Berlioz in Paris
British Embassy in Paris
Berlioz and Harriet Smithson were married at the British Embassy on 3rd October 1833. Berlioz had borrowed 300 francs from one of his friends, Thomas Gounet, to pay for the expenses. Liszt was one of their witnesses. The couple went to Vincennes near Paris for their honeymoon.
In a letter to his younger sister Adèle, dated 6 October 1833, Berlioz writes (Correspondance Générale no. 347):
Yes, my dear Adèle, it is all over. The ceremony took place last Thursday following French and English practices. Henriette was afraid I might become emotional, and had urged me to keep complete control of myself in front of so many witnesses; I followed her instructions so well that I kept my calm superbly and it was she who wept. I am staying with her at Vincennes in a pretty little country cottage, far away from all indiscreet looks. On the day of our marriage her sister left us alone and we had our wedding feast in the most comical manner you can imagine. There were no servants to wait on us, and we had our dinner brought to us from the Vincennes restaurant. As for the dessert we picked it in the garden; the weather was delightful – sunny, mild, gentle, altogether wonderful. In short it was pure bliss.
The first picture below is an 1830 engraving showing the Embassy in
the Rue du Faubourg St Honoré, from A. Pugin’s book Paris and its Environs, published in London in
1831, in our collection. The next two images show the certificates of
Berlioz’s marriage registration, at the British Embassy in Paris, and at the office
of the Mayor
of the first arrondissement. © Monir Tayeb and Michel Austin. All rights of reproduction reserved.
British Embassy in Paris
This is an 1830 engraving showing the Embassy in the Rue du Faubourg St Honoré, from A. Pugin’s book Paris and its Environs, published in London in 1831, in our collection.
The certificate of marriage as registered at the British Embassy
The original copy of this certificate is in the National
Archives (formerly the Public Record
Office) in London.
The French record of Berlioz’s marriage
The original copy of this certificate is in the library of the Paris Conservatoire.
© 2000-2008 (unless otherwise stated) Michel Austin and Monir Tayeb for all the pictures and information on this page.
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