Self-revelations of tormented great composer; musical life in Paris, Wagner and other contemporaries, musical opinions, much more. 11 plates.

In this abridgment of his monumental study, Berlioz and the Romantic Century, Jacques Barzun recounts the events and extraordinary achievements of the great composer's life against the background of the romantic era. As the author eloquently demonstrates, Berloiz was an archetype whose destiny was the story of an age, the incarnation of an artistic style and a historical spirit. "In order to understand the nineteenth century, it is essential to understand Berlioz," notes W. H. Auden, "and in order to understand Berlioz, it is essential to read Professor Barzun."

Translator and editor David Cairns has completely revised the text of this memoir of Hector Berlioz. The extensive notes that accompany the text have been updated to reflect the results of recent research

Berlioz, Volume I, previously published only in Britain, is now available to American readers in a revised edition, together with the eagerly awaited, new Volume II. These two volumes together comprise a monumental biographical achievement, sure to stand as the definitive Berlioz biography.

This is a book both by and about Berlioz, providing not only a translation but also an extensive commentary on his text, dealing with the instruments of Berlioz's time and comparing his instruction with his practice.

Explores the rich and varied interactions between nineteenth-century science and the world of opera for the first time.