Tristia (Berlioz)

For the work by the poet Ovid, see Tristia.

Tristia Op. 18 is a musical work consisting of three short pieces for orchestra and chorus by the French composer Hector Berlioz. Apart from its title, it has nothing to do with the collection of Latin poems by Ovid (the word tristia in Latin means 'sad things'). The individual works were composed at different times and published together in 1852. Berlioz associated them in his mind with Shakespeare's Hamlet, one of his favourite plays. They were never performed during the composer's lifetime.

Details of the work

The three movements are:

1. Méditation religieuse (Religious Meditation) A setting of a poem by Thomas Moore (translated into French by Louise Belloc) for six-part chorus and small orchestra. It was composed during Berlioz's stay in Rome in 1831.
2. La Mort d'Ophélie (The death of Ophelia) A setting of a ballade by Ernest Legouvé, based on Gertrude's description of Ophelia's drowning in Act IV of Hamlet. It was originally composed for solo voice and piano in 1842 but in 1848 Berlioz revised it for female choir and orchestra.
3. Marche funèbre pour la dernière scène d'Hamlet (Funeral March for the final scene of Hamlet) Probably composed in 1844 for a stage performance of Hamlet which never took place. This is the most famous of the three pieces. It uses wordless chorus and orchestra and culminates in a volley of musketry.

References

• David Cairns: Berlioz: Servitude and Greatness (the second volume of his biography of the composer) (Viking, 1999)
• Hugh Macdonald: Berlioz ("The Master Musicians", J.M.Dent, 1982)
• Berlioz: Memoirs (Dover, 1960)

External links

• Information on the Funeral March