BERLIOZ HECTOR: (1803-1869) French Composer. A rare and very interesting A.L.S. ...

BERLIOZ HECTOR: (1803-1869) French Composer. A rare and very interesting A.L.S., `H.B.´, three pages, 8vo, Paris, 12th October 1837, to his mother, in French. Berlioz apologizes for his long silence and explains the reasons, including the composition of his Requiem, stating in part `Ne soyez pas fachée, chère maman, si j´ai demeuré si longtemps sans vous écrire; vous ne pouvez de si loin avoir une idée exacte de ma vie, depuis que ce monsieur de Montalivet me tient le bec dans l´eau pour mes quatre mille francs. Je n´ai encore pu obtenir ni ce qui m´est du, ni ce qu´on doit au copiste et aux choristes qui avaient commencé les répétitions... on n´a encore payé ni les architectes ni les maçons ni les artificiers etc.., mais il n´en est pas moins vrai que que c´est indigne, et que mes quatre mille francs me font horriblement faute. Il m´a donc fallu travailler pour réparer le plus possible le temps perdu pendant les quatre mois que j´ai mis à composer le requiem...´ (Translation: "Do not be angry, dear mother, if I have remained so long without writing to you; you cannot have an exact idea of ​​my life from so far away, since this Mr. Montalivet has been holding me up for my four thousand francs. I have not yet been able to obtain what is due to me, nor what is owed to the copyist and the choristers who had begun rehearsals... we have not yet paid the architects, the masons, the artificers, etc., but it is no less true that it is unworthy, and that my four thousand francs are a horrid failure. I have therefore had to work to make up as much as possible for the time lost during the four months it took me to compose the requiem...") Further Berlioz refers to members of the family, to his young son Louis and to his father, forwarding to him messages and support. Further again and before concluding Berlioz refers to the burial he attended a day earlier of his teacher Lesueur, stating `Vous avez appris par les journaux la mort de mon pauvre maitre Lesueur. Nous l´avons enterré hier en grande pompe. C´était une bien triste cérémonie pour nous ses élèves qui y assistions en évidence. La plupart des membres de l´Institut et des artistes de tous les rangs l´ont accompagné au cimetière. On m´a fait tenir un coin du drap mortuaire avec Halevy et deux autres membres de l´Institut. J´ai déjà bien souvent assisté à des solemnités de cette nature, mais ce pauvre homme avait été si constamment bon pour moi que la contenance et le sang froid étaient difficiles à garder cette fois...´ (Translation: "You have learned from the newspapers of the death of my poor master Lesueur. We buried him yesterday with great pomp. It was a very sad ceremony for us, his students, who where ther in conspicuous attendance. Most of the members of the Institute and artists of all ranks accompanied him to the cemetery. I was asked to hold a corner of the funeral pall with Halevy and two other members of the Institute. I have often attended solemnities of this nature, but this poor man had been so constantly good to me that it was difficult to keep my composure this time...") With address to the verso, written in his hand to "Madame Berlioz" and postmarked. VG

The Grande Messe des Morts or Requiem, opus 5, was composed in 1837, and as Berlioz states in the present letter in October, it took him four months to compose it. The Requiem is one of his most acclaimed works, using an orchestration with an unprecedented number of instruments.

Jean François Lesueur (1760-1837) French Composer. Composer of the Royal Chapel and Conductor of the orchestra of the Opera. Among his composition pupils at the Paris Conservatoire were Berlioz, Gounod and Ambroise Thomas.

Fromental Halevy (1799-1862) French Composer, best known for his opera La Juive (1835).