Le Journal Illustré, 31 October 1886
This page presents a report of the inauguration of Berlioz’s statue in Square Vintimille (now Square Berlioz). The original text of this report and the accompanying image were scanned from our own copy of the 31 October 1886 issue of Le Journal Illustré, and are reproduced below together with our English translation of the report.
Here is an English translation of the report:
BERLIOZ
Last week a monument to Berlioz was inaugurated in Square Berlioz, in Paris, a monument built thanks to the subscriptions of his admirers.
Berlioz was a forerunner, as a glance at the works of Wagner makes clear: you are struck there by certain similarities in compositional methods, which the celebrated German composer evidently imitated from those which Berlioz delighted in.
Berlioz’s works, thanks to M. Colonne’s initiative at the Châtelet Concerts, are now lodged in everyone’s memory. Justice has at last been done to a musician whose only fault was to speak too early a language which ears used to the amiable, graceful and easy-going music of composers such as Auber and Adam find difficult to understand: they have not been encouraged to develop a taste for compositions of a style which is severe, grandiose and occasionally embellished to excess.
See also on this site Ernest Reyer’s speech (in French) at the inauguration ceremony.
The Hector Berlioz Website was created on 18 July 1997 by Monir Tayeb and Michel Austin; this page created on 1 May 2007.
© Monir Tayeb and Michel Austin. All rights of reproduction reserved.
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