What is the story of Harold in Italy?

Harold in Italy is described as a “symphony”, but it began life as a concerto, commissioned in 1834 by Paganini, who wanted a work to show off his newly acquired Stradivarius viola. Berlioz was too impulsive and unruly a composer to follow the requirements of any commission, and typically did his own thing.

Who is Harold in Harold in Italy?

The character of Harold is derived loosely from Byron’s Childe Harold, a melancholy wanderer who witnesses scenes of Italian life. All four movements picture outdoor scenes drawn from the most vivid experiences of his Italian sojourn.

What is a famous symphony written by Berlioz?

Symphonie fantastique: Épisode de la vie d’un artiste … en cinq parties (Fantastical Symphony: Episode in the Life of an Artist … in Five Sections) Op. 14, is a program symphony written by the French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830.

What is Berlioz most famous piece?

Symphonie Fantastique
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) was a controversial French composer, dramatically splitting the opinions of critics. His most famous work is Symphonie Fantastique.

Who wrote Harold in Italy?

Hector BerliozHarold in Italy, Symphony in Four Parts with Viola Obbligato / Composer

What is something unusual about Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique?

Symphonie fantastique is an epic for a huge orchestra. Through its movements, it tells the story of an artist’s self-destructive passion for a beautiful woman. The symphony describes his obsession and dreams, tantrums and moments of tenderness, and visions of suicide and murder, ecstasy and despair.

Who is the beloved in Symphonie Fantastique?

The text the composer writes to tell the story is the program. Throughout the symphony, Berlioz uses a melody to symbolize a woman. The woman is called “the beloved” and the melody is called the “idée fixe”. That melody comes back again and again over the course of the five parts of the symphony.

What is Berlioz’s style?

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) was a French composer from music’s Romantic Period. Though he was considered a radical during his lifetime, his love of big orchestras, intense emotion and musical storytelling influenced later Romantic composers. Berlioz’s most famous piece is his Symphonie fantastique (1830).

What is an opus in a symphony?

“Op.” is short for “Opus”, meaning “work”, and it numbers the composer’s works in chronological order. Op. 95 is the composer’s 95th composition.

What happens to the poet’s beloved in the Symphonie fantastique?

What happens to the poet’s beloved in the Symphonie Fantastique? In his hallucinations and nightmares, he kills her.