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Between Beethoven and Mendelssohn: Biographical Constructions of Berlioz in the London Press

Cormac, Joanne

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Authors

JOANNE CORMAC JOANNE.CORMAC@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Princpal Research Fellow



Abstract

In 1853 a writer for the London-based periodical Fraser's Magazine remarked that Berlioz's “heroic temperament” could be “read legibly in the noble style of his compositions. His own life forms to these works the most interesting accompaniment and commentary.” The linking of life and work in Berlioz's case is nothing unusual. However, a particular set of circumstances unique to London meant that critics based in that city persistently used Berlioz's biography to further their own agendas while also promoting his music. In this article, I argue that, when writing about Berlioz's London performances, critics employed biographical ideas and narratives that enabled them to use the composer as a means to shape local debates about the future of London's orchestral institutions: the Philharmonic Society and its latest “rival”: the New Philharmonic Society.

Biography proved a powerful rhetorical device from which Berlioz profited and is central to our understanding of his critical reception in London. It was used to introduce, to persuade, to simplify, to generate sympathy, admiration, and outrage. However, I reveal that in later visits biographical narratives overshadowed the coverage of Berlioz's music. In some articles, Berlioz was reduced to a rhetorical device to be employed to give strength to criticisms of either the old Philharmonic or the new, with the critic offering little insight into Berlioz's music. Biography had given Berlioz a foothold in musical London, but it could not win him the lasting success he craved.

Citation

Cormac, J. (2020). Between Beethoven and Mendelssohn: Biographical Constructions of Berlioz in the London Press. 19th-Century Music, 44(2), 80-99. https://doi.org/10.1525/ncm.2020.44.2.80

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 18, 2020
Online Publication Date Nov 1, 2020
Publication Date Nov 1, 2020
Deposit Date Jul 24, 2020
Publicly Available Date Nov 1, 2020
Journal 19th-Century Music
Print ISSN 0148-2076
Electronic ISSN 1533-8606
Publisher University of California Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 44
Issue 2
Pages 80-99
DOI https://doi.org/10.1525/ncm.2020.44.2.80
Keywords biography, Berlioz, London, press, Philharmonic
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4784976
Publisher URL https://online.ucpress.edu/ncm/article-abstract/44/2/80/112931/Between-Beethoven-and-Mendelssohn-Biographical?redirectedFrom=fulltext

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