This is my will.
I jointly institute as my universal legatees my three nieces named below:
- Mrs. Mathilde Masclet née Pal in Grenoble (Isère)
- Miss Joséphine Suat in Vienne (Isère)
- Miss Nanci Suat in Vienne (Isère)
which, except for the effect of the special provisions which will follow and with which they will be responsible, will collect my entire estate on the day of my death.
The foregoing universal legacy being made to my nieces jointly, the share of each of them in the event of death (except in the case of children provided for below) will increase to the other two or to the survivor.
However, in the case of the existence of children of one of my universal legatees, the share of their deceased mother will devolve entirely to the children she has left behind.
Under the terms of two acts passed before Me Beaufeu notary in Paris, on July 24 and October 13, 1862, Mrs. widow Martin, my mother-in-law, is entitled to an annual and life annuity of 2,500 francs. Desiring after my death to increase this annuity to 2900 francs per year, I give and bequeath to him an annual and life annuity of four hundred francs under the same conditions as those stipulated in the act of July 24, 1862 and as guarantee for which Mrs. Martin will take a mortgage on the property designated in the act of October 13 or what will remain belonging to me. This will limit the security that I grant to Mrs. Martin.
I also give and bequeath to the said Lady Martin my mother-in-law the usufruct and use during her life of all the household effects and furnishings which will be in my apartment on the day of my death. Of course I don’t understand cash, values, etc. in this legacy. which the law calls movables, but only movable effects and furnishings.
A whole inventory will be made.
I give and bequeath to my servant Caroline Scheuer born in Berlingen, canton of Phalsbourg (Meurthe), if she is still in my service, the sum of three hundred francs of annual and life annuity.
I give and bequeath to Mrs. Estelle Fornier, who is currently living with her notary son in St Symphorien d’Azan (Isère), the sum of sixteen hundred francs of annual and life annuity. I beg her to accept this small amount as a memento of the feelings I have had for her all my life.
To guarantee the bequests that I have just made above, (other than that of Mrs. Martin) it will be taken from my estate or purchased good values in the necessary quantity so that the product is equivalent to the said annuities.
These values will be divided proportionally to these legacies and registered in the names of the life annuitants for usufruct and in the name of my universal legatees for bare ownership. All the above legacies, except that of Mrs. Martin, will be clear and net of transfer taxes which will be borne by my estate.
I give and bequeath to the library of the Paris Conservatory, of which I am the librarian, my four large handwritten scores (copies and autographs):
- Benvenuto Cellini, opera in 3 acts,
- The capture of Troy, opera in 3 acts,
- Les Troyens Ă Carthage, opera in 5 acts,
- Béatrice et Bénédict, opera in 2 acts;
it is up to the said library to lend these various manuscripts, if any publisher comes forward with the approval of my executors or my heirs, to have them engraved and published as they are. The large score of Les Troyens à Carthage belongs to Mr. Choudens, music publisher rue St Honoré no 265, who, by acquiring ownership of this work from me, undertook by contract to publish the large score one year after the score of piano. Mr. Choudens did not meet this condition, I did not want to put him on trial. My executors will do what they think is appropriate to oblige him to do so. But I absolutely demand, if Mr. Choudens decides to make this publication, that the score be published without cuts, without modifications, without the slightest deletion of text, in short absolutely as it is. It will be the same for the other three. Two of these, Benvenuto Cellini and Béatrice et Bénédict, will have to be published with German and French text. The German text will be found in the piano and song edition of Benvenuto published by Mayer in Brunswick, and in the piano and song edition of Béatrice published by Bote & Bock in Berlin. I very much hope that the German translation of The Capture of Troy and The Trojans at Carthage can also be published and made by Mr. Peter Cornelius, professor at the Munich Conservatory and who has already done several others for me with great talent.
I had twelve hundred copies printed at my own expense in a large volume of my Memoirs. This entire edition is stored in my room in the Conservatoire library. My executors, in agreement with my heirs, will want publish this work by selling either the 1st edition only, or the entire ownership of the work to a bookseller in Paris, Mr. Michel LĂ©vy, or Mr. Hachette, or any other. I also ask them to come to an agreement with Mr. Gustave Heinze, publisher in Leipzig, who wants to buy these memoirs to publish a German translation. If the German publisher buys my work, I would like the translation to be done by Miss Cornelius, sister of the professor my friend of whom I have already spoken, and who translates French books superiorly. In any case, if it is not her that we choose, I absolutely refuse as translators those who translated my three volumes, the Evenings of the Orchestra, the Grotesques of Music and Through Songs, which are teeming with misinterpretation.
My executors will kindly inquire with the directors of the Compositeurs Réunés office, rue du Faubourg Montmartre no. 17, about the means of sending to my universal legatees the small sums resulting from my royalties for the concerts and which must be perceived after my death for another fifty years.
I name as my executors, after having obtained authorization from them, my two friends Edouard Alexandre organ builder rue Meslay no 39, and Berthold Damcke German composer and professor of composition rue Mansart no 11 in Paris. I am too poor to leave each of them a souvenir of any value, but I ask Ed. Alexandre to receive my conductor’s batons, in silver gilt, silver and wood, which were given to me by different cities of Germany, and B. Damcke to take all those of my works in engraved score that he will find in the library cupboard of my study.
The handwritten scores of my operas that I mentioned above are in the mirrored wardrobe in my bedroom.
I give and bequeath to Mrs. Massart, piano teacher, rue de la Chaussée d’Antin no. 58, my English Shakespeare in one volume; to the famous lawyer Nogent de St Laurent, rue de Verneuil no 6, my Latin Virgil in one volume; and to Mr. Reyer my friend, editor of the musical series of the journal of debates and composer who will soon be famous, my Paul and Virginie annotated by my hand on the margins.
Paris, July 29, 1867
[signed:] Hector Berlioz
Codicil
In addition to what I gave to Mrs. Martin, my mother-in-law, by the above will, I give and bequeath to her a sum of eighteen thousand francs, net of all inheritance rights, of which she will only have the usufruct. without deposit or employment.
Paris, June 12, 1868
[signed:] Hector Berlioz