Composed for Harriett Smithson, it features "Scene in the Fields," "March to the Scaffold," and "Dream of a Witches' Sabbath."
This work's main theme was inspired by the composer's earlier cantata "Herminie." The second movement showcases two harps playing a waltz, while in the third, a timpani represents thunder as a solo flute and violin interrupt the interplay between the English horn and oboe. That part was taken from the composer's failed Messe solennelle. He also borrowed music from his failed opera Les frans-juges for the fourth movement, in which funeral bells parody the Dies Irae. In this work, a series of pizzicato notes depicts a rolling (*) head; a fortissimo G minor chord represents a guillotine's thud and the idée fixe theme recurs. Composed for Harriett Smithson, it features "Scene in the Fields," "March to the Scaffold," and "Dream of a Witches' Sabbath." For 10 points, name this symphony by Hector Berlioz.
This work's main theme was inspired by the composer's earlier cantata "Herminie."
Symphonie fantastique [or Fantastic Symphony; or An Episode in the Life of an Artist; or Episode de la vie d'un Artiste]