LIFE
-1803-1869
-Born in France, small town near Grenoble
-Son of a wealthy physician
-early musical training on flute and guitar (not piano), unlike other composers not a virtuoso performer or composer and acknowledge this fact
-1821 sent to medical school in Paris, but spent more time at the comservatory and the opera
-after one year gave up medicine for music-family was horrified and cut him off financially
-1823 began private music lessons and 1826-1828 studied at the Paris conservatory
-Gave lessons, sang in a theatre chorus, wrote articles and worked as the Paris Conservatoire librarian to earn $$
-Associated with a group of Romantic artists, musicians and authors along with Chopin and Liszt
-passionate about Beethoven & Shakespeare
-1827 fell in love with Harriet Smithson, an English Shakespearean actress (obsessed), didn't actually meet her until 1832
-1830 won the Prix de Rome (on his 4th attempt)
-spent only one year in Rome-left when engaged to a pianist, she married someone else while he was gone, he contemplated murdering the 2 of them
-wrote the Symphonie Fantastique subtitled 'Episodes in the life of an artist' as an autobiographical portrayal of his passion for Harriet
-developed friendship with Franz Liszt
-1832 began courting Harriet, both families objected
-violent scenes, Hector attempted suicide
-once married Berlioz realized that he was in love with Harriet's acting abilities, Shakespearean heroines and the 'thrill of the chase', not Harriet herself
-marriage ended in 1844 (they had one son), years of marriage were the most productive for his compositions
-1840s onward traveled and conducted his works all over Europe (had an affair and later married opera singer Marie Recio)
-bitter and disappointed that he never achieved success in Paris- failure of many major works (cantata La Damnation de Faust 1846, opera Les Troyens based on Virgil's Aenid was too large a scale and too long 1858)
-final opera Beatrice et Benedict (1862) based on Much Ado About Nothing
-did not compose from 1862-1869
-successful career as the first specialized orchestral conductor
-Born in France, small town near Grenoble
-Son of a wealthy physician
-early musical training on flute and guitar (not piano), unlike other composers not a virtuoso performer or composer and acknowledge this fact
-1821 sent to medical school in Paris, but spent more time at the comservatory and the opera
-after one year gave up medicine for music-family was horrified and cut him off financially
-1823 began private music lessons and 1826-1828 studied at the Paris conservatory
-Gave lessons, sang in a theatre chorus, wrote articles and worked as the Paris Conservatoire librarian to earn $$
-Associated with a group of Romantic artists, musicians and authors along with Chopin and Liszt
-passionate about Beethoven & Shakespeare
-1827 fell in love with Harriet Smithson, an English Shakespearean actress (obsessed), didn't actually meet her until 1832
-1830 won the Prix de Rome (on his 4th attempt)
-spent only one year in Rome-left when engaged to a pianist, she married someone else while he was gone, he contemplated murdering the 2 of them
-wrote the Symphonie Fantastique subtitled 'Episodes in the life of an artist' as an autobiographical portrayal of his passion for Harriet
-developed friendship with Franz Liszt
-1832 began courting Harriet, both families objected
-violent scenes, Hector attempted suicide
-once married Berlioz realized that he was in love with Harriet's acting abilities, Shakespearean heroines and the 'thrill of the chase', not Harriet herself
-marriage ended in 1844 (they had one son), years of marriage were the most productive for his compositions
-1840s onward traveled and conducted his works all over Europe (had an affair and later married opera singer Marie Recio)
-bitter and disappointed that he never achieved success in Paris- failure of many major works (cantata La Damnation de Faust 1846, opera Les Troyens based on Virgil's Aenid was too large a scale and too long 1858)
-final opera Beatrice et Benedict (1862) based on Much Ado About Nothing
-did not compose from 1862-1869
-successful career as the first specialized orchestral conductor
STYLE
-leader of the Romantic movement and the first true French Romantic composer
-bold and innovatice, preferred large scale forms
-developed the Program Symphony-literature and music were always linked in compositions
-expanded the size of the orchestra, new use of harmony, colour, expression and form
-influenced by Beethoven:dramatic power, cyclical elements, addition of chorus
-vivid originality in orchestration: effects
-use of the recurrent theme in multiple movements (idée fixe)
-avid reader highly influenced by Shakespeare, Goethe, Byron...
-bold and innovatice, preferred large scale forms
-developed the Program Symphony-literature and music were always linked in compositions
-expanded the size of the orchestra, new use of harmony, colour, expression and form
-influenced by Beethoven:dramatic power, cyclical elements, addition of chorus
-vivid originality in orchestration: effects
-use of the recurrent theme in multiple movements (idée fixe)
-avid reader highly influenced by Shakespeare, Goethe, Byron...
WORKS
-orchestra music: overtures, 4 program symphonies (Symphonie Fantastique 1830)
-wrote the librettos for many of his works
-choral music: Requiem Mass (1837), oratorios (L'enfance du Christ), chansons
-3 operas: Beatrice et Benedict (1862)
-9 solo vocal works with orchestra
*writings on music, including memoirs and an important treatise on orchestration (1843-55) which is still used by today's conductors and orchestras
-wrote the librettos for many of his works
-choral music: Requiem Mass (1837), oratorios (L'enfance du Christ), chansons
-3 operas: Beatrice et Benedict (1862)
-9 solo vocal works with orchestra
*writings on music, including memoirs and an important treatise on orchestration (1843-55) which is still used by today's conductors and orchestras
TERMS
-idée fixe: melody that represents a character (beloved) reoccurs in all movements
-Dies irae: "Day of wrath" melody from medieval requiem (funeral mass)
-col legno: string technique with wood of bow→turn bow over and hit strings with wood
-cloches: bells
-ophicléide: ancestor of tuba
-portamento: "carrying" legato technique
-Dies irae: "Day of wrath" melody from medieval requiem (funeral mass)
-col legno: string technique with wood of bow→turn bow over and hit strings with wood
-cloches: bells
-ophicléide: ancestor of tuba
-portamento: "carrying" legato technique