Judged by the criteria we apply to Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert–namely use of the medium, and what is expressed through this use–Berlioz is one of the greatest musical artists. This estimate is not the generally accepted one you will find in the histories of music and appreciation manuals; it is, however, what I have discovered to be true from my listening to the music; and this is not only a better way of arriving at authoritative knowledge and opinion on the subject but, in Berlioz’s case, a highly enjoyable way, which I therefore recommend to other people.1
I suggest, that is, listening to the song Au Cimetière from Les Nuits d’été—a setting of this poem by Gautier:
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