Born: 11 December 1803 · Died: 8 March 1869 · Age at death: 65
How old was Hector Berlioz when he died?
Hector Berlioz died aged 65. He was born on 11 December 1803 and died on 8 March 1869.
French Romantic composer of the Symphonie fantastique and The Damnation of Faust, a pioneer of the modern orchestra
Did you know?He was originally sent to Paris to study medicine but abandoned his classes after being horrified by a dissecting room.
Quick facts
Date of birth11 December 1803
Date of death8 March 1869
Age at death65
NationalityFrench
BirthplaceLa Côte-Saint-André, France
Occupationconductor, writer, autobiographer
Editor's Take:
Hector Berlioz was Romanticism in sound. He was sent to Paris to study medicine but fled the dissecting room for music. His Symphonie fantastique tells the drug-fuelled story of an artist's obsessive love. He used huge orchestras and new instrumental colours. He was often more admired in Germany and Russia than in France. He also wrote sharp music criticism. His treatise on orchestration is still studied.
Key Milestones
1830: Symphonie fantastique – premiere
1830: Prix de Rome – wins
1837: Requiem – Grande Messe des morts
1844: Treatise on orchestration
Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic composer, conductor and critic.
