, two cornets, three trombones, two tubas, timpani, percussion, two harps and strings.
What are the different movements of Symphonie Fantastique?
The symphony has five movements, instead of four as was conventional for symphonies of the time: “Rêveries – Passions” (Reveries – Passions) – C minor/C major. “Un bal” (A Ball) – A major. “Scène aux champs” (Scene in the Fields) – F major.
What is the genre of Symphonie Fantastique?
Fantasy Symphony
It is one of the most famous Romantic works for orchestra. The official title of the piece is Episode de la Vie d’un Artiste (An Episode in the Life of the Artist), but it is always called by its subtitle Symphonie Fantastique which means Fantasy Symphony.
What genre is Symphonie Fantastique?
program music
Overview. Symphonie fantastique is a piece of program music that tells the story of an artist gifted with a lively imagination who has poisoned himself with opium in the depths of despair because of hopeless, unrequited love. Berlioz provided his own preface and program notes for each movement of the work.