Specific Storyline: Symphonie fantastique is not just a collection of abstract musical movements, but rather, it tells a specific story. Berlioz provided a detailed program that explains the narrative behind each movement, allowing listeners to follow the emotional journey of the composer's protagonist.
Descriptive Titles: Each movement of the symphony bears a descriptive title that hints at the story's progression. For instance, the first movement is titled "Rêveries – Passions" (Reveries – Passions), the second is "Un bal" (A Ball), and the third is "Scène aux champs" (Scene in the Fields). These titles offer musical cues about the events and emotions unfolding in each movement.
Musical Representation of Emotions: Berlioz's use of orchestral colors and musical themes effectively depicts various emotions and events mentioned in the program. For example, in the fourth movement, titled "Marche au supplice" (March to the Scaffold), the pesante rhythm, ominous melody, and heavy instrumentation create a sense of dread and tragedy.
Specific Characters and Scenes: The program introduces particular characters, such as the beloved woman and the protagonist's alter ego, and sets them within descriptive scenes like a ball, a pastoral setting, and a witches' sabbath. These elements enhance the storytelling aspect of the symphony.
Unity Through Leitmotifs: Berlioz employs musical themes, or leitmotifs, to represent specific ideas or characters throughout the symphony. For instance, the idée fixe, a recurring melody, symbolizes the beloved woman and her presence in the protagonist's mind.
By closely intertwining music with an extra-musical narrative, Symphonie fantastique blurs the boundaries between purely abstract music and more explicit forms of musical storytelling. These programmatic features make it stand out as one of the defining examples of program music in the Romantic era.