1.
This is a photograph of me in the year 1855. The photographer's name was François-Marie-Louis-Alexandre Gobinet de Villecholle and went by Franck for short. I mean, with a name that long, who wouldn't? I think that this is a fine, well-done picture. It depicts me at the age of 52.****
This is a link to a video of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing my beautiful Symphonie fantastique. I wrote it during a time of great emotional turmoil for me, and think that it perfectly displays how I felt at the time. When I wrote this piece, I did not know how successful it would become, nor did I know that it would help me get the woman I had been pining for (not that the later marriage would last, or be pleasant, but I tried). Our marriage was good at the very start, but later, it just fell apart.*****
“Beethoven being dead, only Berlioz can make him live again” - Nicolo Paganini***
3.
This is a drawing of my dreadful ex-wife Harriet Smithson as Ophelia in Shakespeare's famous Hamlet. Our marriage was far from pleasant, and ended in 1843. We had one child, named Louis, he was an exceptional child. Six years after she left, and long after I had left, she returned to what had once been our house. She died in 1849, after suffering from paralysis for the end of our life. After the cemetery in which she was originally buried was about to be demolished, I had her re-interred to the Montmartre.**
4.
This is my house, which has now been turned into a museum in my honor. I was not terribly surprised when I found that it was now a museum dedicated to me. It has many of my possessions still inside, and displayed for visitors. This is actually the house that I grew up in. I got my inspiration for music there, and it's where I began my career in composing.*
5.
This is a piano that was for my nieces, Joséphine and Nancy Suat. I never learned how to play the piano, and have always wished that I had. I feel that the power possessed in the instrument would’ve helped to emphasize my works. However, the dreadful fingering would have severely hindered; and potentially even stopped; my genius work. It is a beautiful instrument, and I only wish that I could have had the chance to use it.*
6.
The guitar was one of the first instruments I learned how to play. I composed a few pieces for it, but mostly stuck to the flute or flageolet in my early years of composition. I liked the guitar, but it was not my favorite. I preferred the more orchestral instruments. As a boy, however, I enjoyed many songs for guitar.*
7.
This is a clarinet in b flat that I owned. It was a beautiful instrument, and I enjoyed composing for it. The sounds are beautiful, and it is a wonderful addition to an orchestra when done right. I always liked to hear the influences it made in a piece, and in a performance. However, I often relied more heavily upon the strings.*
8.
This is the conducting wand I used when my pieces were performed. It is a very beautiful wand, and I treasured it. It was rather expensive, but lasted all my years of conducting. As you can see, it is far more intricate than the wands used today. It is housed in the Hector Berlioz museum in France.*
9.
This laurel crown was offered to me by “youth of Györ” in Hungary. It was given to show the Hungarians admiration and thanks for the musician who wrote and orchestrated variations of the march Rakosci. It was an honor to receive, and I had it all my life. The song is their national anthem, and their independence song. The song chronicles the revolt of Räkösci prince of Transylvania.*
10.
This is my son, Louis. He was the only child ever to come from my marriage with Harriet. He lived to the age of 33, and died of yellow fever while on duty in Havana. Like me, he loved to travel, but unlike me, he lived his dream of going to sea. As a young man, he joined the merchant navy, and soon rose to the rank of commander. After his death, I was never quite the same again.***
Bibliography******:
*"Accueil - Musée Hector-Berlioz." Accueil - Musée Hector-Berlioz. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://www.musee-hector-berlioz.fr/>.
**"Harriet Smithson." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Dec. 2015. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Smithson>.
***"Hector Berlioz - Great Orchestral Works." Hector Berlioz. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://www.good-music-guide.com/reviews/110-berlioz.htm>.
****"Hector Berlioz." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Berlioz>.
*****"Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (complete Performance)." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2Kky5BC9Uk>.
******Some sources were used more than once.
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