List of compositions and writings by Hector Berlioz
The French romantic composerHector Berlioz produced significant musical and literary works. Berlioz composed mainly in the genres of opera, symphonies, choral pieces and songs. As well as these, Berlioz also produced several works that fit into hybrid genres, such as the "dramatic symphony" Roméo et Juliette and Harold in Italy, a symphony with a large solo part for viola. Berlioz's compositions are listed both by genre and by the catalogue developed by the musicologist D. Kern Holoman. Opus numbers were assigned to compositions when they published. However, they were only given to a fraction of Berlioz's work and are not in chronological order. Berlioz's writings include memoirs, technical studies and music criticism.
Musical compositions by genre
Many of Berlioz's works resist easy categorisation and assigning them to a genre is often impossible. The genres given below should be regarded as merely a guideline.
This is a list of works by Holoman number, from the Catalogue of the works of Hector Berlioz by D. Kern Holoman, the 25th volume Bärenreiter's New Berlioz edition . The volume number that the work appears in the NBE is given. Many works exist in multiple versions for different forces. Opus numbers are also given for those works that have them.
Extant works
Lost works
Unfinished works
H23CLe Cri de guerre du Brisgaw intermezzo based on Les francs-juges
There were also several works that Berlioz planned to write mentioned in his memoirs and letters that he never wrote. These include the operas Les Noces d’or d’Obéron et de Titania, La Mort d’Hercule, Richard en Palestine, Robin-Hood, Atala, Les Noces des fées, Les Brigands, Hamlet, Méphistophélès, Roméo et Juliette, Cléopâtre and an opera based on the Thirty Years War; settings of verses by Édouard Turquety and Abbé Arnaud, Canon of Poitiers; and a Symphony in A Minor.
Voyage musical en Allemagne et en Italie, Musical journey in Germany and Italy
Les soirées de l'orchestre, Evenings with the Orchestra ; ed. L. Guichard
Le chef d’orchestre: théorie de son art, The conductor: theory of his art
Les grotesques de la musique, The grotesques of music
À travers champs, Cross-country ; ed. L. Guichard
Mémoires, Memoirs ; ed. P. Citron
Les musiciens et la musique, Musicians and music,ed. A. Hallays
ed. G. Condé: Cauchemars et passions, Nightmares and passions
Criticism
Throughout his career Berlioz produced a large amount of music criticism, starting in 1823, writing articles in Le corsaire, Le correspondant, Berliner allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, Revue européenne, Europe littéraire, Le rénovateur,Gazette musicale,Journal des débats, Journal des artistes, Monde dramatique, Italie pittoresque, Chronique de Paris,L’éclair, L’émancipation, L’artiste, Monde illustré Berlioz's complete music criticism is being collected and edited by l’Association Nationale Hector Berlioz as Hector Berlioz: Critique Musicale'' 1823-1863. The complete edition will comprise ten volumes:
Volume 1: 1823-1834, ed. by H. Robert Cohen and Yves Gérard
Volume 2: 1835-1836, ed. by Marie-Hélène Coudroy-Saghaï and Anne Bongrain
Volume 3: 1837-1838, ed. by Anne Bongrain and Marie-Hélène Coudroy-Saghaï
Volume 4: 1839-1841, ed. by Anne Bongrain and Marie-Hélène Coudroy-Saghaï
Volume 5: 1842-1844, ed. by Anne Bongrain and Marie-Hélène Coudroy-Saghaï
Volume 6: 1845-1848, ed. by Anne Bongrain and Marie-Hélène Coudroy-Saghaï
Volume 7: 1849-1851, ed. by Anne Bongrain and Marie-Hélène Coudroy-Saghaï
Volume 8: 1852-1855, ed. by Anne Bongrain and Marie-Hélène Coudroy-Saghaï
Volume 9: 1856-1859, ed. by Anne Bongrain and Marie-Hélène Coudroy-Saghaï
Correspondence
Nearly four thousand of Berlioz's letters have been preserved
Hector Berlioz, Correspondance Générale I: 1803- May 1832 , ed. by Pierre Citron
Hector Berlioz, Correspondance Générale II: June 1832-September 1842 , ed. by Frédéric Robert
Hector Berlioz, Correspondance Générale III: September 1842 – 1850 , ed. by Pierre Citron
Hector Berlioz, Correspondance Générale IV: 1851-February 1855 , ed. by Pierre Citron, Yves Gérard and Hugh J. Macdonald
Hector Berlioz, Correspondance Générale V: March 1855-August 1859 , ed. by Hugh J. Macdonald and François Lesure
Hector Berlioz, Correspondance Générale VI: September 1859 – 1863 , ed. by Hugh J. Macdonald and François Lesure
Hector Berlioz, Correspondance Générale VII: 1864-1869 , ed. by Hugh J. Macdonald
Hector Berlioz: Correspondance Générale VIII: Suppléments, ed. by Hugh J. Macdonald
Nouvelles lettres de Berlioz, de sa famille, de ses contemporains, ed. Peter Bloom, Joël-Marie Fauquet, Hugh J. Macdonald and Cécile Reynaud, Actes Sud/Palazzetto Bru Zane, May 2016
Catalogues and bibliographies
Holoman, D. Kern. Catalogue of the Works of Hector Berlioz. Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1987.
Hopkinson, Cecil. A Bibliography of the Musical and Literary Works of Hector Berlioz 1803–1869. Edinburgh: Bibliographical Society, 1951.
Kapp, Julius. Berlioz: eine Biographie. Berlin, 1917.
Langford, Jeffrey. Hector Berlioz: a Guide to Research. New York: Garland, 1989.
Müller-Reuter, Theodor. Lexikon der deutschen Konzertliteratur. New York: Da Capo Press, 1972.
Wright, Michael G.H. A Berlioz Bibliography. Farnborough: Saint Michael's Abbey Press, 1988
