Berlioz - An Appreciated Musical Genius
Berlioz - An Appreciated Musical GeniusLouis Hector Berlioz was born on December 11, 1803, in La
Cote-Saint-Andre, a very small town in the east of France, fairly
close to Grenoble, and a little further from Lyon. His father was a
very respected doctor, an openly declared atheist and also a music
lover. His mother was a Catholic. He was brought up under strict
Catholicism as a boy, but soon left the Church and claimed agnosticism
for the rest of his life. He started musical education when he was
13. He took flute (flageolet), vocal and guitar lessons. He did not
study the piano as a child. In fact, his first compositions were for
piano, flute and guitar. For his first 20 years or so, his father was
the main influence in his life.
In 1821, his father enrolled him in a medical school in Paris.
After about a year of study there, he became very excited with the
study of music. He attended operas in Paris, which fueled his love
for music, and he soon abandoned medical school and enrolled in the
Conservatoire under Jean- Francois le Suer. He wrote his Missa
Solemnis, but at the time, he did not have enough money for it to be
performed, so it was performed a year later. His father agreed to
keep his allowance unless he failed in music, at which time he would
need to choose another field. But a year later, he cut it off anyway.
His mother cursed him for choosing the evil life of an artist.
In 1827, Berlioz became a chorus singer at a vaudeville theater,
as he was a very good sight singer. He did not publicize this, as it
was mostly to make ends meet. He saw a production of Romeo and Juliet
in September of 1827 and fell in love with the Irish actress Harriet
Smithson, but she thought he was a mad man. She became an important
part of his life and music. That same year his father restored his
allowance because he admired his son�s determination and worried about
him. In 1828 he took English lesson so he could read Shakespeare. He
wrote a few articles on music but soon lost interest because of the
restrictions of journalism, and he found it to be boring.
Finally in 1830, Berlioz won the Prix de Rome. During 1829-1830
he wrote his Symphonie Fantastique, which he finished during the
revolution of 1830. He got his symphony performed on December 5,
1830. It was subtitled �Episode in the Life of an Artist� and was
performed in the Paris Conservatoire under the direction of Francois
Antoine Habenack. To the score, he attached his program notes, with
descriptions of every part...
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