What was the name of the composer Bizet? Many scholars will immediately answer: Georges. This is both true and not entirely true. The great musician received the name Georges at baptism, but in fact his name was Alexander Cesar Leopold.
Childhood and early years
The future composer Bizet was born on October 25, 1838 in the capital of France, Paris. His father, Adolphe Bizet, made a living as a hairdresser and directly making wigs. A little later, Adolf began giving music lessons, although he did not have any primary education in the field of art. Georges' mother, Aimée, worked as a pianist, and her brother François Delsarte became famous as a talented singer and vocal teacher who performed at the courts of Napoleon III. Georges was the only child in the family. From an early age, he learned to play the piano from his mother, demonstrating amazing abilities, and already on October 9, 1848, two weeks before his tenth birthday, he entered the Paris Conservatory of Music. It was in this educational institution that the talented young man composed his first famous compositions.
Music career
In November 1855, at the age of seventeen, the young composer Bizet wrote his first symphony as homework. Until 1933, it remained unknown and was subsequently discovered quite by accident in the archives of the library of the Paris Conservatory. This symphony was first played in 1935, and it instantly received universal recognition as a masterpiece written by a young, but capable and spiritual musician.
In subsequent years, the young composer participated in various creative competitions, seeking to win cash prizes and prestigious prizes, and eventually won the competition of opera writers organized by Offenbach. Georges shared first place and a prize of 1200 francs with Charles Lecoq. In several other competitions, Bizet had already won an impressive grant, on which he lived comfortably for the next five years. Of these, he spent the first two years in Rome, a year in Germany and the last two years in Paris.
In his prime
In July 1860, after Georges had left Rome and was still traveling around Italy, he came up with the idea of writing a symphony in four movements, in which each fragment would represent the musical embodiment of an Italian city - respectively Rome, Venice, Florence and Naples . However, that same year, composer Bizet learned that his mother was seriously ill and was forced to end his Italian travels. In September 1860 he returned to Paris; a year later, the musician’s mother died. It was not until 1866 that he finally wrote the first version of the completed symphony. Until 1871, he adjusted his musical composition in every possible way - and suddenly died himself, without having time to bring the creation inspired by Italy to the ideal. In 1880 it was published under the title "Roman Symphony".
What did Bizet the composer actually become famous for? "Carmen" - an opera written based on the short story of the same name by the French writer Prosper Merimee, became his most significant and famous work. The main role, as conceived by the musician, was intended for a mezzo-soprano. The author wrote most of the opera in the summer of 1873, but it remained unfinished until the end of the next year, 1874. Probably due to problems in his personal life and separation from his wife for two whole months. Although Carmen was not very warmly received by listeners at first, it remains Bizet's best work.
Personal life
The composer Bizet married his late teacher's daughter, Geneviève Halévy, on June 3, 1869. When the Franco-Prussian War began in July of the following year, the musician, like many of his other creative compatriots, joined the French. Due to the war and post-war chaos, Georges suspended work on many works. On July 10, 1871, Genevieve gave birth to Georges' first and only child, a son named Jacques.
Death
The composer Bizet, whose biography is known to every professional musician today, died of a heart attack at the age of thirty-six. There were rumors that Elie-Miriam Delaborde, allegedly the illegitimate son of Charles-Valentin Alkan, could be indirectly responsible for the death of Georges, since shortly before the death of the latter, the two men staged a swimming competition, after which Bizet caught a severe cold and came down with a fever. At that time, murder and suicide were even suspected, since a wound similar to a gunshot was found on the left side of the composer’s neck. Historians, however, believe that this is what a lymph node looked like, which, due to a serious illness and a heart attack, swollen and ruptured. Bizet died on the sixth anniversary of his own marriage, exactly three months after the first performance of Carmen. His death came suddenly just when he began to find his own “adult”, unique style. Georges Bizet was buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris next to equally famous musicians Chopin and Rossini.
...I need theater: without it I am nothing.
J. Bizet
The French composer J. Bizet dedicated his short life to musical theater. The pinnacle of his work - "Carmen" - still remains one of the most beloved operas for many, many people.
Bizet grew up in a cultured, educated family; his father was a singing teacher, his mother played the piano. At the age of 4, Georges began studying music under the guidance of his mother. At the age of 10 he entered the Paris Conservatory. His teachers were the most prominent musicians in France: pianist A. Marmontel, theorist P. Zimmerman, opera composers F. Halévy and C. Gounod. Even then, Bizet’s versatile talent was revealed: he was a brilliant virtuoso pianist (F. Liszt himself admired his playing), repeatedly received prizes in theoretical disciplines, and was fond of playing the organ (later, having already gained fame, he studied with S. Frank).
During the conservatory years (1848-58), works full of youthful freshness and ease appeared, including the Symphony in C major and the comic opera The Doctor's House. Graduation from the conservatory was marked by receiving the Rome Prize for the cantata “Clovis and Clotilde”, which gave the right to a four-year stay in Italy and a state scholarship. At the same time, for a competition announced by J. Offenbach, Bizet wrote the operetta “Doctor Miracle,” which was also awarded a prize.
In Italy, Bizet, enchanted by the fertile southern nature, monuments of architecture and painting, worked a lot and fruitfully (1858-60). He studies art, reads many books, and comprehends beauty in all its manifestations. The ideal for Bizet is the beautiful, harmonious world of Mozart and Raphael. Truly French grace, generous melodic gift, and subtle taste have forever become integral features of the composer's style. Bizet is increasingly attracted to operatic music, which can “merge” with the phenomenon or hero depicted on stage. Instead of the cantata, which the composer was supposed to present in Paris, he writes the comic opera Don Procopio, in the tradition of G. Rossini. An ode-symphony “Vasco da Gama” is also being created.
The return to Paris was associated with the beginning of serious creative quests and at the same time hard, routine work for the sake of a piece of bread. Bizet has to make transcriptions of other people's opera scores, write entertaining music for cafe concerts and at the same time create new works, working 16 hours a day. “I'm working like a black man, I'm exhausted, I'm literally torn apart... I just finished romances for a new publisher. I'm afraid it turned out mediocre, but I need money. Money, always money - to hell! Following Gounod, Bizet turns to the genre of lyric opera. His “Pearl Seekers” (1863), where the natural expression of feelings is combined with oriental exoticism, evoked the praise of G. Berlioz. “The Beauty of Perth” (1867, based on the story by W. Scott) depicts the life of ordinary people. The success of these operas was not so great as to strengthen the position of the author. Self-criticism and a sober awareness of the shortcomings of “The Beauty of Perth” became the key to Bizet’s future achievements: “This is a spectacular play, but the characters are poorly outlined... The school of hackneyed roulades and lies is dead - dead forever! Let’s bury her without regret, without worry - and move on!” A number of plans of those years remained unfulfilled; The completed but generally unsuccessful opera “Ivan the Terrible” was not staged. In addition to operas, Bizet writes orchestral and chamber music: he completes the Rome Symphony, begun in Italy, writes pieces for piano for 4 hands “Children's Games” (some of them in the orchestral version formed the “Little Suite”), romances.
In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, when France was in a critical situation, Bizet joined the ranks of the National Guard. A few years later, his patriotic feelings found expression in the dramatic overture “Motherland” (1874). 70s - the flourishing of the composer's creativity. In 1872, the premiere of the opera “Djamile” (based on the poem by A. Musset) took place, which subtly transformed; intonations of Arabic folk music. It was a surprise for visitors to the Opera-Comique theater to see a work telling about selfless love, full of pure lyricism. True music connoisseurs and serious critics saw in “Jamila” the beginning of a new stage, the opening of new paths.
In the works of these years, the purity and grace of style (always inherent in Bizet) do not at all interfere with the truthful, uncompromising expression of the drama of life, its conflicts and tragic contradictions. Now the composer’s idols are V. Shakespeare, Michelangelo, L. Beethoven. In his article “Conversations on Music,” Bizet welcomes “a passionate, violent, sometimes even unbridled temperament like Verdi, which gives art a living, powerful work created from gold, dirt, bile and blood. I change my skin both as an artist and as a person,” Bizet says about himself.
One of the peaks of Bizet’s creativity is the music for A. Daudet’s drama “La Arlesienne” (1872). The production of the play was unsuccessful, and the composer compiled an orchestral suite from the best numbers (the second suite after Bizet’s death was compiled by his friend, composer E. Guiraud). As in previous works, Bizet gives the music a special, specific flavor of the scene. Here it is Provence, and the composer uses folk Provençal melodies and imbues the entire work with the spirit of Old French lyricism. The orchestra sounds colorful, light and transparent, Bizet achieves an amazing variety of effects: the ringing of bells, the sparkle of colors in the picture of a folk festival (“Farandola”), the refined chamber sound of a flute and harp (in the minuet from the Second Suite) and the sad “singing” of the saxophone (Bizet was the first to introduce this instrument into the symphony orchestra).
Bizet's last works were the unfinished opera Don Rodrigo (based on Corneille's drama The Cid) and Carmen, which placed its author among the world's greatest artists. The premiere of Carmen (1875) was also Bizet’s biggest failure in life: the opera failed with scandal and caused harsh criticism from the press. Three months later, on June 3, 1875, the composer died in the Paris suburb of Bougival.
Despite the fact that “Carmen” was staged at the Opera Comic Theater, it corresponds to this genre only in some formal characteristics. In essence, this is a musical drama that exposes the real contradictions of life. Bizet used the plot of P. Merimee's short story, but elevated its images to the meaning of poetic symbols. And at the same time, they are all “living” people with bright, unique characters. The composer brings into play folk scenes with their spontaneous manifestation of vitality, overflowing with energy. The gypsy beauty Carmen, the bullfighter Escamillo, and the smugglers are perceived as part of this free element. Creating a “portrait” of the main character, Bizet uses the melodies and rhythms of habanera, seguidilla, polo, etc.; at the same time, he managed to penetrate deeply into the spirit of Spanish music. Jose and his fiancée Micaela belong to a completely different world - cozy, far from the storms. Their duet is designed in pastel colors and soft romantic intonations. But Jose is literally “infected” by Carmen’s passion, her strength and uncompromisingness. An “ordinary” love drama rises to the tragedy of a clash of human characters, the strength of which surpasses the fear of death and defeats it. Bizet sings of beauty, the greatness of love, the intoxicating feeling of freedom; without preconceived moralizing, he truthfully reveals the light, the joy of life and its tragedy. This again reveals a deep spiritual kinship with the author of Don Juan, the great Mozart.
A year after the unsuccessful premiere, Carmen was staged triumphantly on the largest stages in Europe. For the production at the Grand Opera in Paris, E. Guiraud replaced spoken dialogues with recitatives and introduced a number of dances (from other works by Bizet) into the last act. In this edition the opera is known to today's listeners. In 1878, P. Tchaikovsky wrote that “Carmen is in the full sense a masterpiece, that is, one of those few things that are destined to reflect to the greatest extent the musical aspirations of an entire era... I am convinced that years from now ten "Carmen" will be the most popular opera in the world..."
K. Zenkin
The best progressive traditions of French culture found expression in Bizet's work. This is the highest point of realistic aspirations in French music of the 19th century. Bizet’s works vividly captured those features that Romain Rolland defined as typical national characteristics of one of the sides of the French genius: “...heroic efficiency, intoxication with reason, laughter, passion for light.” This, according to the writer, is “the France of Rabelais, Moliere and Diderot, and in music... the France of Berlioz and Bizet.”
Bizet's short life was filled with vigorous, intense creative work. It took him a while to find himself. But extraordinary personality the artist’s spirit was manifested in everything he did, although at first his ideological and artistic quests still lacked purposefulness. Over the years, Bizet's interest in the life of the people became increasingly stronger. A bold appeal to the subjects of everyday life helped him create images that were clearly snatched from the surrounding reality, to enrich contemporary art with new themes and unusually truthful, strong means of depicting healthy, full-blooded feelings in all their diversity
The social upsurge at the turn of the 60s and 70s caused an ideological turning point in Bizet’s work and directed him to the heights of his mastery. “Content, content first!” - he exclaimed in one of his letters during these years. He is attracted to art by the scope of thought, the breadth of concept, and the truthfulness of life. In his only article, published in 1867, Bizet wrote: “I hate pedantry and false erudition... People create tricks instead of creating. There are fewer and fewer composers, but parties and sects are multiplying indefinitely. Art is becoming poorer to the point of complete poverty, but technology is enriched by verbosity... Let us be spontaneous, truthful: we will not demand from a great artist those feelings that he lacks, and we will use those that he possesses. When a passionate, violent, even rude temperament, like Verdi, gives art a living and strong work, molded from gold, dirt, bile and blood, we do not think of telling him coldly: “But, sir, this is not elegant.” - Exquisite?.. What about Michelangelo, Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Rabelais exquisite?..».
This breadth of views, but at the same time integrity, allowed Bizet to love and respect a lot in the art of music. Along with Verdi, among the composers Bizet valued, Mozart, Rossini, and Schumann should be named. He did not know everything from Wagner’s operas (works from the post-Loengrin period were not yet known in France), but he admired his genius. “The charm of his music is incredible, incomprehensible. This is voluptuousness, pleasure, tenderness, love!.. This is not the music of the future, for such words mean nothing, but this is... the music of all times, since it is beautiful” (from a letter of 1871). Bizet treated Berlioz with a feeling of deep respect, but he loved Gounod more and spoke with cordial goodwill about the successes of his contemporaries - Saint-Saens, Massenet and others.
But above all he placed Beethoven, whom he idolized, calling him Titan, Prometheus; “...in his music,” he said, “the will is always strong.” It was the will to life, to action that Bizet praised in his works, demanding that feelings be expressed by “strong means.” An enemy of vagueness and pretentiousness in art, he wrote: “beauty is the unity of content and form.” “Without form there is no style,” said Bizet. He demanded from his students that everything be “done firmly.” “Try to make your style more melodic, the modulations more defined and distinct.” “Be musical,” he added, “write, first of all, beautiful music.” Such beauty and clarity, impulse, energy, strength and clarity of expression are inherent in the works of Bizet.
His main creative achievements are associated with the theater, for which he wrote five works (in addition, a number of works were not completed or, for one reason or another, were not staged). The attraction to theatrical and stage expressiveness, generally characteristic of French music, is very characteristic of Bizet. He once told Saint-Saëns: “I was not born for the symphony, I need the theater: without it I am nothing.” Bizet was right: it was not his instrumental works that brought him world fame, although their artistic merits are undoubted, but his latest works were the music for the drama “La Arlesienne” and the opera “Carmen”. In these works, Bizet's genius was fully revealed, his wise, clear and truthful skill in showing the great drama of people from the people, colorful pictures of life, its light and shadow sides. But the main thing is that with his music he perpetuated the unyielding will to happiness and an effective attitude towards life.
(1838-1875) French composer
Georges Bizet was born on October 25, 1838 in Paris. The future composer received his first music lessons from his musician parents. The boy's outstanding abilities were revealed early: at the age of four he already knew music, and at nine he entered the Paris Conservatory. The boy's phenomenal hearing, memory, and brilliant performing and composing abilities delighted his teachers. Bizet wanted to become a universal musician and even practiced playing the organ.
Even then, his talent manifested itself in various areas of musical creativity. While still at the conservatory, he composed a symphony, 3 operettas, several cantatas and overtures, as well as piano pieces (including a cycle of 12 pieces for 4 hands, “Children’s Games”). Soon Bizet brilliantly graduated from the Paris Conservatory, where he was taught by the famous composers C. Gounod and F. Halévy.
The young musician repeatedly received prizes at competitions at the conservatory, and upon completion of the course in 1857, he became a laureate of a competition in Rome and was awarded the right to spend 3 years in Italy to improve his music. For him it was a time of intense creative search. Bizet tried himself in various musical genres: he wrote a symphonic suite, a cantata, an operetta, piano pieces, and romances.
But, as it turned out, musical theater became his true calling. True, the path to creating your own original works was not easy. Upon returning from Italy, Bizet composed the opera “The Pearl Fishers” (1863) on an exotic plot, telling the love drama of Leila and Nadir, and then “The Beauty of Perth” (1867) based on the novel by Walter Scott. Both works were received coolly, but the composer did not give up his search. “I’m going through a crisis,” he said in those years.
New impressions caused by the events of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and the Paris Commune led to the creation of the lyrical opera “Djamile” (1872) based on the plot from the poem “Namuna” by A. de Musset. This opera marked the beginning of the composer's period of creative maturity.
Following the then fashionable passion for oriental exoticism, Bizet conveyed in his works the deep psychological experiences of the characters and showed himself to be a master of romantic opera. At the same time, he composed music for A. Daudet’s drama “The Arlesian”. Rich in colorful folk paintings, truthful and vivid images of heroes, it opened the way to the opera Carmen, which was Bizet’s greatest creative achievement and at the same time became his swan song.
Bizet began working on Carmen in 1873. Its plot is borrowed from a short story by the French writer Prosper Merimee, and the libretto was written by experienced writers A. Melyak and L. Halévy. Bizet boldly departed from the original and created a completely new work. “Carmen” is interesting not only for its realistic plot and romantic intrigue, but also for its bright, deep, dramatic music. The composer made the images of Merimee's heroes deeper and more original, giving each of them a musical characteristic that was refined in form. That is why “Carmen” still does not leave the world opera stage. According to P. I. Tchaikovsky, “Carmen” is destined to become the most popular opera in the world.”
Its premiere took place in March 1875. But, despite the fact that wonderful singers sang in the play, the production failed. Bright, expressive music was too unusual for the Parisian public. Bizet was shocked by what happened, because he had no doubt of success. A sudden illness broke him, and just three months after the premiere of Carmen, on June 3, 1875, he died in the Paris suburb of Bougival.
On July 8, 2017, we decided to go to the Carla Felicci Theater in Genoa to see the BALLET "Carmen" to the music of J. Bizet.
I always believed that there was only the opera "Carmen" to the music of Bizet.
There was a reason to talk about the wonderful French composer.
Bizet (Bizet) Georges born in Paris on October 25, 1838. His father is a singing teacher, his mother is a pianist (she was Bizet's first music teacher).
Georges I liked to study music with both my father, a singing teacher, and my mother, a professional pianist. At the same time, like any boy, he wanted to run around the streets and play with other children. The parents thought differently. At the age of four, the boy already knew notes and could play the piano, and two weeks before his tenth birthday he entered the Paris Conservatory. Childhood ended before it began. At thirteen Georges started composing music.
In 1848-57 he studied at the Paris Conservatory, where he studied with A. F. Marmontel (piano), F. Benoit (organ), P. Zimmermann and C. Gounod (counterpoint), F. Halévy (composition; Halévy’s daughter Genevieve became Bizet's wife in 1869).
Learn Georges it was easy, he grasped everything on the fly. At nineteen Bizet graduated from the conservatory and became the youngest laureate to receive the Grand Prix de Rome - for the cantata “Clovis and Clotilde”. This award provided the opportunity to travel to Italy for 4 years and receive a state scholarship.In Italy, Bizet, enchanted by the fertile southern nature, monuments of architecture and painting, worked a lot and fruitfully (1858-60). He studies art, reads many books, and comprehends beauty in all its manifestations. The ideal for Bizet is the beautiful, harmonious world of Mozart and Raphael. Truly French grace, generous melodic gift, and subtle taste have forever become integral features of the composer's style. Bizet is increasingly attracted to operatic music, which can “merge” with the phenomenon or hero depicted on stage. Instead of the cantata, which the composer was supposed to present in Paris, he writes the comic opera Don Procopio, in the tradition of G. Rossini.
In 1860, he completed the symphony-cantata “Vasco da Gama” (based on the epic poem “The Lusiads” by L. Camões). In the same year he returned to Paris, where to earn money he was forced to give private lessons, write dance music and arrange other people's works.
The return to Paris was associated with the beginning of serious creative quests and at the same time hard, routine work for the sake of a piece of bread. Bizet has to make transcriptions of other people's opera scores, write entertaining music for cafe concerts and at the same time create new works, working 16 hours a day. "I'm working like a black man, I'm exhausted, I'm literally torn apart... I've just finished romances for a new publisher. I'm afraid it turned out mediocre, but I need money. Money, always money - to hell!"
Bizet returned to Paris at the end of September 1860. The series of events in his life turned out to be much more tragic than his expectations.
Georges Bizet - Ernest L'Epin
Paris, autumn 1860“My mother is seriously ill. We have lost all hope of saving her. I don't have time for anything but tears. How bitter my return home is and how hateful Paris is to me.”
A year after Bizet returned to Paris, Aimé Bizet, his mother, perhaps his closest friend, died. Trying to somehow cope with the irreparable loss, Bizet tried to delve into his work. As a report to the Academy, he submitted the ode-symphony “Vasco da Gama”, almost completed in Italy, the symphonic plays “Scherzo” and “Funeral March”, agreed with one of the librettists of “Doctor Miracle” Ludovic Halevi - the nephew of his teacher F. Halevi - on the creation of a libretto for a comic opera. But after a few weeks he realized that creating slapstick music was out of the question.
Georges Bizet to Ludovic Halévy
Paris, October 1860“I can’t even think about writing... The death of my mother caused me the greatest grief... But I do not lose hope of working together with you.”
This hope will become a reality in Carmen.Six months after the death of his mother, Bizet faced a new blow. His teacher, composer Fromental Halévy, died. Bizet was his favorite student, and the master's death seemed to deprive him of his last support in the French opera world. Charles Gounod then provided friendly support to Bizet. But somehow she didn’t seem completely disinterested. Bizet was literally overwhelmed with the rough work of publishing and staging Gounod's operas.
In 1863, Bizet’s opera “The Pearl Fishers” was staged in Paris with an oriental plot that was then fashionable. Despite some melodically expressive numbers (the famous romance of Nadir from Act 1), the opera as a whole was not successful with the public, but received an approving review from G. Berlioz.
Listen to this romance performed by Placido Domingo. What divine music!
You can listen to the entire opera
And I want to present to you the Duet-memory of Nadir and Zurga “And there, among the flowers” is full of enthusiastic feeling; a smooth melody in the oriental spirit sounds against the backdrop of a magically transparent orchestral accompaniment.
The plot of the opera is quite simple: Zurga and Nadir love the same girl. In order not to become enemies, they part. Their beloved, Leila, took a vow of chastity; she became a priestess, helping pearl seekers with her singing. Zurga is elected leader, and Nadir returns. He realizes that he still loves Leila. Her heart has not yet cooled down either. Nadir strives to take her out of the temple on top of the cliff. As soon as he enters the temple, he is captured by order of the priest Nurabadu. Zurga wants to save her friend, but after learning that the priestess who broke her vow is Leila, she decides not to interfere. But suddenly he learns from Leila’s necklace that it was she who once saved his life, and distracts the attention of the villagers by setting their huts on fire. Nadir and Leila manage to escape. By order of the priest, Zurga is thrown into the fire.
“The Pearl Fishers” was the first opera commissioned by the young composer from the Parisian Théâtre-Lyric, the main theater of the French capital in the mid-19th century. Bizet composed the opera quickly. It was written in just a few months. After the premiere, Hector Berlioz wrote that the opera's score "contains many wonderful expressive moments, full of fire and rich color." “Pearl Finders” captivates with its melodic richness and dramatic expressiveness.
“Pearl Seekers” was first presented to audiences in September 1863 at the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris. During the composer's lifetime, The Searchers had no fans, as did other operas.
The next opera, “The Beauty of Perth” (based on the novel of the same name by W. Scott, 1867), was also received with restraint.
In 1867, Bizet published (under the pseudonym Gaston de Betzy) a polemical article “Conversation on Music” (“Causerie musicale”) - a kind of artistic manifesto, where he demanded spontaneity and truthfulness from the composer.
The success of these operas was not so great as to strengthen the position of the author. Self-criticism and a sober awareness of the shortcomings of “The Perth Beauty” became the key to Bizet’s future achievements. He wrote about his opera “The Beauty of Perth”: “This is a spectacular play, but the characters are poorly outlined... The school of hackneyed roulades and lies is dead - dead forever! Let’s bury her without regret, without worry - and move on!” A number of plans from those years remained unfulfilled.
He is 30 years old, but Georges is not yet married. Overweight and shortsighted, with curls that curled so tightly that it was difficult to comb them, Bizet did not consider himself attractive to women. He always spoke quickly, a little confusingly, and was sure that women did not like this manner of expression at all. The first time he met a two-room apartment was in Italy, but she did not follow him to France. The next attempt was when the young man was 28 years old.One day on the train Georges Bizet met Mogador - opera diva Madame Lionel, writer Celeste Venard, Countess de Chabrilan. She spent her youth in brothels, then became a dancer, and then became interested in literature and began to describe what she knew about life in novels. Her books did not sit on the shelves. They tried not to talk about them in decent houses, but every Parisian knew about the existence of this woman. During a meeting with Bizet the lovely Mogador was a widow and the owner of a musical theater, where she sang the main roles.He is twenty-eight, she is forty-two. All his hardships and sorrows were drowned in the unfeigned passion of this woman. The happiness was short-lived. Mogadors were plunged into mood swingsGeorges into despair. In a fit of anger, all the bad habits of the Mogadors woke up. Bizet with his delicate taste and vulnerable soul suffered. Mogador was getting old. She was haunted by financial troubles, and he could do nothing to help her. His income still barely paid the bills, and she had no need for his love. But break up with this woman Bizet was unable to. During another scandal, my beloved doused Georges a tub of cold water from head to toe. Bizet went out into the street, where the snow was quietly swirling.
“...I met an amazing girl whom I adore!”- letter to Bizet in 1867. Who is this adorable girl? This is Genevieve Halévy, daughter of Bizet's teacher Fromental Halévy, now deceased. It is worth saying a few words about the Halevi family. This is a wealthy, influential family. Its members: a banker, financier, historian (this is Leon Halévy, a member of the French Academy), a learned Talmudist (Genevieve’s grandfather), a religious researcher (Genevieve’s uncle Hippolyte Rodrigue), a famous opera composer (Fromental Halévy), a famous playwright and librettist (his nephew, Genevieve's cousin) Louis Halévy. Genevieve's mother, Leonie Halévy, is a very peculiar lady. In her youth she was a socialite, later she became an art collector and a talented sculptor (one of her works is kept in the Versailles Museum, another - a sculptural portrait of her husband - in the Paris City Hall).
Of course, such a family is in no hurry to become related to the unsuccessful composer Georges Bizet.
Georges Bizet - Edmond Galabert
October 1867“...I was deeply depressed. The hopes I had so cherished were shattered. - The family objected. I'm very unhappy."
November 1867
“Perhaps all is not lost yet...”
This state - “all is not lost yet” - lasted about a year and a half. The family reflected, either giving Genevieve and Georges, who were in love with each other, some kind of hope, then taking it away. Finally, Genevieve's stubbornness and Bizet's patience were rewarded.
Beginning of May 1869
“I’m telling you secretly. I'm getting married. We love each other. - I'm completely happy. We will be poor for a while, but what does it matter. Her dowry for now is 150,000 francs, later it will be 500,000. Don’t tell anyone anything.”
So, a year and a half after the refusal, consent to the marriage was received. It is possible that an important role in this decision was played by the fact that F. Halévy’s operas are gradually disappearing from the stage, and the composer’s widow sees in Bizet a musician capable of prolonging their lives. In any case, the marriage contract connects most of Genevieve’s dowry with the receipt of royalties from F. Halévy’s operas and, in addition, stipulates Bizet’s obligation, having urgently completed Halévy’s unfinished opera “Noah,” to achieve its production. (Bizet completed the opera, but it did not reach the stage during his lifetime.) However, then, when signing the marriage contract, the lover Bizet does not delve too deeply into all this operatic and financial casuistry.
Georges Bizet - Hippolyte Rodrigue
June 1869“I am incredibly happy, Genevieve is amazingly good. We are in love with each other and we love you for making our life together possible.”
Hippolyte Rodrigue is the only one from the Halevi clan who sympathized with this marriage. The wedding posed the problem of faith for the future spouses for the families of Bizet and Genevieve. But when asked to convert to Catholicism (the zealous Catholic Gounod advocated this), Genevieve replied: “I’m not so religious as to change religion.” It was decided to abandon the church marriage. For Bizet this did not matter. The appearance of Genevieve in his life was for him a “meeting with a miracle.” He saw in his wife the embodiment of an ideal, “open to everything bright, to all changes, not believing in either the God of the Jews or the God of Christians, but believing in honor, duty and morality.”Louis Halévy. Diary.“Today Genevieve became Bizet’s wife. How happy she is, poor and dear child! How many disasters have surrounded it in recent years! How much grief and how much loss. If anyone has the right to ask life for a little peace and happiness, it is Genevieve. Bizet has intelligence and talent. He will succeed."
Later, facts became obvious to Bizet that completely discouraged him. His wife's mother suffers from recurring bouts of insanity. Her husband F. Halevi left his wife more than once and returned again. In the first year of marriage, he reached complete nervous exhaustion. Mental instability, severe depression and neuroses are also characteristic of her daughter. (Proust’s biographer called Genevieve “the queen of neurasthenia.”) Genevieve’s childhood was not happy. She repeatedly ran away from home and lived with some relatives and then with others. Perhaps this determined the daughter’s relationship with her mother. Her daughter loved her, but only from afar. Communication with her mother was torment for her. If Leonie Halévy appeared at Bizet’s house, her daughter would become hysterical. Bizet, who loved his wife and treated his mother-in-law without any hostility, found himself between two fires.
These two women constantly claimed the composer's time and peace of mind. Added to all this was a cold, suspicious attitude towards any action of Bizet on the part of almost all of his wife’s relatives. Life sometimes turned into hell. And the fact that in all these situations Bizet managed, showing patience and calm prudence, to never allow himself to be thrown off balance is a simply amazing fact. It is not for us to condemn the woman whom Bizet loved. But, reflecting on his post-wedding life, it is difficult to dispute the gloomy conclusion of biographer Bizet Savinov, “On June 3, 1869, he married Geneviève Halévy. The clock was started. Exactly six years later - to the day - he was gone.”
In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, when France was in a critical situation, Bizet joined the ranks of the National Guard. A few years later, his patriotic feelings found expression in the dramatic overture “Motherland” (1874). 70s - the flourishing of the composer's creativity. In 1872, the premiere of the opera “Djamile” (based on the poem by A. Musset) took place, which subtly transformed; intonations of Arabic folk music. It was a surprise for visitors to the Opera-Comique theater to see a work telling about selfless love, full of pure lyricism. True music connoisseurs and serious critics saw in “Jamila” the beginning of a new stage, the opening of new paths.In the works of these years, the purity and grace of style (always inherent in Bizet) do not at all interfere with the truthful, uncompromising expression of the drama of life, its conflicts and tragic contradictions. Now the composer’s idols are V. Shakespeare, Michelangelo, L. Beethoven.
The 1870s marked the heyday of the composer’s creative activity, focusing on music for the theater. The opera “Djamile” (based on the poem “Namuna” by A. de Musset, staged in 1872, Paris) is devoid of conventionally “oriental” features; Using authentic Arabic melodies, Bizet subtly recreated the national flavor (the opera takes place in Cairo). The pinnacle of Bizet’s creativity is the music for A. Daudet’s drama “La Arlesienne” (1872, Vaudeville Theater, Paris; on its basis Bizet composed a suite, 1872; the so-called 2nd suite from “La Arlesienne” was composed by Bizet’s friend, the composer E. . Giro, 1885)
1875 - Carmen
Before talking about music, listen to this great opera, which, ironically, was the last opera of J. Bizet, who was only 37 years old.
Bizet- "Carmen". State Academic Bolshoi Theater of the USSR. 1982 Georges Bizet - "Carmen". The Bolshoi Theater's classic production of the famous opera by Georges Bizet. Stage director and choreographer: Rostislav Zakharov. Conducted by Mark Ermler. The main parties are executed: Carmen - Elena Obraztsova, Don Hose - Vladimir Atlantov, Escamillo - Yuri Mazurok, Michael - Lyudmila Sergienko, Fraskita - Irina Zhurina, Mercedes - Tatyana Tugarinova, Morales - Igor Morozov, Remendado - Andrey Sokolov, Dankayro - Vladislav Pashinsky, Vladislav Pashinsky, Vladislav Pashinsky, Vladislav Pashinsky, Tsuniga - Yuri Korolev.
The prototype of Carmen is Mogadar, whom we talked about - she was 42 years old and he was 28. Bizet sincerely fell in love with her, and Mogadar laughed at his love. She acted cruelly to Georges in the presence of her relatives, driving out and ridiculing the young man. Mogadar herself suffered mental trauma as a child; her mother’s husband raped the girl and constantly threatened her; Having gone to a brothel, she gained strength and the ability to attract men...
She understood that she was getting old and Bizet was young. By expelling Bizet from her life, she hurt Georges' pride. He was very worried about the separation. But - c’est la vie, as the French say! Fate brings great people together so that they can be inspired by the Muse.
Brief summary of the opera.
Carmen is a beautiful, hot-tempered, temperamental gypsy who works in a cigarette factory. Because of a fight that broke out among the factory workers, Carmen was arrested and taken to the police station. There she languishes waiting for a warrant, and Sergeant Jose guards her. The gypsy was able to fall in love with him and persuade him to release him. Jose at that time had a fiancée, a good position and a single mother, but his meeting with Carmen turned his whole life upside down. He lets her go, and loses his job and respect, becoming a simple soldier.
Carmen continues to have fun, visiting pubs and collaborating with smugglers. Along the way, he flirts with Escamillo, a famous handsome bullfighter. Jose, who raised his hand against his boss in the heat of a quarrel, has no choice but to stay with his Carmen and her friends who are illegally transporting goods. He loves her madly, he has long forgotten about his bride, but Carmen changes her feelings according to her mood, and Jose is bored with her. After all, Escamillo appeared on the horizon, rich and famous, who promised to fight in her honor. The ending is predictable and tragic. As Jose did not beg Carmen to return to him, she says in harsh terms that it is all over. Then Jose kills his beloved so that no one gets her.
The final death scene against the backdrop of a public speech by Escamillo, who himself has already lost interest in Carmen, is the most memorable scene of the entire opera.
Few 19th-century operas can compare with this one: the world of music would be incomplete without Carmen (here you can watch Carmen on the stage of the Paris Opera), and Bizet would only have to write this opera to become Bizet. But the audience at the Opera Comique did not think so when, in 1875, they first received the opera with increasing indifference and even indignation. Particular rejection was caused by the most stormy scenes and the realistic performance of Marie-Celestine Galli-Marier, the performer of the leading role, who later contributed to the establishment of Bizet’s masterpiece on the stage. During the premiere, Gounod, Thomas and Massenet were present in the hall, praising the author only out of politeness. The libretto, to which the composer himself made changes several times, belonged to two masters of the light genre - Halévy (cousin of Bizet's wife) and Méillac, who initially entertained the audience in collaboration with Offenbach, and then independently, creating comedies that were very much appreciated. They drew the plot from Mérimée's novella (even earlier proposed to him by Bizet) and had to work hard to get it accepted into the Opera Comique, where a love story with a bloody end and against a rather common background caused considerable confusion. This theater, which, however, always tried to be less traditional, was visited by the well-intentioned bourgeoisie, who used the performances to arrange the marriage affairs of their children. The variety of characters, mostly ambiguous, that Merimee introduced into his short story - gypsies, thieves, smugglers, cigar factory workers, women of easy virtue and bullfighters - did not contribute to the maintenance of good morals. The librettists managed to create a lively Spanish flavor, they highlighted several bright images, framing them with exquisite choirs and dances, and added to this rather dark company an innocent and pure character - young Michaela, who, although she remained outside the threshold of the action, made it possible to create a number of integral and touching musical pages.
The music embodied the librettists' vision with a precise sense of proportion; this music combined the sensitivity, ardor and strong flavor of Spanish folklore, partly authentic and partly composed, and was intended to give pleasure even to a hostile taste. But this did not happen. Nevertheless, despite the failure, Carmen lasted forty-five performances in the year of its premiere. This was a real record, which was certainly facilitated by curiosity and the desire to see a “scandalous” performance of its kind. After the thirty-fifth performance, there was also added shock caused by the death of the still young author, killed, as they said, by undeserved failure. The first signs of real approval for the opera appeared after the Viennese production in October of the same year (in which spoken dialogues were replaced by recitatives), which attracted the attention and approval of such masters as Brahms and Wagner. Tchaikovsky saw “Carmen” in Paris more than once throughout 1876 and wrote the following enthusiastic words in one of his 1880 letters to von Meck: “... I don’t know anything in music that has a greater right to represent an element that I call pretty, le joli... There are many piquant harmonies, completely new sound combinations, but all this is not an exclusive goal. Bizet is an artist who pays tribute to the century and modernity, but is warmed by true inspiration. And what a wonderful plot of the opera! I can’t play the last scene without tears!” And that some melodies and harmonies, as well as a partial instrumental color, subsequently had an influence on himself is beyond any doubt: Bizet portrayed too well the passion flaring up and raging in the soul of a beauty, as if spoiled by her own beauty - the beauty and depravity of the heroine feed flame of tragedy.
“Carmen” was received with hostility by the public, its “base” plot was considered immoral, its music was considered ugly; the performance was removed from the stage. Bizet died suddenly 3 months after the premiere. The triumphant success of the opera on the world stage began after the production in 1875 in Vienna, for which E. Guiraud replaced the spoken dialogues with recitatives and supplemented the 4th ballet numbers from the music to “La Arlesienne” and from “The Beauty of Perth”. In 1878, Carmen was first staged in Russia (St. Petersburg, in Italian), and in 1883 it was revived in Paris. P. I. Tchaikovsky became an admirer of Bizet, who found in “Carmen” “an abyss of harmonic courage.” “Carmen” still remains one of the most repertoire operas on the world stage.
The Russian premiere took place in 1885 (Mariinsky Theatre, conductor Napravnik, as Carmen Slavina). Carmen has enjoyed unprecedented popularity for over 100 years. Her fiery melodies: habanera “L'amour est oiseau rebelle”, couplets of the bullfighter “Votre toast”, heartfelt lyrical episodes (José’s aria “with a flower” from 2 d., etc.) are heard as well as the most popular folk and pop songs . In 1967, Karajan staged the film-opera “Carmen” with the participation of Bumbry, Vickers, and Freni. A new version of the opera was filmed in 1983 by F. Rosi (director Maazel, soloists Migenes-Johnson, Domingo, etc.). Among the productions of recent years, we note the 1996 performances at the Metropolitan Opera (Graves in the title role) and at the Mariinsky Theater (director Gergiev).
The opera premiered on March 3, 1875, three months before the composer's death. The premiere was a failure, friends turned away from the composer, Georges' wife left the hall arm in arm with her lover.
There is an assumption that Bizet died of a broken heart, and there is an assumption that he committed suicide.
Oh women, your name is “PERFORMANCE”!
It is interesting to note that the ballet Carmen, based on the story of the same name by Prosper Merimee, was first staged in 1845 under the title “Carmen and the Toreador” (French: “Carmen et son toréro”) by choreographer Marius Petipa at the Teatro del Circo in Madrid. But after the birth of Georges Bizet’s music in 1875, all subsequent performances were staged specifically to Bizet’s music for the opera “Carmen.” The famous French choreographer Roland Petit (French Roland Petit) staged the ballet “Carmen” on February 21, 1949. based on Bizet's opera, on tour in London, on a tour called “Les Ballets de Paris au Prince's Theatre”. The choreographer himself performed the part of Don José, and entrusted the part of Carmen to his wife Zizi Jeanmaire (Renée Jeanmaire), Escamillo was performed by Serge Perrault. Later, the role of Jose in the choreography of Roland Petit was performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Maya Plisetskaya turned to Dmitry Shostakovich with a request to write music for Carmen, but the composer refused, not wanting, according to him, to compete with Georges Bizet. Then she asked Aram Khachaturian about this, but was again refused. She was advised to contact her husband, Rodion Shchedrin, also a composer.
- Do it on Bizet! - said Alonso... The deadlines were pressing, the music was needed “yesterday”. Then Shchedrin, who was fluent in the profession of orchestration, significantly rearranged the musical material of Bizet's opera. Rehearsals began with the piano. The music for the ballet consisted of melodic fragments of the opera "Carmen" and the suite " big theater in Moscow (Carmen - Maya Plisetskaya). In 1970, I was able to watch this performance on the stage of the Bolshoi. I was impressed. The press wrote at the time:
“All of Carmen-Plisetskaya’s movements carried a special meaning, a challenge, a protest: a mocking movement of the shoulder, an outstretched hip, a sharp turn of the head, and a piercing glance from under her brows... It is impossible to forget how Carmen Plisetskaya - like a frozen sphinx - looked at the dance of the Toreador, and her entire static pose conveyed colossal internal tension: she captivated the audience, captivated their attention, unwittingly (or deliberately?) distracting them from the Toreador’s spectacular solo.
The new Jose is very young. But age itself is not an artistic category. And does not allow discounts for lack of experience. Godunov played age in subtle psychological manifestations. His Jose is wary and distrustful. Trouble awaits people. From life: - tricks. We are vulnerable and proud. The first exit, the first pose - a freeze frame, heroically sustained face to face with the audience. A living portrait of the fair-haired and light-eyed (in accordance with the portrait created by Mérimée) Jose. Large strict features. The wolf cub's gaze is sullen. Expression of aloofness. Behind the mask you can guess the true human essence - the vulnerability of the soul thrown into the World and hostile to the world. You contemplate the portrait with interest.
And so he came to life and “spoke.” The syncopated “speech” was perceived by Godunov accurately and organically. It was not without reason that he was prepared for his debut by the talented dancer Azary Plisetsky, who knew both the part and the entire ballet very well from his own experience. Hence the carefully worked out, carefully polished details that make up the stage life of the image."
THIS IS HOW WE GOT TO KNOW THE GREAT Georges Bizet.
I hope you liked it.
See you again!
The Frenchman Georges Bizet was a great theater composer. The most iconic work in his work was the opera “,” which to this day remains famous and beloved by the public.
Bizet was brought up in an intellectual environment: his father taught singing, and his mother was a pianist. She began to teach four-year-old Georges how to play this instrument. At the age of ten he entered the Paris Conservatory. There he was taught by great French musicians: Antoine Marmontel, Pierre Zimmermann, Fromental Halévy, Charles Gounod. Bizet's talent was obvious: the boy played the piano masterfully, became a winner in theoretical competitions, and became interested in playing the organ.
While studying at the conservatory, Bizet created the relaxed Symphony in C major and the comic opera The House of the Doctor. After graduating from the conservatory, the composer received the Prix de Rome for his cantata Clovis and Clotilde, which provided him with a four-year residence in Italy and a scholarship. At the same time, Bizet wrote the operetta “Doctor Miracle” and won with it a competition announced by Jacques Offenbach.
Staying in Italy has a beneficial effect on the young composer. He is inspired by picturesque southern nature, masterpieces of architecture and painting, and books about art. Bizet plunges into the creative world of Mozart and Raphael. His creativity becomes elegant, his taste becomes subtle, his melodies become rich. He is attracted to opera music, its ability to be an integral part of stage performance. Under the influence of the works, he creates the comic opera “Don Procopio” and the ode-symphony “Vasco da Gama”.
After this, Bizet returns to Paris, and here the pangs of creativity and time of lack of money begin. He rearranges opera scores by other composers, writes music for cafe concerts, working for a piece of bread. In parallel with this, he tries to write new serious works, turning to lyrical opera. He creates the opera "" (1863), rich in the atmosphere of the East, and "The Beauty of Perth" (1867), telling about the life of ordinary people. These works were a huge success with the public, which improved the composer's position. Following this, Bizet wrote the not very successful opera “Ivan the Terrible”, which the audience never saw. The author begins to compose music for large and chamber orchestras. Such works include the symphony “Rome”, the piano ensemble “Children’s Games”, and romances.
Georges Bizet also openly expresses his civic position. In 1870, he joined the National Guard, fighting in the Franco-Prussian War. The fruit of this period of his life was the patriotic overture “Motherland” (1874). This decade marks the heyday of Bizet's creative life. In 1872, the premiere of the opera “Djamile”, based on the poem by Alfred de Musset, took place with great success. The production, which tells about pure love, opens up new horizons in the musician’s work.
Bizet's works are distinguished by their uncompromising and truthful depiction of life's tragedies, combined with the filigree of style. The author idolizes William Shakespeare, Michelangelo,...
One of Bizet's masterpieces is the accompaniment to Alphonse Daudet's drama Les Arlesiennes (1872). The action takes place in Provence, and the music, in which the composer includes folk motifs, reflects the unique flavor of this region of France. The orchestra sounds relaxed and bright. In the music you can hear bells and the sounds of folk festivals. It is in this work that Bizet introduces the saxophone to the symphony orchestra.
In the last years of his life, Bizet created the unfinished opera Don Rodrigo and Carmen (1875), which brought him his greatest fame.
The opera Carmen is a musical drama that exposes the contradictions of life. It is based on the plot of Prosper Merimee, but the author’s images are full of poetic symbols. All characters have individual characters: the beautiful gypsy Carmen, the bullfighter Escamillo, the smugglers... These heroes are free and spontaneous, their energy is powerful and passionate. Thinking through these images, Bizet is imbued with Spanish music and uses the rhythms of habanera, seguidilla and polo. They are contrasted with the calm and cozy world of Jose and Michaela. Romantic intonations can be traced in their duet. The collision of the worlds of Carmen and Jose turns an ordinary love drama into a tragedy in which love, passion and freedom are glorified.
It's hard to believe that the premiere of this opera failed miserably. The press and public reacted sharply negatively to her.
Three months later, on June 3, 1875, the composer died without knowing the further fate of his creation: literally a year after the disastrous premiere, “Carmen” triumphantly took place on the largest stages in Europe.
Musical Seasons
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