Music Fueled By Desire Hector Berlioz Symphony Fantastique
The Mémoires
“The public, I am aware, is little concerned with what I may have done or felt or thought. But a few artists and music-lovers having expressed the desire to know, I would rather they were given a true version than left to believe a false one.”
—Hector Berlioz, 1848
A true Romantic, Berlioz was not shy about expressing his feelings in writing, leaving us poignant letters and dramatic memoires that give us a glimpse into his inner thoughts.
In these selections Berlioz describes how he first saw Harriet and, although seemingly paralyzed with love, wrote a tune months later that would evolve into the idée fixe.
What's Your Impression?
What do Berlioz's own words tell you about his true feelings?