What is the family background of Hector Berlioz?
Hector Berlioz was born on December 11, 1803, into the family of Dr. Louis Berlioz and Marie-Antoinette-Josephine. Hector was the first of six children, three of whom died. He took music lessons at home from a visiting teacher and played flute and guitar.
What is the nationality of Hector Berlioz?
FrenchHector Berlioz / NationalityLouis-Hector Berlioz (b. 1803–d. 1869) was the most important French composer of the early to mid-19th century. He was born at La Côte-St-André, Isère, in southwestern France, and went to Paris to study medicine, his father's profession, despite his determination to pursue a musical career.
Where did Hector Berlioz grow up?
Early career. The birthplace of Berlioz was a village about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Grenoble in the French Alps. France was at war; the schools were disrupted; and Berlioz received his education from his father, an enlightened and cultured physician, who gave him his first lessons in music as well as in Latin.
What was Hector Berlioz known for?
Berlioz is best known for his Symphonie Fantastique and Harold in Italy symphony. One of the stumbling blocks to Berlioz's full acceptance by the French musical elite of the day was his path to fame.
What is the meaning of Berlioz?
French composer of romanticDefinitions of Berlioz. French composer of romantic works (1803-1869) synonyms: Hector Berlioz, Louis-Hector Berlioz. example of: composer. someone who composes music as a profession.
What is the story behind Symphonie Fantastique?
Symphonie fantastique is an epic for a huge orchestra. Through its movements, it tells the story of an artist's self-destructive passion for a beautiful woman. The symphony describes his obsession and dreams, tantrums and moments of tenderness, and visions of suicide and murder, ecstasy and despair.
What is an opus in a symphony?
“Op.” is short for “Opus”, meaning “work”, and it numbers the composer's works in chronological order. Op. 95 is the composer's 95th composition.
What is Berlioz's style?
Berlioz' Romanticism is a fresh, early Romanticism, without excess. Composed in 1830, the Symphonie really continues where Beethoven left off, with the slow-movement “Scene in the Fields” strongly indebted to Beethoven's Pastoral.
How did Beethoven influence Berlioz?
Beethoven's Influence on Musicians Berlioz greatly admired Beethoven's Sixth Symphony for its connection of each movement to scenes from nature. In his Symphonie fantastique, he extends this idea by subordinating the entire form of the piece to the feverish narrative he has developed to accompany the symphony.
What was the most famous piece of music composed by Hector Berlioz?
Symphonie FantastiqueHector Berlioz (1803-1869) was a controversial French composer, dramatically splitting the opinions of critics. His most famous work is Symphonie Fantastique.
What happened to Berlioz?
Following more European tours, a lonely Berlioz returned to Paris in 1868. His marriage to Smithson had not lasted, and his second wife had passed away in 1862. He had lost his only child, Louis, in 1867. At the age of 65, he died in Paris on March 8, 1869.
Did Berlioz write for guitar?
Berlioz used the guitar as his composing tool for writing orchestral music.
What is Berlioz most famous piece?
Symphonie FantastiqueHector Berlioz (1803-1869) was a controversial French composer, dramatically splitting the opinions of critics. His most famous work is Symphonie Fantastique. Berlioz was one of the most influential of all 19th-century conductors.
What is Berlioz's style?
Berlioz' Romanticism is a fresh, early Romanticism, without excess. Composed in 1830, the Symphonie really continues where Beethoven left off, with the slow-movement “Scene in the Fields” strongly indebted to Beethoven's Pastoral.
What happened to Berlioz?
Following more European tours, a lonely Berlioz returned to Paris in 1868. His marriage to Smithson had not lasted, and his second wife had passed away in 1862. He had lost his only child, Louis, in 1867. At the age of 65, he died in Paris on March 8, 1869.
Do Harriet Smithson and Hector Berlioz get married?
On this date in 1833 the 29 year-old French composer Hector Berlioz married the 33 year-old Anglo-Irish actress Harriet Smithson. They tied the knot at the British embassy in Paris; the wedding was officially witnessed by Berlioz' good bud, the pianist and composer Franz Liszt.
Where was Berlioz born?
Early career. The birthplace of Berlioz was a village about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Grenoble in the French Alps. France was at war; the schools were disrupted; and Berlioz received his education from his father, an enlightened and cultured physician, who gave him his first lessons in music as well as in Latin.
What did Berlioz learn?
With help from performers, he learned to play the flute and the guitar, becoming a virtuoso on the latter.
Why did Berlioz preach?
He also preached, for the sake of dramatic expression in music, a return to the master of the stage, Glu ck, whose works he knew by heart.
Why did Berlioz leave Paris?
In leaving Paris, Berlioz was not only leaving a flirtatious fiancée and the artistic environment that had stimulated his powers; he was also leaving the opportunity to demonstrate what his genius saw that modern French music should be.
Who is Jacques Barzun?
Jacques Barzun (1907-2012) was a French-born American teacher, historian, and author who influenced higher education in the United States by his insistence that undergraduates avoid early specialization... See Article History. Alternative Title: Louis-Hector Berlioz. Hector Berlioz, in full Louis-Hector Berlioz, (born December 11, 1803, ...
Where was Hector Berlioz born?
Childhood & Early Life. Hector Berlioz was born on 11 December 1803 at La Côte-Saint-André in the département of Isère. His father, Louis Berlioz, a physician, is believed to have introduced acupunctural techniques in Europe. His mother, Marie-Antoinette, was a devout Roman Catholic.
How old was Hector Berlioz when he started music?
This was his first experience of music. As a twelve-year -old, Hector Berlioz began to receive music lessons, first studying flute and then guitar.
What did Berlioz do in 1824?
On 12 January 1824, Berlioz was made a Bachelier ès sciences physiques. Despite receiving his degree, he continued to concentrate on music, completely abandoning medicine later in the same year. Also in 1824, he wrote, ‘Messe solennelle’, a setting of the Catholic Solemn Mass.
What disease did Berlioz's son die from?
His only son, Louis, who later grew up to be the Commander at the merchant navy, also died on 5 June 1867 from yellow fever. The deaths left him devastated. Towards the end of his life Berlioz was inflicted with intestinal diseases, which often caused acute pain.
What were Berlioz's most famous works?
The period that followed was highly productive for Berlioz and many of his famous pieces were written during this time. Among them were ‘Harold en Italie’ (1834), ‘Benvenuto Cellini’ (1836) ‘Grande messe des morts’ (1837), and ‘Roméo et Juliette’ (1839). However, such success did not translate into financial gain.
How many siblings did Hector have?
Hector was the oldest of his parents’ six children, three of whom died young. He was very close to his two surviving sisters, Nanci, younger to him by three years and Adèle, by eleven.
What is Hector Berlioz's contribution to the world of music?
One of the most original Romantic composers, fondly revered as the master of orchestration, Hector Berlioz's contribution to the world of music is unparalleled. Composer, critic, and conductor, this Romantic musician contributed greatly to the burgeoning romanticism. Not only that, he also enormously influenced the orchestral techniques of the era.
Who Was Hector Berlioz?
Hector Berlioz turned his back on a career in medicine to follow his passion for music, and went on to compose works that showcased the innovativeness and search for expression that were hallmarks of Romanticism. His well-known pieces include the Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts. At the age of 65, Berlioz died in Paris on March 8, 1869.
What did Berlioz learn?
He learned to play the flute and guitar, and became a self-taught composer. Heeding his physician father's wishes, Berlioz went to Paris in 1821 to study medicine. However, much of his time was spent at the Paris-Opéra, where he absorbed Christoph Willibald Gluck's operas.
What opera did Berlioz write?
However, an opera, Benvenuto Cellini (1838), flopped. Berlioz was often forced to rely on music criticism and other writing jobs to make ends meet, though a large financial gift from violinist Niccolò Paganini helped him write the choral symphony Roméo et Juliette (1839).
When did Berlioz get his money?
Berlioz found his financial footing in the 1850s, when his L'Enfance du Christ (1854) was a success and he was elected to the Institut de France, thus enabling him to receive a stipend. He wrote Les Troyens, inspired by Virgil's Aeneid, at this time, but only got to see a few of the opera's acts be performed in 1863.
When did Berlioz win the Prix de Rome?
Following three unsuccessful attempts to win the Prix de Rome, Berlioz finally succeeded in 1830. After spending more than a year in Italy, he headed back to Paris, where a performance of his "fantastic symphony" took place in 1832.
More information
Hector Berlioz was born in France at La Côte-Saint-André in the département of Isère, near Lyon. His father, a respected provincial physician and scholar, was responsible for much of the young Berlioz's education. His father was an atheist, with a liberal outlook; his mother was an orthodox Roman Catholic.
Geographical origins
The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived.
