Hector Berlioz - French composer: biography, creativity

Hector Berlioz remained in the history of music as a vivid representative of the romantic era of the 19th century, which managed to connect music with other kinds of art.

Childhood

Hector Berlioz was born on December 11, 1803 in a small French town near Grenoble. The future composer's mother was a zealous Catholic, and her father was a convinced atheist. Louis-Joseph Berlioz did not recognize any authority and tried to impart his views to children. He was the one who influenced the formation of the vital interests of the eldest child in the family - Hector. By profession, the doctor, Louis-Joseph was interested in art, philosophy, literature. Father also instilled in the boy a love for music and taught him to play guitar and flute. However, he saw the future of his son in medicine. That is why Berlioz the elder did not teach Hector the piano playing, believing that it could distract from the main goal - to become a doctor.

Folk songs, myths, the chanting of the church choir in the local monastery became vivid impressions of the childhood of the future composer. The real interest in music was fully manifested by Hector in 12 years. He spent a lot of time in his father's library, he got his musical knowledge on his own. So gradually formed Berlioz-composer, who was supposed to make a revolution in music.

Study

At the age of 18, after graduating from high school in his native Grenoble and receiving a bachelor's degree, Hector Berlioz, at the insistence of his father, went to Paris to enter the medical faculty. Passion for music did not leave the young man, and he spent more time in the library of the Paris Conservatory than in the classrooms of the university. Moreover, having been to the autopsy for the first time , the young man began to be disgusted with medicine. Later Hector Berlioz began to take lessons from the professor of the conservatory on the theory of composition. The first public appearance took place in 1825. The Parisians heard the Mass. The life of Berlioz after that changed little, because the young composer could not immediately win the hearts of the inhabitants of the French capital. Moreover, many critics had a very negative reaction to mass.

Despite this, the young man, finally realizing that music for him is the main occupation of life, left medicine in 1826 and entered the conservatory, which he successfully graduated in 1830.

Journalism

The first work in journalism in Berlioz appeared in 1823. Gradually, he enters the artistic life of Paris. There is a rapprochement with Balzac, Dumas, Heine, Chopin and other vivid representatives of the creative intelligentsia. For a long time Berlioz tried himself and in the field of musical criticism.

Life in Paris

In 1827, the British theater company toured the capital of France. Berlioz fell in love with the talented actress of the company Harriet Smithson. She enjoyed great popularity with the public, and little-known student of the conservatory was of little interest to her. Desiring to draw attention, Berlioz began to seek fame in the musical field. At this time he writes cantatas, songs and other works, but he does not come to fame, and Harriet does not pay attention to Berlioz. In material terms, his life is not arranged. Official music critics Berlioz did not pay, his works often met with a misunderstanding of contemporaries. Three times he was refused a scholarship, giving the right to travel to Rome. However, after the end of the conservatory, Berlioz still received it.

Marriage and personal life

After receiving a scholarship, Berlioz leaves for Italy for three years. In Rome, his acquaintance with the Russian composer Mikhail Glinka takes place.

In 1832, while in Paris, Berlioz meets Harriet Smithson again. By this time her theatrical life had come to a close. Interest of the public to the performances of the English troupe began to fall. In addition, the actress had an accident - she broke her leg. Now the young woman is no longer that windy coquette, as she was before, and she is no longer frightened by the routine of marriage.

A year later they get married, but Hector Berlioz soon realizes that lack of money is one of the most treacherous enemies of love. He has to work all day long to provide for his family, and only one night remains for creation.

In general, the personal life of the famous composer can hardly be called happy. After he left his studies at the medical faculty, there was a break with his father, who wanted to see only a doctor in his son. As for Harriet, she was not ready to endure hardship, and soon they parted. Having married for the second time, Hector Berlioz, whose biography is full of tragic pages, does not long indulge in the joys of calm family life and remains a widower. To complete all the misfortunes, the only son from the first marriage dies in a shipwreck.

Berlioz as a conductor

The only thing that saves a musician from despair is his work. Berlioz tours extensively throughout Europe as a conductor, performing both his works and works of his contemporaries. He has the greatest success in Russia, where he comes twice. He performs in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Hector Berlioz: works

Creativity of the composer did not receive a worthy appraisal from his contemporaries. It was only after Berlioz's death that it became clear that the world had lost its musical genius, whose works were full of faith in the triumph of justice and humanistic ideas.

The most famous works of the author were the symphonies "Harold in Italy" and "The Corsair", inspired by Byron's passion for creativity during his life in Italy, and "Romeo and Juliet" in which he expressed his understanding of the tragedy of Shakespeare's heroes. The composer created a lot of such works that were written for the day's anger. For example, this was the cantata "The Greek Revolution", dedicated to the struggle against the Ottoman yoke.

But the main work, thanks to which Hector Berlioz became known, is the "Fantastic Symphony" written in 1830. It was after her premiere that the most progressive critics drew attention to Berlioz.

According to the author's intention, the young musician tries to poison himself due to unrequited love. However, the dose of opium is small, and the hero plunges into sleep. In his sick imagination, feelings and memories turn into musical images, and the girl becomes a melody audible from everywhere. The idea of the symphony is largely autobiographical, and many contemporaries considered the prototype of the girl Harriet.

Now you know which biography Berlioz had. The composer was ahead of his time, and the whole depth of his work was revealed to classical music lovers and specialists only after many years. In addition, the composer became an innovator in the field of orchestration and in the joint use of some instruments that had not previously been used in solo parts.