romantic panache of the memoirs, they are basically accurate. “Errors and dis-
puted points” are discussed, as are the sources. An appendix presents descrip-
tions of Berlioz by his contemporaries; a glossary identifies persons mentioned
and gives bio-sketches of them and also identifies places and institutions.
Expansive index of names and titles.- Berlioz, Hector. New Letters of Berlioz, 1830–1868. With introduction, notes,
and English translation by Jacques Barzun. New York: Columbia U.P., 1954.
xxxi, 332p. Reprint, as “2nd ed.,” Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1974. ISBN
0-8371-3251-7. ML410 .B5 A33.
A bilingual, annotated edition, with bibliography; no index. Several other col-
lections of letters are described in Langford (#547), 39–45.
Prose Works
Berlioz wrote extensively as a critic and theorist, but only the work that relates to
opera is considered here.
See also #893, on Gluck.
- Murphy, Kerry. Hector Berlioz and the Development of French Music Criti-
cism.Studies in Musicology, 97. Ann Arbor, Mich.: UMI Research, 1988. x,
295p. ISBN 0-8357-1821-2. ML3880 .M85.
Examines the early years of Berlioz as a critic, 1823–1837, and gives a com-
plete list of his articles. The context of Parisian journalism and the music crit-
ics of the time are well described. The preferences of Berlioz were for
Beethoven, Gluck, Weber, and Cherubini; he enjoyed grand opera more than
opéra comique. Bibliography, index.
Biographies
- Barzun, Jacques. Berlioz and the Romantic Century. 3rd ed. New York:
Columbia U.P., 1969. 2v. ML410 .B5 B2.
First edition, 1950; second edition, 1956, was abridged and titled Berlioz and
His Century(Cleveland: World; reprint, Chicago: U. of Chicago Press, 1982).
A panoramic cultural history of the 19th century is offered as background for
the Berlioz story. Genesis and reception accounts of the operas, chronology,
bibliography/discography of 1,534 items, expansive name and topic index.
This remains the standard biography. - Holoman, D. Kern. Berlioz. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard U.P., 1989. 687p.
ISBN 0-674-06778-9. ML410 .B5 H58.
A worthy successor to and perhaps replacement for Barzun (#554), consider-
ing both life and works in scholarly detail. Musical life in Paris, 1821–1869, is
brought into vivid focus. Includes an interesting account of major perfor-
mances of Berlioz works in concerts that he conducted. On the operas: genesis,
reception, and technical descriptions. A chronological worklist gives library
sources of manuscripts. The bibliography is in the form of an essay that
reviews Berlioz research, updating #548. Backnotes, partly expansive index.
Hector Berlioz 123