Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hector-Berlioz Museum is housed in the home of the romantic composer Hector Berlioz (1803-1869), located in La Côte-Saint-André en Isère. Built around 1680 and rebuilt in 1730 by his great grandfather, this bourgeois home houses the Berlioz family until 1848. Ranked a historical monument in 1942, it became a museum in 1935 thanks to family donations and associations, before being completely renovated in 2003 for the bicentenary of its birth.

The house, typical of the 18th-century Dauphinian architecture, preserves original decorations such as the Louis XV woodwork or a Louis XVI fresco in the library lounge. Hector Berlioz spent his childhood there, composed his first works, and returned regularly until his father's death in 1848. The museum now exhibits autograph scores, instruments (including an Erard piano), letters, and personal objects, illustrating his life and work.

Managed by the Isère department since 1996, the museum offers permanent exhibitions on Romanticism, Berlioz's biography, and his dual career as a musician and writer. An auditorium, a documentation centre, and temporary exhibitions (such as Berlioz in Russia in 2010) complete the offer. The site, labeled Musée de France and Maisons des Illustres, also hosts the Berlioz Festival since 1994, with concerts and conferences.

The building, located at 69 rue de la République, is partially accessible to people with reduced mobility (ground floor and garden). Its access is via the road (A48, exit Rives) or public transport (Grand-Lemps station at 10 km). Close to other monuments such as Louis XI Castle, it is part of a heritage path in the heart of the city.

The museum's collections include nearly 700 letters from Berlioz, musical manuscripts (Nuits d'Été, Benvenuto Cellini), and instruments belonging to the composer (guitar, clarinet). Prestigious gifts, such as those of conductor Edward Column or the Fantin-Latour family, enrich the fund. The Erard piano, found in 2014 after 150 years of disappearance, is one of the jewels of the place.

The museum also evokes Berlioz's European travels (London, St Petersburg) and his relations with figures such as Liszt, Hugo and Harriet Smithson, the mother of his son Louis. The restored rooms, such as his native room or his father's doctor's office, plunge the visitor back into the composer's privacy, between Dauphiné and the capital.

Collection

Le musée abrite de nombreux objets ayant appartenu à Hector Berlioz et sa famille, du mobilier, ainsi que des documents manuscrits.
Des tablettes numériques permettent par ailleurs d'accéder à l'ensemble de ses correspondances numérisées récemment.

Future

The Museum pursues its mission of living and (re)discovering the work of Hector Berlioz, through an annual program of rich and varied animations.

Temporary exposure

Jusqu'au 31 Décembre 2018, l'exposition "Sacré Berlioz!" revient sur les représentations d'Hector Berlioz à travers la photographie et les caricatures de son temps.

Temporary animation

Tout au long de l'année, un riche programme d'animations pour petits et grands : visites guidées de la maison natale gratuite chaque 1er dimanche du mois, visites guidées de l'exposition temporaire, concerts, conférences, ateliers et animations pour les enfants...

External links