The Music of Berlioz

Abstract

Abstract The Music of Berlioz offers an overall assessment of Berlioz's musical achievement as we approach the bicentary of his birth in 2003. This is the first full-length musical study of the composer to take into account the rediscovered Messe solennelle, and discusses all aspects of his work, without undue emphasis on a few more popular pieces. The first section consists of a comprehensive biography of his musical works, tracing shifting patterns of productivity, approaches to genre, and the contrast between works which are aesthetically progressive or retrospective. The second section considers aspects of Berlioz's musical style, building upon earlier studies by the author and other recent scholarship; topics include Berlioz's practice of self-borrowing, his use of programmes and texts, characteristic rhetorical devices, and an emotional language. The third section takes four categories of works - song-forms, sacred music, symphonic works, and dramatic works - for more substantial analysis of selected passages and an overall critical assessment.