BERLIOZ (Hector).

Lot 6
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Estimation :
3000 - 4000 EUR
BERLIOZ (Hector).
Autograph letter signed to his mother Joséphine Berlioz, dated Paris, this 10 May 1829, 6 p. in-4. Long musical letter, evoking Lesueur, Cherubini, Rossini and Auber. Knowing that his mother did not approve of his vocation, Berlioz tries to show her that he is fully launched into the Parisian musical world, and that he frequents illustrious composers. He begins, however, with a personal anecdote: he met one of their relatives, Mme de Roger and her daughter. ... "I accompanied these ladies to the Tuileries, and I confess to you that I found myself rather disconcerted, when I met people of my acquaintance; almost everyone smiled when they saw me give the arm to this high and mighty lady, who is a head and a half taller than me (....); I only made her blood run to her head by confessing to her that I did not like Rossini's music..." He then speaks at length about his master and friend Lesueur, who has just experienced a failure: ... "this excellent man is from the century of Louis 14 and his music too. He nevertheless wanted to have two of his compositions performed in one of the superb concerts of the Conservatoire; I was quite sure in advance of what happened; his two pieces placed next to Beethoven and Weber have experienced the most complete failure. "He explains at length the reasons, and adds: "To complete the misadventure, the King has just decorated him with the title of Baron (...). Cherubini, on the contrary, who is with him superintendent of the King's music, has twice performed in these concerts fragments of his great works and they have obtained a furious success; almost as much applauded as Beethoven; however, although he is obviously the greatest composer existing in France at this moment, he has not been included in the royal favor. (...) Rossini himself, who is the fashionable man, has been flouted [sic] in these concerts... "Great news: "...I am editor of a great new newspaper (...), entitled the Correspondent. The editor asked me (...) to take charge of the music articles, treated in a large way; I made one which appeared last month: Considerations on religious music. These gentlemen complimented me a lot (...). The owner of the Berlin Musical Gazette also came to ask me recently to be the French correspondent of his journal... "Another project, the competition of the Institute in July, for which he is going to ask Cherubini ...if he still holds a grudge against me and if he still intends to oppose me this year. Fortunately, he continues, "I have one more support in the music section: it is AUBER (...) I am very well with him, although I cordially hate the genre in which he writes... "He then complains about Berton (Henri-Montan Berton, composer): "this old rambler cannot forgive me for loving with passion the music of Spontini, who is however not without talent, he says. The author of the Vestale is not without talent, he says. The author of the Vestale is not without talent!... Oh really if there were some of this strength, the Institute would be no more than the hospice of Charenton. "He hopes finally that his articles will bring him money, because he wastes too much time... " Correspondance générale, éd. de P. Citron, t. I, letter 125, p. 251. Three words have been cut out causing holes.
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