Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14
by Hector Berlioz
Premiered in Paris in 1830, the Symphonie fantastique is the founding work of programmatic orchestral music. Its five movements — Dreams and Passions, A Ball, Scene in the Country, March to the Scaffold, and Dream of a Witches' Sabbath — trace the autobiographical hallucinations of a lovesick artist. Berlioz's idée fixe, a recurring melodic motto representing the beloved, pioneered the technique of thematic transformation. The work's expanded orchestration, including multiple harps, English horn, and extended brass writing, transformed the possibilities of the symphony orchestra.
Editions
Bärenreiter
Nicholas Temperley, 2000
Critical New Berlioz Edition, collating autograph, early copies, and corrected proofs. The definitive scholarly text.
Breitkopf & Härtel
Charles Malherbe & Felix Weingartner, 1900
Original Berlioz complete works edition. Historically important; now superseded for scholarly use but still available in many libraries.
Eulenburg
Edward Cone, 1971
Miniature study score with analytical preface by Edward Cone. Widely used in university orchestration courses.