Britannica
Sources used in this answer
What kind of work is Harold en Italie?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz.
Harold in Italy, Op. 16, is a symphony in four movements featuring a viola solo, composed by Hector Berlioz in 1834.1
Commissioned by the virtuoso NiccolĂČ Paganini, the work was inspired by Berliozâs travels in the Italian region of Abruzzi and the character of a melancholy dreamer modeled after Lord Byronâs Childe Harold. Berlioz designed the piece as a series of orchestral scenes where the solo viola acts as an individual character, observing and participating in the musical narrative across its four movements.1