BERLIOZ ON MUSIC
SELECTED CRITICISM 1824-1837
EDITED BY KATHERINE KOLB AND TRANSLATED BY SAMUEL N. ROSENBERG

-UNPRECEDENTED TRANSLATIONS OF ARTICLES FROM BERLIOZ`S MOST IMPORTANT FOURTEEN YEARS OF WRITING, PRESENTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.
-ENGAGING AND ACCESSIBLE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF A NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TEXT
-COMPELLING ENTRY POINT INTO THE LIFE AND WRITING OF ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FIGURES OF 19TH CENTURY FRENCH CULTURAL LIFE.

DESCRIPTION:
-THE QUINTESSENTIAL ROMANTIC ARTIST OF HIS CENTURY, HECTOR BERLIOZ IMPRESSED PAGANINI AND LISZT AS 'BEETHOVEN`S ONLY HEIR' AND DAZZLED THE YOUNG WAGNER AS A COMPOSER, ORCHESTRA CONDUCTOR, AND CRITIC. TO PARIS AND ALL EUROPE, BERLIOZ WAS KNOWN AS MUCH FOR HIS WRITINGS AS FOR HIS MUSIC, YET THERE HAS BEEN NO ENGLISH-LANGUAGE ANTHOLOGY OF HIS CRITICISM AVAILABLE UNTIL NOW.

-BERLIOZ ON MUSIC PLUNGES US INTO THE PARISIAN MUSIC WORLD DURING ONE OF ITS MOST VIBRANT PERIODS, THE REVOLUTIONARY YEARS SURROUNDING 1830, STILL RESONANT WITH MEMORIES OF NAPOLEON AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION OF ONLY A FEW DECADES BEFORE. WE FOLLOW BERLIOZ AS HE CONFRONTS THE TRANSITION TO A MODERN, COMMERCE-DRIVEN SOCIETY WHERE MUSIC AS HIGH ART HAS YET TO FIND A PLACE, USING HIS PEN TO PRAISE OR SCOLD, ROUSE OR CAJOLE PERFORMERS, COMPOSERS, MANAGERS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THE ARTICLES PRESENTED HERE-GIVEN IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER AND, WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS, IN THEIR ENTIRETY-ARE ACCOMPANIED BY AN INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH AND NOTES THAT EXPLAIN BERLIOZ`S REFERENCES TO PERSONS, MUSICAL AND LITERARY WORKS, HISTORICAL EVENTS, AND MORE. THE RESULT IS AN ENGAGING COLLECTION OF BERLIOZ`S LIVELY PROSE, PRESENTED WITH SCHOLARLY RIGOR AND RENDERED IN ACCESSIBLE, GRACEFUL ENGLISH. SCHOLARS, LOVERS OF BERLIOZ`S MUSIC, HISTORY ENTHUSIASTS, AND FRANCOPHILES WILL DELIGHT IN THIS COMPELLING INTRODUCTION TO ONE OF THE RICHEST PERIODS OF FRENCH CULTURE.

TABLE OF 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 FREISCHÜTZ; BEETHOVEN`S 'PASTORAL' SYMPHONY
5. LISZT, CHOPIN, AND FERDINAND HILLER; LAUNCHING OF THE FANTASTIC SYMPHONY
6. MUSIC REVIEW: MOZART`S DON GIOVANNI AT THE THÉÂTRE-ITALIEN; BEETHOVEN QUARTETS
7. MUSIC REVIEW: BEETHOVEN BY THE MÜLLER 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 OPÉRA (1821).
18. MUSIC REVIEW: À ELLE, LETTERS FOR PIANO BY CHRÉTIEN URHAN
19. THEATRE-ITALIEN: GABUSSI`S ERNANI
20. MUSIC REVIEW. OPÉRA. WILLIAM TELL. OPÉRA-COMIQUE: ZÉMIRE ET AZOR (REPRISE).