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AMQS signed “H. Berlioz,” one page, 11.75 x 9, no date but circa 1840–1850. Berlioz pens 15 measures from Symphonie fantastique in dark brown ink on Lard-Esnault music paper within decorative dark gold borders, titling the quotation: “Thème de Bal de La Symphonie Fantastique.” The quotation comprises the complete principal theme of the second movement, “Un Bal,” carried by the violins in measures 38–54 of the full score. The same leaf also contains autograph musical quotations by three notable French musical figures: Gustave-Hippolyte Roger, who signs a 12-measure song for voice and piano, “G. Roger,” below; Adolphe Adam, who signs a 16-measure waltz for piano, “Ad. Adam,” on the reverse; and Fromental Halévy, who adds a 22-measure piano work titled “Suite,” signed “F. Halévy.” In fine condition.
First performed in Paris in 1830, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique stands among the great revolutionary works of the Romantic era—a fevered, autobiographical orchestral drama built around the recurring “idée fixe” associated with the composer’s beloved, the Irish actress Harriet Smithson. The present quotation comes from “Un Bal,” the second movement, in which the obsessive theme reappears amid the glittering swirl of a waltz. Elegant, theatrical, and psychologically charged, the passage reflects Berlioz’s bold transformation of the symphony into a vehicle for passion, memory, and personal experience.
A remarkable 19th-century musical album leaf, uniting a rare quotation from one of the defining masterpieces of the Romantic symphonic repertoire with contributions by Adam, Halévy, and Roger. Signed musical quotations from Symphonie fantastique are especially desirable, connecting Berlioz directly to the work that announced his genius and permanently altered the course of orchestral music.
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