History Music / HectorBerlioz

A Shakespeare {{fanboy}}, Berlioz wrote a "dramatic symphony" based on ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' and a full opera based on ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' (under the title ''Beatrice and Benedict''). His best-known work is ''Music/SymphonieFantastique'', an early example of programme music, and one of the first examples of a psychedelic symphony. (In fact, the programme to that work mentions a "sensitive artist" who "poisons himself with opium in a fit of despair."), as well as the Te Deum, specifically its second movement, "Tibi omnes", which was used as the backdrop to the lighting of the Flame for the 2000 UsefulNotes/OlympicGames in Sydney, Australia.

* DisguisedInDrag: Shortly after starting his ''Prix de Rome'' residency, Berlioz discovered he had been dumped by his fiancée. He snuck away disguised as a woman, intending to kill her, her mother, and her new fianc&eacute, and commit suicide, but he thought better of it and returned to finish his residency.

* SoundtrackDissonance: "March to the Scaffold" from ''Music/SymphonieFantastique'' sounds like a jaunty, upbeat march tune, when it actually represents a man hallucinating that he had murdered his lover and is being taken to the [[OffWithHisHead guillotine]]. After a restatement of the love motif, you even hear the blade come down and his head bounce!

Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 -- 8 March 1869) was a French composer, conductor and [[CausticCritic music critic]] of the Romantic Era. An extremely controversial figure due to the direction in which he took his compositions, [[NeverAcceptedInHisHometown Berlioz had difficulty having his works performed in France]], the story of which is told colourfully (though with exaggerations) in his ''Memoirs''. He fared somewhat better abroad as his tours in Germany, Russia and England were relatively successful. [[Music/RobertSchumann Schumann]] was enthusiastic about his music, and [[Music/FranzLiszt Liszt]] was one of his champions.

* ShoutOut: The musical kitten in ''WesternAnimation/TheAristocats'' is named Berlioz. Unlike the composer, he is able to play the piano!

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A Shakespeare {{fanboy}}, Berlioz wrote a "dramatic symphony" based on ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' and a full opera based on ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' (under the title ''Beatrice and Benedict''). His best-known work is ''Music/SymphonieFantastique'', an early example of programme music, and one of the first examples of a [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs psychedelic symphony.]] (In fact, the programme to that work mentions a "sensitive artist" who "poisons himself with opium in a fit of despair."), as well as the Te Deum, specifically its second movement, "Tibi omnes", which was used as the backdrop to the lighting of the Flame for the 2000 UsefulNotes/OlympicGames in Sydney, Australia.

* FollowTheLeader: Berlioz codified many of the structural and orchestral innovations of the Romantic Era that would be expanded upon by later composers. For example, Berlioz composed leitmotifs in ''Music/SymphonieFantastique'' and other works before Wagner's operas, and his treatise on orchestration was highly influencial in developing the modern orchestra.

* NeverAcceptedInHisHometown: France has a lukewarm attitude towards Berlioz to this day, but Berlioz was greatly acclaimed in England, Germany, and Russia. Diverse composers among Liszt, Brahms, Mahler, and Bruckner are indebted to his influence, and his works inspired new generations of Russian composers including Music/PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky and AwesomeMusic/SergeiRachmaninoff.

* AwfulWeddedLife: Berlioz's first marriage to actress Harriet Smithson in 1833 was happy at first but soon went sour. Her career declined rapidly [[Film/AStarIsBorn as his improved]]. Her finances suffered, her health deteriorated, and she began drinking heavily. The relationship deteriorated because of her jealousy and suspicion – which was not helped when Berlioz took a mistress (who would become his second wife). The couple separated for good in 1843, but Berlioz continued to financially support her until her death.

* [[Sequelitis/Sequelitis:]] Inverted but later played straight with ''Lelio'', the little-known sequel to ''Music/SymphonieFantastique'', where the artist wakes up from his opium-drugged nightmare and eventually finds happiness in music. ''Lelio'' was a hit on its debut, partly because its mix of monologues and music was trendy with the first Romantic listeners. As the trend died out over time, ''Lelio'' vanished into obscurity.

* {{Disneyfication}}: Berlioz's ''Damnation of Faust'' lacks the obscure philosophy of Goethe's version. Instead, it focuses on the love story between Faust and Gretchen. Nevertheless, it is DarkerAndEdgier as Fause is damned instead of redeemed.

* Sequelitis: Inverted but later played straight with ''Lelio'', the little-known sequel to ''Music/SymphonieFantastique'', where the artist wakes up from his opium-drugged nightmare and eventually finds happiness in music. ''Lelio'' was a hit on its debut, partly because its mix of monologues and music was trendy with the first Romantic listeners. As the trend died out over time, ''Lelio'' vanished into obscurity.

* AdaptationExpansion: Queen Mab never personally appears in Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet, only referenced by Mercutio in trying to get Romeo to forget his old crush Rosaline. In Berlioz’s symphony of the same name, Queen Mab gets her own scherzo movement.

* AwfulWeddedLife: Berlioz's first marriage to actress Harriet Smithson in 1833 was happy at first but soon went sour. Her career declined rapidly [[Film/AStarIsBorn as his improved]]. Her finances suffered, her health took a turn for the worse, she began drinking heavily, and jealousy and suspicion rapidly overtook the relationship -- which was not helped when Berlioz took a mistress (who would become his second wife). The couple separated for good in 1843, but Berlioz continued to financially support her until her death.

* DarkerAndEdgier: His ''Damnation of Faust'', as opposed to Creator/JohannWolfgangVonGoethe's, gives no hope for Faust's salvation. Faust is taken to Hell by Mephistopheles, rather than redeemed by Gretchen.

* EccentricArtist: Many of Berlioz's works are highly unusual examples of their genre, especially when compared to contemporary models. Of his four symphonies, for example: ''Music/SymphonieFantastique'' is a programmatic five-movement work that makes use of a recurring motif (''idée fixe''), ''Harold In Italy'' is a hybrid symphony and viola concerto, ''Symphonie Funebre et Triomphale'' is scored for a large wind band with optional chorus and strings, and ''Romeo et Juliette'' intermingles expository and narrative choral section with purely instrumental movements.
* FieryRedhead: Accounts of Berlioz's appearance range between his hair being red and light auburn. Of course, Berlioz had the passion and eccentricity to fit the trope.
* FollowTheLeader: Berlioz followed Music/LudwigVanBeethoven's example with structural and orchestral innovations, such as his own "choral symphony" in ''Romeo and Juliette.'' On the other side, Berlioz composed leitmotifs in ''Music/SymphonieFantastique'' and other works before Wagner's operas, and both the orchestration of his own works and his treatise on orchestration were highly influencial in developing the modern orchestra.

* NeverAcceptedInHisHometown: France has a lukewarm attitude towards Berlioz to this day, but Berlioz was greatly acclaimed in England, Germany, and Russia. Liszt, Brahms, Mahler, and Bruckner are indebted to his influence, and his works inspired new generations of Russian composers including Music/PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky and AwesomeMusic/SergeiRachmaninoff.
* PowerTrio: Berlioz was one of the "Three Bs" among the greatest composers: Bach, Beethoven, and Berlioz. However, Hans von Bülow replaced Berlioz with Brahms, which stuck for various reasons. One is that Brahms better fit into the story of a linear musical tradition starting with Bach, which is how people still view the Common Practice Period, while Berlioz was a lone wolf with seemingly no precedents or successors. Another is that Brahms was German during the Romantic era, a period when nationality became ever more important, while Berlioz was French by birth only and did not really belong anywhere.

* FollowTheLeader: Berlioz followed Music/LudwigVanBeethoven's example with structural and orchestral innovations, such as his own "choral symphony" in ''Romeo and Juliette.'' On the other side, Berlioz composed leitmotifs in ''Music/SymphonieFantastique'' and other works before Wagner's operas, and both his orchestration of his own works and his treatise on orchestration were highly influencial in developing the modern orchestra.

* NeverAcceptedInHisHometown: France has a lukewarm attitude towards Berlioz to this day, but Berlioz was greatly acclaimed in England, Germany, and Russia. Liszt, Brahms, Mahler, and Bruckner are indebted to his influence, and his works inspired new generations of Russian composers including [[Music/PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky Tchaikovsky]], ''Mili Balakirev'', and AwesomeMusic/SergeiRachmaninoff.
* PowerTrio: Berlioz was one of the "Three Bs" among the greatest composers: Bach, Beethoven, and Berlioz, before he was replaced by Brahms for partly nationalistic reasons. In a Romantic world where musicians were tightly bound with their nation's artistic history and pride, Berlioz was a lone wolf who did not really belong anywhere.

* FollowTheLeader: Berlioz followed Music/LudwigVanBeethoven's example with structural and orchestral innovations, such as his own "choral symphony" in ''Romeo and Juliette.'' On the other side, Berlioz composed leitmotifs in ''Music/SymphonieFantastique'' and other works before Wagner's operas, and his treaties on orchestration were highly influencial in developing the modern orchestra.

* FollowTheLeader: Berlioz followed Music/LudwigVanBeethoven's example with structural and orchestral innovations, such as his own "choral symphony" in ''Romeo and Juliette.'' On the other side, Berlioz composed leitmotifs in ''Music/SymphonieFantastique'' and other works before Wagner's operas, and his treaties on orchestration were highly influencial in developing the modern orchestra.

* PowerTrio: Berlioz was one of the "Three Bs" among the greatest composers: Bach, Beethoven, and Berlioz, before he was replaced by Brahms for partly nationalistic reasons. In a Romantic world where musicians were tightly bound to their nation's artistic history and pride, Berlioz was a lone wolf who did not really belong anywhere.