program symphony terms

Question 1

idee fixe

Answer 1

• French for “fixed idea”
• devised by Berlioz
• a recurring theme that undergoes transformation

Question 2

col legno

Answer 2

• Italian for “with the wood”
• novel string effect used by Berlioz
• players tap on the strings with the wooden parts of their bows

Question 3

die irae

Answer 3

• Latin for “day of wrath”
• a monophonic chant melody dating from the late Middle Ages
• drawn from the Roman Catholic Requiem (Mass for the dead)
• 19th-century audiences would have associated the tune with funeral services