Posted by Jay Bertolet on July 27, 2000 at 08:33:49:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: YFB-621 posted by Marty Neilan on July 27, 2000 at 07:45:25:
That's an interesting theory on why Berlioz used two differently keyed ophicleides in his scoring. The theory I read was a little different. I read that Berlioz used the different keyed instruments because he was hoping they would play very badly out of tune, thus enhancing the comical effect of what he was writing, especially in the Dies Irae section. You may notice in the score that the times the two instruments play together are surprisingly few compared to other two tuba works. This also makes sense with the program of the music, that being a bunch of witches conducting a serious religious ceremony (A Requiem) in hell, very much mocking the individual just consigned to hell. If you don't know the program story behind the symphony, I would encourage people trying to learn this piece to check it out. Especially interesting to me is how the program of this symphony relates to Berlioz's life in reality, his romantic interest in a particular actress of that era, and his use of hallucinogenic drugs.