Book Description
Hector Berlioz's Les Grotesques de la musique is the only one of his books that has never been translated into English in its entirety. It is by far the funniest of all his works, and consists of a number of short anecdotes, witticisms, open letters, and comments on the absurdities of concert life. Alastair Bruce's fluid translation brings to life this important composer and bon vivant. He does a wonderful job of conveying all the puns, jokes, and invective of Berlioz's prose as well as the nuances of his stories. He even imitates a Tahitian accent in the translation, as Berlioz does in the original. The notes will give the reader insight into the innuendos and in-jokes that fill the pages. This translation will take its place among other translations of Berlioz's prose writings, bringing to the reader more lively examples of a still misunderstood composer caught up in the musical life of mid-nineteenth century Paris.Alastair Bruce is a London-based management consultant and former treasurer of the Berlioz Society.Hugh Macdonald is General Editor of New Berlioz Edition. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on June 1, 2000. The length of the article is 3234 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Hector Berlioz.(Review) (book review)
Author: Louise Goldberg
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2000
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 56Issue: 4Page: 1032

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on December 1, 1999. The length of the article is 2042 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Hector Berlioz.(Review) (book reviews)
Author: Donna M. Di Grazia
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 1999
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 56Issue: 2Page: 491

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on December 1, 1999. The length of the article is 1433 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Selected Letters of Berlioz. Edited by Hugh Macdonald.(Review)
Author: Peter Bloom
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 1999
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 56Issue: 2Page: 409

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description
In this comprehensive life-and-works study, Hugh Macdonald draws on Berlioz's numerous writings - his Memoires, his critical articles, and his extensive correspondence, including many unpublished documents. Berlioz's provincial upbringing, his enthusiasm for Parisian opera and theatre, his marriage to the actress Harriet Smithson, his activities as composer, critic, and conductor, are covered in a biographical section which concludes with a chapter on his character. Discussion of the music is chronological, from the time when Berlioz arrived in Paris in 1821 to study medicine, through the peak of French Romanticism in the 1830's, to the compositions of his later years. In a final chapter Hugh Macdonald traces influences on Berlioz's style and examines his treatment of melody, harmony, and rhythm, and his distinctive orchestral technique. ... Read more