Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)

1803 Born at Cote-Saint-Andre (southern France) December 11

1821 Goes to Paris to study medicine so he might follow in his father’s footsteps

1826 Abandons medicine and enrolls in the Paris Conservatory, where he is as unhappy
with the instructors as they are with him

1826-29 Applies unsuccessfully for the coveted Prix de Rome; all three of his
compositions for this competition are rejected.

1830 Wins the Prix de Rome with a more conventional composition.

1833 Marries Harriet Smithson, an Irish actress whom he has worshipped from a safe
distance for many years and who was the inspiration for his Symphonie
fantastique (1830). The marriage is a disaster, however, and ends in 1840. He
later remarries.

1842 Makes the first of several successful tours of Germany, where his symphonies are
greeted with greater enthusiasm than in France.

1843 Publishes his Treatise on Instrumentation and Orchestration, a work that would
subsequently go through many editions and be translated into many languages.

1852 Appointed librarian of the Paris Conservatory, an honorary post but one that
acknowledges his place in the musical world of France.

1869 Dies in Paris March 8.