In December 1833, deeply moved by a performance of Symphonie fantastique, Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840), commissioned a solo work that would showcase his Stradivarius viola to Hector Berlioz (1803-1869). Berlioz wove his impressions of his stay in Italy into George Byron's long poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, creating a musical narrative with the viola as the protagonist. Completed in June 1834, Harold en Italie not only realized literary expression through music alone, employing the technique of the idée fixe like Symphonie fantastique, but also became an unprecedented work as a symphony with a solo viola. Paganini, who had expected a virtuoso piece for viola, was initially disappointed by the limited solo passages but later revised his assessment, offering the highest praise.

Harold en Italie consists of four movements, each with a descriptive title:

• Harold in the Mountains: Scenes of Melancholy, Happiness, and Joy
• March of Pilgrims Singing the Evening Prayer
• Serenade of an Abruzzi Mountaineer to His Mistress
• Orgy of Brigands: Souvenirs of Previous Scenes

As the commissioner Paganini was initially disappointed, this is not a viola concerto. Although the viola is treated as a solo instrument, its role is that of the protagonist in a literary symphony, and virtuosity is not the primary focus. The innovation of this symphony lies in its granting a dramatic function to the solo viola, while using the idée fixe as a catalyst for organic development. The innovation of the program symphony, which Hector Berlioz advanced in Symphonie fantastique building upon Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, progressed even further in Harold en Italie.

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) maintained a long-standing interest in this work throughout his life. Having heard the premiere and third repeat performance of Harold en Italie in 1834, Liszt promptly arranged and performed the second movement for solo piano in 1835 (this solo piano arrangement of the second movement was published in 1866). Liszt subsequently arranged all movements for piano and viola and sent them to Berlioz, who initially seemed to show little interest in this arrangement. It was not until 1852 that Berlioz finally sent Liszt some comments on the arrangement, encouraging revisions. Slight differences can be observed in the viola solo part of the third movement between the orchestral version and Liszt's arrangement. Ultimately, the arrangement of all movements for piano and viola was published in 1879, after Berlioz's death. Liszt not only arranged this work but also left behind important essays concerning it. His 1855 publication, 'Berlioz and His Harold Symphony,' is of extreme importance in the history of musical aesthetics, discussing the possibilities of program music. Liszt's significant interest in Harold en Italie strongly indicates the work's role in 19th-century music history, particularly in the development of program music.

Work Information

Harold en Italie

• 1. Harold aux montagnes. Scènes de mélancolie, de bonheur et de joie.
• 2. Marche de pèlerins chantant la prière du soir.
• 3. Sérénade d’un montagnard des Abruzzes à sa maîtresse.
• 4. Orgie de brigands. Souvenirs des scènes précédents.

Original: Published 1848

Liszt's Arrangement: Published 1879