view the score, or download the overture in 
Sibelius or 
MIDI format.The form of Berlioz’s overture to his opera Benvenuto Cellini is similar to many of his other overtures, in starting with a short burst of quick music anticipating the main allegro, followed by a stately slow theme which is repeated and developed and which is eventually used in combination with the music of the allegro.
Bars 1-22: Allegro deciso con impeto (Berlioz’s tempo marking minim = 112)
The tempo for the vivacious opening theme is used strictly, until bar 19 where the tempo is slowed to minim = 92 across the cadence, and the pause mark lengthened further by slowing the tempo again to minim = 60.
Bars 23-88: Larghetto (Berlioz’s tempo marking crotchet = 60)
This section falls roughly into three sections which develop two themes, one from the Arietta d’Arlequin in the second tableau, the other adopted from the Pope Clement’s aria in the third tableau, accompanied by various scorings. Finally the start of the melody is broken off and developed into a passage which leads with a crescendo into:
Bar 89: Allegro deciso con impeto
The return of the allegro with the theme stated perkily by the woodwinds is given slightly more impetus by increasing Berlioz’s tempo a fraction to minim = 120.
At bar 110 a new theme in rushing quavers is brought in, given a rhythmical gallop by the brasses and drums. This theme is compressed into a single bar, and repeated higher and higher until it reaches a climax with a single note repeatedly held by all instruments other than the strings and bassoons, which become stuck on a short 2-bar fragment. The fragment is quickly chopped down to two notes until the strings and woodwind dissolve away.
After this backdown, a new expressive theme (taken from the middle of the trio between Teresa, Cellini and Fieramosca in the first tableau) is introduced quietly by flutes, oboe and clarinet at bar 159, with a light accompaniment including snippets of triplets from the first allegro, then repeated by violin and viola. The triplet accompaniment then brings in a development of the allegro themes (bar 199) before a solo oboe restates the expressive theme more intensely again (bar 228). This passage twice slows in tempo (using about 5 tempo reductions of 5%) before returning to Berlioz’s minim = 112.
The theme of the oboe is restated in canon by the strings, which then brings back the compressed theme in quavers but the climax is abruptly curtailed by a mysterious chromatic passage (bar 285) over which the quaver figure gradually re-asserts itself in the strings.
The woodwinds recall the start of the second allegro at bar 299 before the full orchestra bursts in after four bars with a slight elaboration of the very beginning.
Bar 318: Animato
Before we get too complacent, Berlioz suddenly modulates with a new melody taking over in the trombones and ophicleide. Without any corresponding metronome mark of Berlioz’s here I have increased the tempo to minim = 136. This reaches a climax and disappears, leaving sustained notes in the trombones and bassoons accompanied by staccato strings to crescendo into:
Bar 355: Senza stringere
Restatement of the melody of the Larghetto in the brass (including the third and fourth trumpets) combined with the rushing quaver theme in the upper strings. This again slightly pushes the tempo, to minim = 140.
Bar 392: Un poco animato
As Berlioz puts the orchestra into an impetuous frenzy, tempo begins at minim = 144, and through the last scurrying bars of the strings at bar 402, I have assumed an accelerando to minim = 160. On the last chord at bar 406 the normal tempo is restored before the three bars of general pause.
Bar 411: Molto poco ritenuto
At the last gasp we hear the first phrase of the Larghetto sound in the cellos before the crash of the final cadence. The ritenuto uses minim = 104, then 92, reaching a final minim = 80 before the orchestral crescendo.
The only major technical modifications concern dynamics, triplets, and pauses. I have altered Berlioz’s dynamics in places where I could not hear parts of the music play back as I expected them to: in the Larghetto the ppp runs of the violin, flute and oboe could not be heard at all against the mf of the clarinets, bassoons and cello. Similarly at bar 318 the trombone melody was hardly audible through the sustained chords so they have been given much greater prominence. If I appear to have overcompensated in these passages when you play the score back on your own equipment, drop me a line to say what is too loud and what equipment you are using. (Nota bene: the e-mail address has obfuscated for the obvious reason... you work it out!)
Sibelius doesn't interpret the turn symbol found in the flute, clarinet, violin and other instruments in bar 63 so four grace notes have had to be inserted. Berlioz writes tremelos for triplet quavers in abbreviated form, which have had to be written in full in order to play correctly. (I believe Sibelius Software know about this bug and it should be fixed eventually.)
Lastly, Sibelius produces an annoying hiccough on the last chord of the overture if I insert a pause, so all of the fermata marks have been added as symbols, which does not alter the way Sibelius reads the score. I have utilised the afore-mentioned Sibelius bug to enable the penultimate bar to last nearly two whole bars instead of one at the marked tempo. The other pauses at bar 22 appear to upset the following bar in some way, because the pizzicato of the cellos and bass only manage to start by the second beat of the bar.
Use these links to view the score, or download the overture in Sibelius or MIDI format.
Philip Legge, June 2000
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