Berlioz's "life of love and music" - intelligent, humorous, moving
Having now read about 100 pages of “A Life of Love and Music: The Memoirs of Hector Berlioz”, my views on the composer, as a man, have turned almost 180 degrees.
From thinking of him as a rather silly and not very pleasant person, I now find myself wondering if he wasn’t perhaps the most remarkable man ever to become a well-known composer.
The book is an absolute treat. It is very well written – I am reading David Cairns’ translation, but I assume he is giving us a flavour of the original French. The book is highly intelligent, humorous, and deeply moving. The wit is so sparkling that at one point I came as near as I ever have to laughing out loud while reading. In addition the book is highly informative about the musical scene in Paris, and to some extent elsewhere, in the years when Berlioz was active. It also brought to my attention the names of composers I had never taken notice of previously.
This reinforces the notion I have, that Berlioz has been particularly ill-served by his partisans, who I can now see have often quoted him very selectively, and out of context. It is interesting that Berlioz himself expressed some disquiet at the way that, even in his lifetime, certain people were promoting his cause.
I find myself with a certain amount of anger at those who have used him to fuel their own prejudices. I think especially of the newspaper journalist, whom I had always suspected of being a closet racist, who chose a most xenophobic, and possibly racist, statement of Berlioz to highlight, in his review of Berlioz’s memoirs. On this point, it becomes more clear, on reading the memoirs, that Berlioz is not just rude about Chinese and Indians – he is rude about a great number of other people as well, including the French. It is also clear that much of the rudeness is meant in an ironic way. For instance, as much as a critique of those who hold xenophobic views, as of those against whom the xenophobia is addressed.
Indeed such is the subtlety of his writing that great care has to be taken in quoting him on any subject. Quoting him out of context might lead to attributing to him exactly the opposite viewpoint to that which he actually holds.
I cannot absolve him entirely of the charge of xenophobia, as seen in a rather damning quote in the paper by Frank Ll. Harrison I referred to in another post. However this would seem to be “cultural” rather than “racial”. And probably none of us is entirely free of cultural xenophobia. There are types of music and art which I find it hard to respond positively to, largely through incomprehension.
Besides humour, there are many passages in the book which are very moving, if what is actually going on is taken into account. Berlioz is clearly someone who suffered, and often suffered deeply, in the cause of his art. But there is not a trace of self-pity; indeed there is often an air of self-mockery. Again this is so different from the impression I had developed of him from the selective quotations by others.
Indeed the whole story of Berlioz’s life is both inspiring and saddening. If any film producer/director is looking for a composer whose life would make a wonderful subject for a film, I can think of no better a suggestion than Berlioz. His life story is much more worthy of being filmed than that of many composers who have already had that honour. (But please – not by Ken Russell)
Regards to all,
Frank
[This message has been edited by Frank H (edited 02-24-2006).]
From thinking of him as a rather silly and not very pleasant person, I now find myself wondering if he wasn’t perhaps the most remarkable man ever to become a well-known composer.
The book is an absolute treat. It is very well written – I am reading David Cairns’ translation, but I assume he is giving us a flavour of the original French. The book is highly intelligent, humorous, and deeply moving. The wit is so sparkling that at one point I came as near as I ever have to laughing out loud while reading. In addition the book is highly informative about the musical scene in Paris, and to some extent elsewhere, in the years when Berlioz was active. It also brought to my attention the names of composers I had never taken notice of previously.
This reinforces the notion I have, that Berlioz has been particularly ill-served by his partisans, who I can now see have often quoted him very selectively, and out of context. It is interesting that Berlioz himself expressed some disquiet at the way that, even in his lifetime, certain people were promoting his cause.
I find myself with a certain amount of anger at those who have used him to fuel their own prejudices. I think especially of the newspaper journalist, whom I had always suspected of being a closet racist, who chose a most xenophobic, and possibly racist, statement of Berlioz to highlight, in his review of Berlioz’s memoirs. On this point, it becomes more clear, on reading the memoirs, that Berlioz is not just rude about Chinese and Indians – he is rude about a great number of other people as well, including the French. It is also clear that much of the rudeness is meant in an ironic way. For instance, as much as a critique of those who hold xenophobic views, as of those against whom the xenophobia is addressed.
Indeed such is the subtlety of his writing that great care has to be taken in quoting him on any subject. Quoting him out of context might lead to attributing to him exactly the opposite viewpoint to that which he actually holds.
I cannot absolve him entirely of the charge of xenophobia, as seen in a rather damning quote in the paper by Frank Ll. Harrison I referred to in another post. However this would seem to be “cultural” rather than “racial”. And probably none of us is entirely free of cultural xenophobia. There are types of music and art which I find it hard to respond positively to, largely through incomprehension.
Besides humour, there are many passages in the book which are very moving, if what is actually going on is taken into account. Berlioz is clearly someone who suffered, and often suffered deeply, in the cause of his art. But there is not a trace of self-pity; indeed there is often an air of self-mockery. Again this is so different from the impression I had developed of him from the selective quotations by others.
Indeed the whole story of Berlioz’s life is both inspiring and saddening. If any film producer/director is looking for a composer whose life would make a wonderful subject for a film, I can think of no better a suggestion than Berlioz. His life story is much more worthy of being filmed than that of many composers who have already had that honour. (But please – not by Ken Russell)
Regards to all,
Frank
[This message has been edited by Frank H (edited 02-24-2006).]
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