Hector Berlioz

Louis-Hector Berlioz was born 11 December 1803, the elder son of a provincial physician who expected him to enter medicine. He attended a Parisian medical college before defying his family to pursue music, putting him at odds with the conservative Paris establishment that viewed his refusal to follow traditional rules as incoherent. He won the Prix de Rome in 1830 by briefly moderating his style, though he learned little from the Conservatoire academics. His three operas met mixed fates: Benvenuto Cellini failed outright, the epic Les Troyens was never staged in full during his lifetime, and Béatrice et Bénédict succeeded at premiere but didn't stick. Meeting only occasional success in France as a composer, he turned increasingly to conducting and music criticism, gaining international reputation in Germany, Britain and Russia. He died in Paris on 8 March 1869, at sixty-five.