Hector Berlioz died on 8 March 1869 in Paris, aged 65. A French composer and conductor, Berlioz was born in a small town near Grenoble and, defying his father's wish that he become a doctor, studied music in Paris. His Symphonie fantastique of 1830, a work inspired by his passion for the actress Harriet Smithson, introduced the idea of a recurring theme and a story told in music, and became a landmark of Romantic orchestral music. He wrote other large-scale works, such as the Requiem, The Damnation of Faust and the opera Les Troyens, and a treatise on orchestration that became a standard text. He was more admired abroad than at home during his life, and he earned a living partly as a critic. His innovative orchestral writing influenced Liszt, Wagner and Mahler.
Before and after
- 9 January 1869Birth of Grigori Rasputin
- from 27 January 1869 to 27 June 1869Republic of Ezo
- 14 February 1869Birth of Charles Thomson Rees Wilson
- 6 March 1869Periodic table
- 8 March 1869Death of Hector Berlioz
- 18 March 1869Birth of Neville Chamberlain
- 20 March 1869Publication of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
- 6 April 1869Founding of American Museum of Natural History
- 10 May 1869The first US transcontinental railroad is completed
More in Art, literature & culture
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- 7 April 1837Publication of The Little Mermaid
- 21 February 1848Publication of The Communist Manifesto
- 18 September 1851Founding of The New York Times
- 1857Rise of Symbolism
- 28 December 1895The Lumiere brothers hold the first public film screening
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.