Hector Berlioz
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Louis Hector Berlioz (11th December 1803–8th March 1869) was a French Romantic composer best known for the Symphonie fantastique, first performed in 1830, and for his Requiem - Grande messe des morts - of 1837, with its tremendous resources that include four antiphonal brass choirs.
Berlioz was born in France at La Côte-Saint-André in the département of Isère, between Lyon and Grenoble. His father was a physician, and young Hector was sent to Paris to study medicine at the age of eighteen. Berlioz was horrified by the process of dissection, and, despite his father’s disapproval, he abandoned his career path in medicine to study music a year later. He then attended the Paris Conservatoire studying opera and composition.
He became identified early on with the French romantic movement. Among his friends were writers such as Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, and Honoré de Balzac. Later, Théophile Gautier wrote, “Hector Berlioz seems to me to form with Hugo and Delacroix, the Trinity of Romantic Art.”
Berlioz is said to have been innately romantic, experiencing emotions deeply from early childhood. This manifested itself in his weeping at passages of Virgil as a child, and later in a series of love affairs. At the age of 23, his unrequited (at first) love for the Irish Shakespearean actress Harriet Constance Smithson was the inspiration for his Symphonie fantastique. In 1830, the same year as the symphony’s premiere, Berlioz won the Prix de Rome.
Berlioz was born in France at La Côte-Saint-André in the département of Isère, between Lyon and Grenoble. His father was a physician, and young Hector was sent to Paris to study medicine at the age of eighteen. Berlioz was horrified by the process of dissection, and, despite his father’s disapproval, he abandoned his career path in medicine to study music a year later. He then attended the Paris Conservatoire studying opera and composition.
He became identified early on with the French romantic movement. Among his friends were writers such as Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, and Honoré de Balzac. Later, Théophile Gautier wrote, “Hector Berlioz seems to me to form with Hugo and Delacroix, the Trinity of Romantic Art.”
Berlioz is said to have been innately romantic, experiencing emotions deeply from early childhood. This manifested itself in his weeping at passages of Virgil as a child, and later in a series of love affairs. At the age of 23, his unrequited (at first) love for the Irish Shakespearean actress Harriet Constance Smithson was the inspiration for his Symphonie fantastique. In 1830, the same year as the symphony’s premiere, Berlioz won the Prix de Rome.
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Texas Music Educators Association 2011 Clinic and…
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La Damnation de Faust
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Symphonie Fantastique op.14
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Shoutbox
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jinofcoolnes wrote:
this guy is amazing. wait....he's on tour? he should be...
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Sosen wrote:
I always associate Symphonie Fantastique with those crazy dreams that make no sense and aren't really bad or good.
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confu wrote:
who cares, the playlist is awesome. thanks mate
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slavicfrost wrote:
ulyssestone > how much do you get paid for commercials?
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Biscuit1978 wrote:
Come along and join the group Orchestral Composer of the Week. Nominate your 5 favourite composers each week and see who gets into the Hall of Fame.
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ulyssestone wrote:
Hector Berlioz: complete works in one Spotify playlist. http://www.spotifyclassical.com/2011/10/hector-berlioz-complete-chronological.html Including Messe solennelle (rediscovered in 1992), all Prix de Rome Cantatas, both Weimar and Paris version of Benvenuto Cellini, Beecham's legendary recording of the Requiem. More than 24 hours of music, sorted in chronological order.
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Druid66 wrote:
His stuff is so epic and dramatic, I love that!
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jiveraptor wrote:
People who bitch about on tour jokes are seriously worse than on tour jokes.
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extrabigmehdi wrote:
Just click on "on tour", and everything becomes clear.
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BreathingSoul wrote:
Yes, ON TOUR, 'cause an ORCHESTRA will play this symphony. Dumb asses
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LuMi993 wrote:
"la damnation de faust" is really blowing my mind the past few days
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dan_showbiz wrote:
just listened to a version of dies irae at the church *_*
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Mournheim wrote:
vvv In EVERY SINGLE composer's page....
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Teobaldobra wrote:
lol
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priedits wrote:
you're retarded or what?
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Teobaldobra wrote:
great composer, one of my faves
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Tutuzinhoo wrote:
Ele parece o renato aragão mais novo [2] parece demais rs
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David_Orihara wrote:
ON TOUR!
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snowcap333 wrote:
DREAMS OF A WITCHES SABBATH.
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MarcusAurelio wrote:
Symphonie fantastique certainly lives up to its name.
Videos
Events
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Feb
23
Pictures at an Exhibition
Avery Fisher Hall, New York, NY, New York, United States
1 going
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Mar
31
Berlioz Te Deum and Faure Requiem
Colston Hall, Bristol, United Kingdom
3 going
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Apr
20
NASI GOŚCIE
Aula UAM, Poznań, Poland
5 going
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arvergne and 4 other people added Hector Berlioz to their libraries. 53 minutes ago
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