Hector Berlioz (1803-1869), b. near Grenoble:  A French composer whose imaginative treatment of the orchestra, texture, and phrase structure foreshadowed modern techniques of composition.  His most important works include numerous overtures, the Symphonie Fantastique, the symphony Harold in Italy, the operas Benvenuto Cellini and The Trojans, an astounding Requiem, the dramatic symphony Romeo and Juliet and The Damnation of Faust.

     No one knows for certain whether the name "Hector" really influenced the development of Berlioz, since it was a name revived from Homer's well-known hero in The Iliad.  At any rate, Berlioz received a solid education in Latin and Greek and grew up to adore works of Shakespeare, Goethe, and Beethoven.   Although his father was a physician and wanted him to become one, Berlioz abandoned medical school in order to pursue his artistic ambitions.  Winning the Prix de Rome gave him an opportunity to study in Italy for several years before he moved back to Paris, where he earned his living by writing musical criticism.  Berlioz was extraordinarily skilled in writing, not to mention a sophisticated sense of humor to back up his taste.  In the 1840s and 1850s, Berlioz went on tours in Germany and Russia, where his music and conducting were more generously received than those given by his own countrymen.

     When one speaks of a representative work, it must be said that The Trojans is very characteristic of Berlioz's artistic imagination and temperament, more so, I think, than any symphony which he wrote.  But this is a moot point.  Others would contend that the Symphonie Fantastique is more representative of Berlioz, because the inspiration to its birth surrounded Berlioz's affection for the Irish actress Harriet Smithson, whose essence was embodied by the idee fixe.  Berlioz became infatuated with her during a performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet, in which she performed Ophelia's role (Paris, 1827).  Later, Berlioz married her; but their marriage was doomed from the beginning, since she never gained fluency in French, nor he in English.