French composer Hector Berlioz wrote a number of "overtures", many of which have become popular concert works. They include true overtures, intended to introduce operas, but also independent concert overtures that are in effect the first orchestral

tone poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ''T ...

''Les francs-juges''

''Les francs-juges'', Op. 3. Composed 1826. The overture to Berlioz's first attempt at opera, which was never staged. The overture was first performed in the concert hall of the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

as part of an all Berlioz concert on 26 May 1828. In his study on the composer, Jacques Barzun describes the work as "a genuine tour de force for a young dramatic musician working without knowledge of Beethoven." The instrumentation is two flutes doubling piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets in C, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns (in E and D), three trumpets (two in E and one in E), three trombones, two ophicleides, percussion (timpani, bass drum and cymbals) and strings.

''Waverley''

''Waverley: grande ouverture'' (Waverley: Grand Overture), Op. 1. A concert overture composed in 1828. It was first performed at the

on 26 May 1828. Berlioz took his inspiration from Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

's ''

Waverley Waverley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Waverley'' (novel), by Sir Walter Scott ** ''Waverley'' Overture, a work by Hector Berlioz inspired by Scott's novel * Waverley Harrison, a character in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Stree ...

'' novels. The instrumentation is two flutes (second doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets (one in C and one in A), four bassoons, four horns in D, three trumpets (one in D and two in A), three trombones, ophicleide, timpani and strings.

''Le roi Lear''

''Le roi Lear'' (King Lear), Op. 4. Composed in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

in 1831 during Berlioz's journey back to France after his stay in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

(due to winning the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

). The overture is based on

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...

'', a recent discovery for the composer whose love of the dramatist is evident in many other of his works. It was first performed at the Paris Conservatoire on 22 December 1833. The instrumentation is two flutes (second doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets in C, two bassoons, four horns (in E and C), two trumpets in C, three trombones, ophicleide, timpani and strings. In the publication of the overture by Breitkopf and Härtel, the ophicleide is exchanged for a tuba on the basis that French and German orchestras no longer owned ophicleides. This editorial decision is upheld in many modern performances.

''Rob Roy''

''Intrata di Rob Roy Macgregor'' (Rob Roy Overture). Composed in 1831 and first performed at the Paris Conservatoire on 14 April 1833. The overture was inspired by Sir Walter Scott's novel '' Rob Roy''. Berlioz was never happy with the piece, regarding it as "long and diffuse", and withdrew it after the premiere. A plaintive melody for cor anglais would later find prominent use for the solo viola in ''

Harold en Italie ''Harold en Italie,'' ''symphonie avec un alto principal'' (English: ''Harold in Italy,'' ''symphony with viola obbligato''), as the manuscript calls and describes it, is a four-movement orchestral work by Hector Berlioz, his Opus number, Opus 1 ...

''. The instrumentation is two flutes (second doubling piccolo), two oboes, English horn, two clarinets in A, two bassoons, four horns (in D and G), three trumpets (one in D and two in A), three trombones, timpani, harp and strings.

''Benvenuto Cellini''

Overture to the opera of the same name, composed in 1838. The instrumentation is two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in C, four bassoons, four horns (in G, E and D), four trumpets (in G, E and D), two cornets in A, three trombones, ophicleide, percussion (

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...

, cymbals, triangle, bass drum) and strings.

''Le carnaval romain''

''Le carnaval romain, ouverture pour orchestre'' (Roman Carnival Overture), Op. 9. Composed in 1843 and first performed at the

Salle Herz The Salle des Concerts Herz, usually referred to simply as the Salle Herz, was a former concert hall in Paris, located at 48, rue de la Victoire. It was built in 1838 by the French pianist-composer Henri Herz. The hall was used for public performa ...

, Paris, on 3 February 1844. A stand-alone overture intended for concert performance, made up of material and themes from Berlioz's

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

''Benvenuto Cellini'', including some music from the opera's carnival scene – hence the overture's title. It is scored for large orchestra, is in the key of A major, and features a prominent and famous solo for the cor anglais.

''Le corsaire''

''Le corsaire'' (The Corsair), Op. 21. Overture composed while Berlioz was on holiday in Nice in August 1844. It was first performed under the title ''La tour de Nice'' (''The Tower of Nice'') on 19 January 1845. It was then renamed ''Le corsaire rouge'' (after James Fenimore Cooper's novel ''

The Red Rover ''The Red Rover'' is a novel by American writer James Fenimore Cooper. It was originally published in Paris on November 27, 1827, before being published in London three days later on November 30. It was not published in the United States until Ja ...

'') and finally ''Le corsaire'' (suggesting

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

's poem ''

The Corsair ''The Corsair'' (1814) is a long tale in verse written by Lord Byron (see 1814 in poetry) and published by John Murray in London. It was extremely popular, selling ten thousand copies on its first day of sale, and was influential throughout the ...

''). The instrumentation is two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in C, four horns (in C and F), two bassoons, two trumpets in C, two cornets in B, three trombones, ophicleide, timpani and strings.

''La fuite en Égypte''

Overture to ''La fuite en Égypte'' (The Flight into Egypt). Together with two choral pieces, ''L'adieu des bergers'' and ''Le repos de la sainte famille'', this made up a short work depicting

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

and his family fleeing to Egypt to escape persecution by King Herod. This was published in 1852 but wound up as the core of another, larger work: the

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...

L'enfance du Christ ''L'enfance du Christ'' (''The Childhood of Christ''), Opus 25, is an oratorio by the French composer Hector Berlioz, based on the Holy Family's flight into Egypt (see Gospel of Matthew 2:13). Berlioz wrote his own words for the piece. Most of it ...

''.

''Béatrice et Bénédict''

''Béatrice et Bénédict''. Overture to the opera of the same name, composed in 1862.

''Les Troyens à Carthage''

Berlioz's epic opera '' Les Troyens'' was never performed complete during his lifetime. In an attempt to have the opera staged by the

Théâtre Lyrique The Théâtre Lyrique was one of four opera companies performing in Paris during the middle of the 19th century (the other three being the Opéra, the Opéra-Comique, and the Théâtre-Italien). The company was founded in 1847 as the Opér ...

in 1863, he split it into two parts, with acts 1 and 2 becoming ''La prise de Troie'' (''The Capture of Troy'') and acts 3–5 ''Les Troyens à Carthage'' (''The Trojans at Carthage''). Only the latter was accepted and Berlioz wrote an orchestral prologue to introduce this version evoking the tragic fate of

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

Recordings

The individual overtures have been recorded many times. This is a partial list of collections exclusively devoted to Berlioz's overtures: *''Overtures'': ''Les francs-juges, Waverley, Le roi Lear, Le carnaval romain, Béatrice et Bénédict, Le corsaire, Benvenuto Cellini, Rob Roy.'' London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Adrian Boult. Recorded 28–29 August 1956: LPs Westminster WST 14008 and WST 14009 reissued on CD, First Hand Remasters FHR07, 2010 *''Overtures'': ''Les francs-juges, Waverley, Le roi Lear, Le carnaval romain, Béatrice et Bénédict, Le corsaire, Benvenuto Cellini.'' Staatskapelle Dresden, conducted by

Sir Colin Davis Sir Colin Rex Davis (25 September 1927 – 14 April 2013) was an English conductor, known for his association with the London Symphony Orchestra, having first conducted it in 1959. His repertoire was broad, but among the composers with whom h ...

. CD, RCA, 1998 *''Overtures'': ''La damnation de Faust, Op. 24 (excerpts): Part I Scene 3: Hungarian March/Rakoczy March & Part II Scene 7: Ballet des syphes; Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9; Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17 – Love Scene; Le roi Lear; Benvenuto Cellini, Op. 23 – Overture; Le corsaire, Overture, Op. 21.'' Polish State Philharmonic Orchestra, Katowice, Kenneth Jean cond. CD, DDD, TT: 68 minutes,

Naxos Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best ab ...

. Cat. no. No: 8.550231, barcode 0730099523127 *''Overtures'': ''Benvenuto Cellini, Op. 23; Waverley, Op. 1; Beatrice and Benedict; King Lear, Op. 4; Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9; Rob Roy; Le Corsaire, Op. 21.''

San Diego Symphony The San Diego Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in San Diego, California. The orchestra is resident at Copley Symphony Hall. The orchestra also serves as the orchestra for the San Diego Opera. History On December 6th 1910, th ...

, Yoav Talmi. CD, DDD, TT: 75 minutes,

. Cat. no. 8.550999, barcode 0730099599924 *''Overtures'': ''Le Carnaval Romain, Beatrice et Benedict, Le corsaire, Benevenuto Cellini'', ''Les Troyens: Royal Hunt and Storm'', ''Romeo et Juliette: Queen Mab Scherzo'', and Camille Saint-Saëns's ''Omphale's Spinning Wheel'', Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Munch. CD, RCA

References

*Booklet notes to the Davis recording * David Cairns: ''Berlioz: The Making of an Artist'' (the first volume of his biography of the composer) (André Deutsch, 1989) *

Hugh Macdonald Hugh John Macdonald (born 31 January 1940 in Newbury, Berkshire) is an English musicologist chiefly known for his work within the music of the 19th century, especially in France. He has been general editor of the ''Hector Berlioz: New Edition of ...

: ''Berlioz'' ("The Master Musicians", J.M.Dent, 1982) *Berlioz: ''Memoirs'' (Dover, 1960)

External links

* {{Authority control Compositions by Hector Berlioz Berlioz 1826 compositions 1828 compositions 1831 compositions 1838 compositions 1843 compositions 1844 compositions 1852 compositions 1862 compositions Berlioz