Hector Berlioz Impact On Society

915 Words4 Pages

Caleb Criscoe
Holly Powe
MUS_101_W03
22 April 2017
The Life and Impact of Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz was a French composer born on December 11, 1803 in Lo Cote-Saint-Andre, France. Berlioz was a unique man keen on doing things differently in a time where people were used to a rather traditional style. Still leaving an impact on today’s music, Berlioz led an intriguing life with his genius not fully understood. Fig. 1. “Hector Berlioz- Concerts, Biography & News- BBC Music.” BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web 24 Apr. 2017, www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/274774a7-1cde-486a-bc3d-375ec54d552d In his early years, due to a war in France, Berlioz was homeschooled by his physician father. It was from his father’s lessons that he was introduced to music …show more content…

One of the great works created was Harold en Italie, and its premiere led to Berlioz meeting Paganini, a famous violin virtuoso. After hearing its premiere, Paganini fell to the floor and according to Jacquez Barzun declared that Berlioz “…was a genius destined to carry on the new musical tradition initiated by Beethoven.” The day after this encounter, Paganini sent Berlioz 20,000 francs, along with a letter repeating his judgement. After 1840 Berlioz went on tour across Europe until 1867 when he fell ill. The last of his years were filled with grief, his first wife who he still cared for died in 1854, his second wife Maria Recio died in 1862, then finally his only son died of yellow fever at only age 33. Berlioz died at age 65 on March 8th, 1869 in Paris, France. His death was not the end of his legacy though as he is still listened to with high regards …show more content…

Berlioz produced Traite d’instrumentation et d’orchestration modernes (1844) as handbook for orchestration which served to later generations an introduction to the expressiveness that’s in music (Jaquez Barzun). Berlioz was a leader of the Romantic Movement, as he truly embodied the expressiveness and dramatization that the movement held key. He was able to create unique works and never repeated himself. The innovation of symphonies, expression in music, and true variety were all the edge Berlioz had. Even in his time it can be seen how he influenced others like Wagner with his style. With Berlioz being influenced by other greats such as Shakespeare, Goethe, Beethoven, and Weber, it is even easier to see the style that he