Evaluation of the Idiosyncratic Style in Berlioz's Music

Abstract

The nine symphonies of Beethoven provoked a crisis of confidence to all composers in the nineteenth century as they wondered how they could surpass Beethoven’s achievements and legacy. The “crisis” was felt virtually in two specific genres: instrumental music (the symphony in particular) and the piano music. Nevertheless, at least one composer stood out and saw Beethoven’s works as a form of aberration, an experiment, which became the beginning point for much further exploration – Hector Berlioz (1803-1869). He made numerous contributions to the art and craft of instrumentation, in which his writing extravagance and distinctive idiosyncratic style would pervade the rest of the century. For Berlioz, the writing of music was not strict conventions, but rather shaped “from within” by the poetic content of the music. As a result, Berlioz’s music had become question between profusion and confusion by his colleagues: big ideas but no discipline, originality but no follow-through. The purpose of this writing is to note some remarks about Berlioz’s originality and idiosyncratic style, which was different than anything anyone heard before.