The Story of Hector Berlioz

Sample passage:
He studied by himself Rameau’s treatise on harmony, but could not comprehend it, though he burned the midnight oil, until suddenly, by a kind of mystic enlightenment due to practice in Pleyel’s quartets, the fundamental principles established themselves in his mind. Then he sat down and wrote a six-part potpourri on Italian themes, and a quintet for flute, violin, viola, and bass-viol. Two months later he composed another quintet, which was so difficult that none of them could play it. All of these pieces, naturally enough, were in the minor, and breathed the most gloomy melancholy. They were inspired by hopeless love.

About the author:
Nathan H. Dole (1852-1935) was an American author, editor, and translator. Other works include “Young Folks’ History of Russia,” “The Greek Poets,” and “The Life of Count Tolstoi.”