Berlioz's Mysterious Amélie

Authors

Pascal Beyls, Independent scholarFollow
Peter Bloom, Smith CollegeFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In September 1864, in a letter to his long-time confidante, the Princess Carolyne von Sayn-Wittgenstein, Berlioz mentioned the name of the woman with whom, as he had earlier confided to the Princess, he had conducted a brief but passionate affair: “her name was Amélie.” Until now, the Berlioz scholars have been unable properly to identify this mysterious person. From other letters and documents, including Ernest Legouvé’s Soixante ans de souvenirs, we have known the approximate dates of the beginning and ending of the relationship. But only now, on the basis of the birth and death certificates of the woman and the family in question, and on the basis of a newly discovered report, included in this article, are we able to provide information about her and her family’s occupation, and her full name.

Recommended Citation

Beyls, Pascal and Bloom, Peter (2023) "Berlioz's Mysterious Amélie," Music & Musical Performance: : Iss. 4.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/mmp/vol1/iss4/3