Full Description
As a composer, Hector Berlioz embodied his century as the quintessential Romantic artist. Niccolo Paganini called him "Beethoven's only heir," and for a young Richard Wagner, he was dazzling as a composer, orchestra conductor, and critic. But Berlioz was known as much for his writings as for his music, and for decades Berlioz scholars have stressed the need for a good English-language anthology of his criticism. Featuring new translations and commentary by Katherine Kolb and Samuel N. Rosenberg, Berlioz on Music: Selected Criticism 1824-1837 is that volume.
Berlioz's centrality as a critic results from his literary brilliance, his location in Paris -- the music capital of the nineteenth century -- and his 28-year tenure at the powerful Journal des debats. As one of its founding editors and principal writers, Berlioz contributed about 250 articles to the publication. Berlioz on Music comprises articles from the first 14 years of Berlioz's public writings, given in chronological order and, with few exceptions, in their entirety. Following chronology affords an overview of Berlioz's evolution as critic and of a key phase in the development of modern musical culture. The volume also presents explanatory data in engagingly composed introductions and footnotes, which elucidate Berlioz's references to persons, musical and literary works, historical events, and more. The reader is allowed to follow musical events during one of the richest periods in French cultural history, including the revolutionary decade surrounding 1830, a year marked by Victor Hugo's victory for the Romantics in the Classical bastion of the Théâtre-Français, by the premiere of Berlioz's Fantastic Symphony, and by the toppling of the Restoration monarchy. The result is an engaging collection of Berlioz's lively prose, presented with scholarly rigor and rendered in accessible English. Music historians, both professional and amateur, as well 19th century European history enthusiasts will find Berlioz on Music a compelling introduction to one of the richest periods of French culture.
Contents
Contents ; 1. MUSICAL POLEMIC: On "Dilettanti" ; 2. MUSICAL POLEMIC: On Armide and Gluck ; 3. THE ARTS. Observations on Classical Music and Romantic Music, Le Correspondant, October 22, 1830 ; 4. Beethoven and the Egyptian Pyramids; Weber's Freischutz; Beethoven's "Pastoral" Symphony ; 5. Liszt, Chopin, and Ferdinand Hiller; launching of the Fantastic Symphony ; 6. MUSIC REVIEW: Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Theatre-Italien; Beethoven quartets ; 7. MUSIC REVIEW: Beethoven by the Muller Quartet; Chopin; Mozart's Don Giovanni vs. Don Juan; ; Handel festival in London ; 8. MUSIC REVIEW: Women performers; violinist Hauman's communicative emotion; Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and Shakespeare's Othello; Cherubini aria sung by Ponchard; rarity of great singers ; 9. Gluck (Part I). Gazette musicale de Paris, June 1, 1834. Biographical sketch; "critique admirative" of monologue from Il Telemaco ; 10. MUSIC REVIEW: Turkish music; Beethoven's "Eroica" booed in Bordeaux; musical conditions in the provinces; oasis of progress in Lyon ; 11. MUSIC REVIEW: Jealousy vs. solidarity among artists; trials of young composers; ironies on Conservatoire training; Henri Reber quartets; Liszt performs in his piano trio ; 12. Music Review: Choron, voice teacher and propagator of sacred music of the past; funeral service at the Invalides: Mozart Requiem, Jommelli, and Palestrina ; 13. Funeral service for Choron; Decline of religious music in France; destruction of old-regime choir schools; church ban on women singers ; 14. Rossini's William Tell (Part I) ; 15. BOIELDIEU: Funeral music for Boieldieu; survey of requiems; Cherubini ; 16. NOTICE TO READERS IDLE ENOUGH TO READ MY ARTICLES: Satirical announcement of Berlioz's upcoming concert, conducted by Girard; amusing summary of Harold in Italy ; 17. IPHIGENIA IN TAURIS (Part I): Early enthusiasm for Gluck; life-changing first experience of Gluck's masterpiece at the Opera (1821). ; 18. Music review: a Elle, Letters for Piano by Chretien Urhan ; 19. THEATRE-ITALIEN: Gabussi's Ernani ; 20. MUSIC REVIEW. OPeRA. William Tell. OPeRA-COMIQUE: Zemire et Azor (reprise). ; 21. CONCERT SOCIETY OF THE CONSERVATOIRE: First Concert [8th season] ; 22. LE MOINE, text by emilien Pacini, music by G. Meyerbeer ; 23. THIRD CONCERT AT THE CONSERVATOIRE: Symphonies by Haydn and Beethoven ; 24. Music REVIEW: Royal Academy of Music: Premiere of la Juive, opera in five acts by MM. ; 25. Music Review. Concert by the Pupils of Choron at the Hotel de Ville ; 26. CONCERT SOCIETY OF THE CONSERVATOIRE: Fourth Concert, Beethoven's "Pastoral" Symphony ; 27. SIXTH CONSERVATOIRE CONCERT: Analysis of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony ; 28. CONCERT BY M. LISZT ; 29. REQUIEM at the Invalides ; 30. ON THE SCORE OF ZAMPA ; 31. MUSIC REVIEW: Bellini's I Puritani at the Theatre-Italien, Cherubini's Treatise on Counterpoint-or a volume of poetry by Chaudesaigues ; 32. MOZART'S DON JUAN ; 33. Religious Music: M. Lesueur: Rachel, Noemie, Ruth et Booz, oratorios; M. Urhan: Auditions ; 34. OPERA-Comique. Concerts. Virtuosos and composers ; 35. First concert [of the season] at the Conservatoire: scene from Mozart's Idomeneo eclipses Beethoven's Seventh Symphony ; 36. LES HUGUENOTS: Acts 4 and 5 ; 37. Concerts at the Conservatoire: The Magic Flute and The Mysteries of Isis ; 38. LISZT ; 39. ANTOINE REICHA ; 40. MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENTS: Le Siege de Corinthe at the Opera; M. Ole Bull; M. Labarre and his harp school; Music of public festivals ; 41. PROGRESS OF MUSICAL EDUCATION IN FRANCE: M. Joseph Mainzer and M. Aubery du Boulley ; 42. Polytechnical Society: Awards ceremony ; 43. OPera: William Tell. Debut of Duprez ; 44. Royal Academy of Music: Premiere of La Chatte metamorphosee en femme, ballet
