Though Georges Bizet''s life was short, the composer is considered one of the finest French composers of the Romantic Era. Today, Georges Bizet''s "Carmen"is one of the world''s best-known operas.
Georges Bizet was born on Oct. 25, 1838, at 28 Rue de la Tour d''Auvergne in Paris, France. Bizet''s name was legally registered as Alexandre Csar Lopold Bizet. He was, however, baptized as Georges Bizet and always went by that name.
Bizet was a musical prodigy, entering the Paris Conservatory in 1848. In doing so, the rules of the conservatory were broken: Bizet was only 9. The minimum age of entrance was 10. Bizet was only two weeks away from his 10th birthday, however, and the rule was waived.
While at the conservatory, Georges Bizet studied under Fromental Halvy. The first Bizet symphony, "Symphony in C Major," was written while Bizet was at the conservatory.
In 1857, Bizet won the Prix de Rome Music Composition prize, which granted him a three-year scholarship to study at the French Academy''s Mancini palace in Rome. This was the only time that Bizet was to leave Paris.
While in Rome, Bizet wrote his first opera, "Don Procopio," and his only major work with a sacred theme, "Te Deum" or "A Song of the Church,"which remained unpublished until 1971.
Bizet returned to Paris in 1861, just before his mother died in September of that year. He became involved with his parent''s maid, who bore Bizet a son in June 1862.
In 1869, Bizet married Genvive Halvy, the daughter of his conservatory teacher Fromental Halvy. The next year, the Franco-Prussian War broke out. Despite ill health, Bizet enlisted in the National Guard.
Georges Bizet''s "Carmen," his most famous work, opened in Paris in 1875. Here are just a few words Parisian critics used to describe Georges Bizet''s greatest composition:
Georges Bizet''s "Carmen"did not meet with any success in its first showing. Bizet was disappointed and depressed by the public and critical rejection of his work.
Despite the criticism, Georges Bizet''s "obscene" and "undistinguished" opera has won the hearts of opera-goers in London, Brussels, Vienna and New York. "Carmen" has alsoreopened in Paris to rousing success.
Sadly, however, Bizet never knew of his success. His health, never good, worsened after the original rejection of "Carmen." He died June 3, 1875, of a double heart attack, five months before "Carmen"returned to Paris.
Georges Bizet''s "Carmen"is based on a novel by Prosper Mrime. The realistic depiction of love, passion and betrayal is a departure from the stylized drama of traditional opera. Bizet even included some spoken dialogue, although many productions of "Carmen"do not include these sections.
The plot of "Carmen" is wonderfully simple. Carmen, a Spanish gypsy working in a cigarette factory, seduces the hapless soldier Don Jos. Carmen then leaves him for the matador Escamillo. Don Jos finally kills Carmen in a fit of rage.
Bizet''s "Carmen"contains some of the most recognizable songs in all of opera. Most people have heard the Toreador''s song even if they have never attended an opera. Other well-known songs from "Carmen" include The March of the Urchins, Habaňera, the Letter Song and the Flower song.
In 1935 a Bizet symphony was found in the Paris Conservatory archives. Bizet''s "Symphony in C Major"was written in 1855, when the composer was 16 years old.
The Bizet "Symphony in C Major" is a remarkable achievement for a 16-year-old. Bizet himself must not have thought much of his early achievement, however. From all indications, it appears the composer forgot his early work even existed.
Georges Bizet''s life and his composing career were all too short. The work he did produce, however, was remarkable. Operas comprised the bulk of his work, and it was in this genre that Bizet truly shined.
Here''s are some of Bizet''s operas, listed chronologically:
Boynick, M. (updated October 10, 2000). Georges Bizet (1838 1875). Retrieved December 13, 2007, from the Classical Music Pages Web site: w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/bizet.html.
MyFiles (n.d.). Georges Bizet (1838 1875). Retrieved December 13, 2007, from the Myfiles Web site: www.mfiles.co.uk/composers/Georges-Bizet.htm.
Sony BMG Masterworks (2001). Georges Bizet. Retrieved December 13, 2007, from the Essentials of Music Web site: www.essentialsofmusic.com/composer/bizet.html.