Scan 92
The American history and encyclopedia of music, 1908
14 lines. Read by computer on 7 September 2026. Printed page 69. See the scan on archive.org.
1Berlioz
2and finally separated, in 1840; though a certain friendship continued between them to the death of Henrietta, fourteen years after the separation. Berlioz's infatuation for Henrietta Smithson was characteristic of his ardent, impetuous nature, as was also characteristic his generous insistence on their marriage when she was ill and penniless, and, after the estrangement, the support of Henrietta out of his very limited income. Perhaps characteristic, also, was his entanglement with that mediocre person, Mademoiselle Martin Recio, whom, after the death of his wife he married. Mademoiselle Recio was a singer, with ambitions considerably greater than her ability.
4The years immediately succeeding his marriage to Henrietta Smithson were years of strain and stress but make up a period of his life rich in results. Although forced to turn to journalism as a means of adding to his exceedingly uncertain income, Berlioz, amid all the difficulties and drudgery, produced the following compositions: The cantata on the death of Napoleon; the symphonies, Harold en Italie, Symphonie Funèbre et Triomphale, Roméo et Juliette; the three-act opera, Benvenuto Cellini; various songs; the ballad, Sara la Baigneuse; and the wonderful Requiem. The money obtained from The Requiem and the symphonies made it possible for him to give up journalism, to indulge in a little travel, and to devote much more time to the art he adored. Travel abroad had been a long-cherished wish, and he now set out to try his fortune, and to seek inspiration away from home. In Germany, the French composer was received most enthusiastically, by the public as well as by the great masters, and the appreciation and plaudits there bestowed must have been balm to his spirit, at this time much disturbed by domestic upheaval and the grudgingly yielded approval of his countrymen. Visits made later to Austria and Russia added to the laurels now thick upon his brow, but Paris still remained cold to the son who so eagerly desired her favor. A new composition brought back from Austria, La Damnation de Faust, was produced in Paris, in 1846, before an audience small in numbers and lukewarm in appreciation. This work was most typical of Berlioz.
6Berlioz
7and in this cantata his genius, and his defects, were most emphasized.
9To understand the attitude of the French toward Berlioz, one must remember, that in his day, he was looked upon as a rebel. Year after year of Berlioz's life was marked by what Hadow so well phrases as "continued failure of high aims." The greatest French composer of his day was "left to starve because he wrote his best." Reyer, the distinguished composer and writer, declares that probably no musician has ever been more ridiculously criticized, more scoffed at, more insulted than Berlioz during the greater part of his career. The critic of the Revue des Deux Mondes condemned the work of Berlioz after this fashion: "The Chinese who amuse their leisure moments by the sound of the tom-tom; the savage who is roused into fury by the rubbing together of two stones, make music of the kind composed by M. Hector Berlioz."
11Not until after his death did Berlioz meet with justice in his own country. His genius was widely recognized abroad, but at home full appreciation came very late. It was his Te Deum, written for the Paris Exhibition in 1855, that won for him partial recognition; but the history of his life in the city he so loved is a record of hard-won success followed by heart-breaking failure. His last work, the opera of Les Troyens à Carthage, which he hoped to have rank as his masterpiece, after a very short run was driven from the boards. But at this time appreciation from without continued to be shown him. His little opera, Béatrice et Bénédict, produced at Baden, enjoyed great success. An invitation, which was not accepted, came from America, an offer of 100,000 francs, if Berlioz would go to New York. An Imperial invitation from Russia he did accept, and in Russia again met with cordial welcome.
13Berlioz's last days were somber and lonely. His wife died in 1862. His son Louis, serving in the French navy, came to an untimely death at Havana in 1867. Private sorrow, and public indifference, mark the end of his career. Though Berlioz was in a sense without honor in his own country, yet the highest honors the country could bestow were yielded him. He had a seat in the Academy, and wore the ribbon of the Legion of
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