Hector Berlioz

Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, conductor and critic, born at La Côte-Saint-André, who left medical studies in Paris for music against his family's wishes. His refusal to follow traditional rules set him at odds with the conservative musical establishment of Paris, though he won the Prix de Rome in 1830. His works include the Symphonie fantastique, inspired by the actress Harriet Smithson, Harold in Italy, the Requiem, La Damnation de Faust and the operas Benvenuto Cellini, Les Troyens and Béatrice et Bénédict. Meeting only occasional success in France, he gained an international reputation as a conductor, and his Treatise on Instrumentation (1844) was influential.