Berlioz in Paris
Cimetière de Montmartre
Berlioz, together with his two wives Harriet Smithson (†1854) and Marie Recio (†1862), is buried in the Cimetière de Montmartre, along an avenue of the cemetery called after him (Berlioz relates the interment of his wives here in his Memoirs, Postface). The present monument dates from 1970, and was set up by national subscription at the initiative of Henri Poussigue. Berlioz’s remains were scheduled to be removed to the Panthéon in 2003, the year of the bicentenary of his birth, but the project has now been cancelled altogether.
We have also included in this page scanned images of Berlioz’s tomb as it was in 1884 and in the 1920s.
Many friends and contemporaries of Berlioz
are also buried at Montmartre cemetery. They include Théophile Gautier, Heinrich
Heine, Frédérick Lemaître,
Adolphe Sax, Horace Vernet, Pauline Garcia Viardot, and Alfred de Vigny, among
others.
Plaque at the gate of Montmartre cemetery
Avenue Berlioz
Berlioz’s tomb, covered with red and yellow flowers, is situated by the first tree on the left.
Berlioz’s tomb in 1887
This picture is taken from: Hector Berlioz: Sa Vie et ses
Œuvres, by Adolphe Jullien, 1888, Paris: La Librairie de l’Art. (in our
collection)
See also The inauguration
of Berlioz’s
funeral monument, published in Le Monde Illustré, 19 March 1887.
This picture is taken from: Hector Berlioz: Sa Vie et ses
Œuvres, by Adolphe Jullien, 1888, Paris: La Librairie de l’Art. (in our
collection)
Berlioz’s tomb in the 1920s
When Berlioz’s tomb was renovated in 1970 the sign "Berlioz" at the top was transferred to the cemetery in La Côte Saint-André, and placed above the tombs of Berlioz’s parents.
The photo is taken from Ernest Reyer, ‘Hector Berlioz: Biographical notes and personal reminiscences’, in The International Library of Music, 1925. New York: The University Society (in our collection). See also this site an earlier publication of the same article in 1893.
Homage to Berlioz on 11 December 2003
(Homage)
© 2000-2007 (unless otherwise stated) Michel Austin and Monir Tayeb for all the photos, engravings and information on this and other Berlioz in Paris pages
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