Les grotesques de la musique

by Hector Berlioz

"Les grotesques de la musique" by Hector Berlioz is a collection of articles published in 1859. Following his earlier work dedicated to orchestra musicians in a "civilized" German city, Berlioz now addresses the chorus artists of the Paris Opera in a "barbarous city." The volume compiles pieces previously published in French music journals, modified and expanded. Despite finding Berlioz's music difficult to hear, readers enthusiastically embraced his witty prose, making the book a notable public and critical success.