Composer Georges Bizet biography. George Bizet - biography, young and mature years of the great composer. Works for voice and piano

Biography of Georges Bizet - early years.
Georges Bizet was born in Paris on October 25, 1838. His full name is Alexandre-Cesar-Leopold Bizet, but his family called him Georges. Georges Bizet was brought up in an atmosphere of love for music: his father and maternal uncle were singing teachers, and his mother played the piano. She became his first music teacher. Bizet's talent manifested itself at a very early age: from the age of four he knew notes.
At the age of ten, Bizet entered the Paris Conservatory, where he studied for nine years. Bizet's teachers were the most famous musical figures in France: A. Marmontel, P. Zimmerman, composers F. Halévy and C. Gounod. Although Bizet himself later admitted that he was much more attracted to literature, he music lessons were very successful: already during his studies he wrote a lot musical compositions. Among them became best work a symphony he created at the age of 17, which is successfully performed to this day.
IN last year While studying, Bizet composed a cantata on an ancient legendary story, with which he took part in a competition to write a one-act operetta, and which received a prize. Bizet also received prizes at competitions in piano and organ playing, and his biggest award during his studies was the Grand Prix de Rome for the cantata “Clovis and Clotilde,” which gave him the opportunity to receive a state scholarship and a four-year residence in Italy.
After graduating from the conservatory, Bizet lived in Italy from 1857 to 1860. There he traveled a lot and studied his education, getting acquainted with local life. At that time, the young composer was at a crossroads: he had not yet found his theme in musical creativity. However, he decided on the form of presentation of his future works - for this he chose theatrical music. He was interested in Parisian opera premieres and musical theater, partly for mercantile reasons, since it was easier to achieve success in this area in those days.
During his stay in Italy, Bizet wrote the symphony-cantata “Vasco da Gama” and several orchestral pieces, some of which were later included in symphonic suite"Memories of Rome". The three years spent in Italy were a rather carefree time in the biography of Georges Bizet.
Upon returning to Paris, difficult times began for Bizet. Achieving recognition was not so easy, and Bizet earned money by giving private lessons, writing music to order in a light genre, and working with other people's works. Shortly after Bizet's arrival in Paris, his mother died. Constant overexertion, sudden declines creative forces, accompanying the composer throughout his life, became the reason for the short life of the brilliant composer.
But Bizet did not look for easy ways to recognition. Although he could have become an excellent pianist and more quickly achieved success in this field, he completely devoted himself to composing. “I don’t want to do anything for external success, brilliance, I want to have an idea before starting anything...” - this is how Bizet himself wrote about his choice. The diversity of his creative ideas can be judged by the unfinished works found, which Bizet did not manage to complete during his short life, such as the opera “Ivan the Terrible,” found only in the 30s of our century.
In 1863, the premiere of Bizet's opera The Pearl Fishers took place, which, although it ran for eighteen performances, was not a great success. Another Bizet opera, La Belle de Perth, was written in 1867 and also did not receive public approval. Bizet himself was forced to agree with the opinions of critics and survive this moment of crisis in his musical career. However, it was in “The Beauty of Perth” that the first features of Bizet’s realism appeared, who sought to change the style of comic opera, endowing it with deep life conflicts and feelings.
This was followed by the difficult year of 1868 in the biography of Georges Bizet, when, in addition to serious health problems, he experienced prolonged creative crisis. In 1869, Bizet married the daughter of his teacher, Genevieve Halévy, and in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, Bizet enlisted in the National Guard, which could not but have a heavy impact on the young family and the composer’s creative work.
Biography of Georges Bizet - mature years.
The 70s were a heyday creative biography Georges Bizet. In 1871, he began to study music again and composed the piano suite “Children's Games.”
Soon Bizet composed a one-act romantic opera "Djamile", and in 1872 the premiere of Alphonse Daudet's play "La Arlesienne" took place. The music written by Bizet for this play was included in the golden fund of world symphonic works and became a new milestone in Bizet’s creative biography. The premieres of these plays were unsuccessful, despite the high merits of Bizet's music. Bizet himself considered the opera “Djamile” the beginning of his new path. "Djamile" became a confirmation of Bizet's creative maturity. It is believed that it was this work that led the composer to his operatic masterpiece Carmen.
Despite the fact that “Carmen” was written for production at the Opera Comic Theater, it can only be formally attributed to this genre, since “Carmen” is, in fact, a musical drama in which the composer managed to vividly depict folk scenes and characters.
The premiere of "Carmen" took place in 1875 and was unsuccessful, which was very difficult for the composer and greatly affected his health. "Carmen" was appreciated after Bizet's death and was recognized as the pinnacle of his work a year after its unsuccessful premiere. Pyotr Tchaikovsky called Carmen a masterpiece, reflecting “to the strongest extent the musical aspirations of an entire era” and was convinced of the timeless popularity of the opera.
The uniqueness of Georges Bizet's work was expressed not only in the high merits of his music, but also in his deep understanding of theatrical music.
Georges Bizet died on June 3, 1875 from a heart attack.

Georges Bizet. "Carmen"

Georges BizetThe opera “Carmen” is the culmination of the entire work of the famous French composer Georges Bizet and one of the most best operas in the world. Moreover, Carmen was the last opera written by Bizet: its premiere took place on March 3, 1875, three months before the composer’s death. It is even believed that the composer’s premature departure was accelerated by the incredible scandal surrounding the opera: the audience considered the plot indecent and the music too complex and imitative. The production was not only unsuccessful, it seemed to be a colossal failure.

Main character opera, Carmen, is one of the most brilliant opera heroines. Passionate temperament, feminine attractiveness along with independence. This interpretation expressive image Reminds me a little of Carmen literary heroine, taken as a basis. Georges Bizet's Carmen is devoid of cunning, thievery, and everything petty and ordinary. Bizet added traits of tragic greatness to Carmen: at the cost own life she proves her right to love and be loved. It is probably this tragic nature of the heroine that makes her so attractive to viewers.

The opera's music is full of amazing melodies, and the plot is extremely dramatic. There is so much life and authenticity in her, which makes Carmen understandable and close to the viewer. "Carmen" is a unique masterpiece of opera music.

The plot of the opera "Carmen"

The main characters of the opera are the gypsy Carmen, Sergeant Don Jose, his bride Michaela and Georges Bizetoreador Escamillo. The main character is connected with smugglers, she seduces the sergeant, but over time her feelings for him cool, and Carmen falls in love with the bullfighter.

The complex vicissitudes of the relationships between the characters and their mixed feelings create a multilinear plot, but it is in this intricacy that Carmen’s sincerity and temperament, her independence and genuineness are revealed, and the whole range of complex relationships between the characters is outlined. And the genius of Georges Bizet is that musical means he so expressively demonstrated the inner integrity, purity and sincerity of Carmen's expression of feelings. Created by the composer, Carmen is the embodiment of female originality and charm, fearlessness and determination, the desire to remain herself no matter what.

Today there is probably not a person who does not know the opera “Carmen”. Everyone knows Suite No. 2 and March of the Toreadors. The music made this opera truly folk. However, this was not always the case.

Everyone knows that he worked on the opera Carmen famous composer Georges Bizet. He began work on this opera in 1874. The plot of this opera is taken from the novel by Prosper Merimee, which shares the same name with the opera. But to be more precise, it is the third chapter of this novel that is taken as the basis.

Of course, not everything in this opera is presented as in the novel. For example, in the opera itself, the scriptwriters have somewhat exaggerated the colors. Emphasizing in the characters exactly those traits that explained their behavior. But what is most important in this opera, as in everything that Georges Bizet wrote, “Carmen” was not just an opera for the bourgeoisie. Scenes taken from life ordinary people made this opera truly beloved by the people. After all, everything in it is clear and so close and at the same time not devoid of romance.

However, not everything was as it is now. And the opera "Carmen" was not accepted by Parisian society. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why he died great composer. Georges Bizet died three months after the premiere of Carmen. However, it cannot be said that at one time Carmen was a hopeless opera. After all, it was a great success in Eastern Europe and Russia. And Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky called this opera a Masterpiece, literally predicting universal love for it.

Everyone knows that the opera Carmen is a story about love. And it takes place in Spain. But what is most surprising is that Georges Bizet created the most Spanish opera without ever having been to Spain. And the opera “Carmen” itself has become a classic of Spanish music. After all, Suite No. 2 is considered the best example of classical flamenco. The basic rhythm of this suite still serves as the basis for many flamenco works. And “March of the Toreodores” is considered the best passadoble. So, in fact, “Carmen” is the most Spanish, French opera.

Georges Bizet's opera Carmen was first presented to audiences in 1875. The plot of the opera is taken from the work of Prospero Merimee. At the center of the events is the gypsy Carmen, whose actions and lifestyle affect and change the fates of those who find themselves next to her. Filled with the spirit of freedom and denial of laws, Carmen enjoys the attention of men without thinking about their feelings.

In Russia, the first production of the opera took place at the Mariinsky Theater, and subsequently went around all famous theater institutions. All 4 acts of the production are filled with action, bright colors And natural feelings. The audience fell in love with the opera precisely because of the abundance of passions, without pathos and high forms, because over the course of 2 hours we observe the story of the life of ordinary people who were unable to curb their desires. Although 100 years ago the opera was recognized as vulgar and ugly, and was highly discouraged from viewing by all well-known printed publications. Thanks to the media storm of the time, the opera was seen by many people, if only out of curiosity. It is impossible to imagine a better advertisement. The audience liked Carmen, and to this day the story of the free life and accidental death of a gypsy attracts a lot of people to the theater

Summary operas.
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, Carmena was arrested and brought to the police station. There she languishes awaiting 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

Final scene death against the backdrop of a public performance by Escamillo, who himself has already lost interest in Carmen, is the most memorable scene of the entire opera.

Alexandre Cesar Leopold Bizet(French: Alexandre-César-Léopold Bizet, received the name at baptism Georges, fr. Georges; October 25, 1838, Paris - June 3, 1875, Bougival) - French composer period of romanticism, author of orchestral works, romances, piano pieces, as well as operas, the most famous of which was “Carmen”.

He was born on October 25, 1838 in Paris in the family of singing teacher Adolphe Armand Bizet. He was registered under the name Alexandre-Cesar-Leopold Bizet, but at baptism he received the name Georges, by which he was later known. Initially he studied music with his mother Anna Leopoldina Aimé (nee Delsarte). Bizet entered the Paris Conservatoire two weeks before he turned 10 years old. He studied counterpoint and fugue with P. Zimmerman, as well as with his replacement, C. Gounod (later a friend of Bizet).

Already while studying at the conservatory (1848-1857), Bizet tried himself as a composer. During this period, he brilliantly mastered composing technique and performing skills. Franz Liszt, who heard Bizet perform his piano music, exclaimed: “ My God! I believed that this could be done by one person - me. But it turns out there are two of us!».

In 1857 he shared the prize with Charles Lecoq in a competition organized by Jacques Offenbach for the operetta Doctor Miracle and received the Prix de Rome. In the same year, Bizet submitted the cantata “Clovis and Clotilde” to the competition, for which he also received the Prix de Rome, which allowed him to live in Rome for a period three years, composing music and pursuing his education. The reporting work (the writing of which was mandatory for all laureates of the Rome Prize) was the opera “Don Procopio”. The opera was unknown to the public until 1895, when the composer C. Malherbe published a description of “Don Procopio,” which he found in the archives of the deceased director of the conservatory, Aubert. In 1906, in Malherbe's version (with recitatives written by him), Bizet's first opera was staged at the Teatro Monte Carlo.

With the exception of a period spent in Rome, Bizet lived his entire life in Paris. After a stay in Rome, he returned to Paris, where he devoted himself to writing music. In 1863 he wrote the opera The Pearl Fishers. During the same period, he wrote “The Beauty of Perth” (1867), a piece for piano “Children’s Games” (1870), music for Alphonse Daudet’s play “La Arlesienne” (1872). The premiere of "La Arlesienne" took place on October 11, 1872; Neither the play nor the music were successful with the public. The composer made a concert suite from the music for Arlesienne. In 1878, P. I. Tchaikovsky wrote to N. F. von Meck: “ Speaking of freshness in music, I recommend you the orchestral suite of the late Bizet “L" Arlesienne. It is a masterpiece of its kind.”. The second suite based on music for the play (“Pastoral”, “Intermezzo”, “Minuet”, “Farandola”) was composed by Guiraud after Bizet’s death.

In 1867, the magazine Revue Nationale et Etrangère offered Bizet a permanent collaboration as a music reviewer; Bizet's articles were published under the pseudonym Gaston de Betsy. He also wrote the romantic opera Djamile (1870), usually regarded as the predecessor of Carmen, and a symphony in C major. Bizet himself forgot about it, and the symphony was not remembered until 1935, when it was discovered in the library of the conservatory. The symphony is remarkable for its stylistic similarity to the music of Franz Schubert, which was almost unknown in Paris at that time, with the possible exception of a few songs. In 1874-1875, the composer worked on Carmen. In the summer of 1874, in Bougival, the composer finished the opera; the orchestration of the score took only two months. The opera premiered at the Opera-Comique theater in Paris on March 3, 1875 and ended in failure. After the premiere, Bizet was convinced that the work was a failure. He died of a heart attack just three months later, not knowing that Carmen would turn out to be the pinnacle of his success and forever be among the most recognizable and popular classical works peace. P.I. Tchaikovsky, who was a big fan of this opera, wrote: “... But here comes a Frenchman (whom I can boldly call a genius), for whom all these piquancies and spices are not the result of invention, but flow in a free stream, flatter the ear and at the same time touch and excite. He seems to be saying: “...you don’t want anything majestic, grandiose and strong, you want something pretty, so here’s something nice, joli. Bizet is an artist who pays tribute to the depravity of the tastes of his age, but is warmed by true, genuine feeling and inspiration».

Shortly after the production of Carmen, Bizet became seriously ill, and at the beginning of June 1875 there was a sudden deterioration, as a result of which he died on June 3 in Bougival. After a temporary burial in the Montmartre cemetery, Bizet's ashes were transferred to the Père Lachaise cemetery, where many prominent artists are buried. After Bizet's death, his works, with the exception of Carmen, were generally not widely recognized, their manuscripts were distributed or lost, and the published versions of the works were often revised and changed by other authors. Only after many years of oblivion did his works begin to be performed more and more often, and only from the 20th century did the name of Georges Bizet stand worthily on a par with the names of others outstanding composers. In his 36 years of life, he did not have time to create his own music school and did not have any obvious disciples or followers. Premature death Bizet at the very beginning of his heyday mature creativity is assessed as a significant and irreparable loss for world classical music.

On June 3, 1869, Georges Bizet married Geneviève Halévy, cousin of Louis Halévy, the creator of musical genre"operetta". In 1871, Georges and Genevieve had their only son, Jacques, who later became a close friend of Marcel Proust.

Memory

• Municipal Conservatory (French) Conservatoire municipal du 20e Georges Bizet) in the XX arrondissement of Paris bears his name.
• A square in Anderlecht (Brussels metropolitan area) is named in his honor.

Creation

Operas

• “Don Procopio” (opera buffa, in Italian, 1858-1859, staged 1906, Monte Carlo), also exists orchestrated by Leonid Feigin
• “Love the Artist” (French L’Amour peintre, libretto by Bizet, after J.B. Molière, 1860, not finished, not published)
• "Guzla Emir" (comic opera, 1861-1862)
• “The Pearl Seekers” (French Les Pecheurs de perles, 1862-1863, staged 1863, “Théâtre Lyricique”, Paris
• Ivan IV (1862-1865), staged in 1951 at the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
• "Nicola Flamel" (1866, fragments)
• “The Beauty of Perth” (French: La Jolie fille du Perth, 1866, staged 1867, “Théâtre Lyricique”, Paris)
• “The Cup of the King of Thule” (French: La Coupe du roi de Thule, 1868, fragments)
• "Clarissa Garlow" (comic opera, 1870-1871, fragments)
• "Calandar" (comic opera, 1870), Griselda (comic opera, 1870-1871, unfinished)
• “Djamile” (comic opera, 1871, staged 1872, Opera Comique theater, Paris)
• "Don Rodrigo" (1873, unfinished)
• “Carmen” (dramatic opera, 1873-1874, staged 1875, Opera Comique theater, Paris; recitatives written by E. Guiraud, after the death of Bizet, for production in Vienna, 1875)

Operettas

• Anastasia and Dmitry
• Malbrough is going on a campaign (Malbrough s’en va-t-en guerre, 1867, Athenaeum theater, Paris; Bizet owns the 1st act, the other 3 acts are by I. E. Legui, E. Jonas, L. Delibes)
• Sol-si-re-pif-pan (1872, Chateau d'eau Theater, Pas.)
• Angel and Tobia (L’Ange et Tobia, circa 1855-1857)
• Héloïse de Montfort (1855-1857)
• The Enchanted Knight (Le Chevalier enchanté, 1855-1857)
• Erminia (1855-1857)
• The Return of Virginia (Le Retour de Virginie, circa 1855-1857)
• David (1856)
• Clovis and Clotilde (1857)
• Doctor Miracle (1857)
• Song to the Age (Carmen seculaire, after Horace, 1860)
• The Marriage of Prometheus (Les Noces de Promethee, 1867)

Odes-symphonies

• Ulysses and Circe (after Homer, 1859)
• Vasco da Gama (1859-1860)

Oratorio

• Genevieve of Paris (1874-1875)

Works for choir and orchestra (or piano)

• Students' choir (Cheur d'etudiants, male choir, until 1855)
• Waltz (C major, 1855)
• Te Deum (for soloists, chorus and orchestra, 1858)
• Bay of Bahia (Le Golfe de Bahia, for soprano or tenor, chorus and piano, circa 1865; music used in the opera “Ivan the Terrible”, there is a reworking for piano)
• Ave Maria (for choir and orchestra, lyrics by C. Grandmougin, after 1867)
• Song of the Spinning Wheel (La Chanson du Rouet, for soloist, choir and piano, after 1867), etc.

For unaccompanied choir

• Saint John of Patmos (Saint-Jean de Pathmos, for male choir, words by V. Hugo, 1866)

Works for orchestra

• Symphonies (No. 1, C major, Youth, 1855, score published and performed 1935; No. 2, 1859, destroyed by Bizet)
• Rome (C-dur, 1871, originally - Memories of Rome, 1866-1868, performed 1869)
• Overtures, including Motherland (Patrie, 1873, performed 1874)
• Suites, including the Little Suite (Petite suite, from the piano duets of Children's Games, 1871, performed 1872), suites from Arlesian (No. 1, 1872; No. 2, composed by E. Guiraud, 1885)

Works for solo piano

• Great Concert Waltz (E major, 1854)
• Fantastic hunt
• (Chasse fantastique, 1865)
• Rhine Songs (Chant du Rhin, cycle of 6 songs, 1865)
• Concert Chromatic Variations (1868)

Piano duets

• Children's Games (Jeux d'enfants, 12 pieces for 2 pianos, 1871)

Works for voice and piano

• Including song cycles Leaves from the album (Feuilles d’album, 6 songs, 1866)
• Pyrenees Songs (Chants dee Pyrenees, 6 folk songs, 1867)

Music for a dramatic performance

• Arlesienne (drama by A. Daudet, 1872, Vaudeville Theater, Paris)

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Georges Bizet is a great French composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era. His works, not always appreciated by his contemporaries, outlived the creator. Opera "Carmen", a masterpiece musical art, has been gathering audiences for over 100 years the best theaters peace.

Childhood and youth

Georges Bizet was born on October 25, 1838 in Paris. Few people know that the composer's real name is Alexander Cesar Leopold, in honor of the great emperors, and Georges was received at baptism.

Georges' mother, Aimee, was a pianist, and her brother Francois Delsarte was a singer and vocal teacher. Father Adolf-Aman was engaged in making wigs for some time, and then became a singing teacher, despite the lack of special education.

In the house on Tour d'Auvergne street, music was constantly playing, captivating the child. Instead of playing with his peers, little Georges enthusiastically mastered musical notation, mother taught her son to play the piano.

At the age of 6, Bizet went to school and fell in love with reading, but Eme, seeing the boy’s amazing abilities for music, forced him to sit for hours at the piano. Thanks to this, on the eve of his 10th birthday, October 9, 1848, Georges entered the Paris Conservatory of Music as a volunteer in the class of Antoine Marmontel, the famous piano teacher of the 2nd half of the 19th century.

The future composer had perfect pitch and a phenomenal memory, he received first prize at the solfeggio competition, which gave him the right to free composition lessons from the famous teacher of the time, Pierre Zimmermann. The instrument was relegated to the background, and the dream of composing music for the theater appeared.

After graduating from piano class, Bizet began studying composition with Fromental Halévy, a teacher and artistic director of the Parisian Theater Italien. Composing music captivated the conservatory student, at which time he wrote many works in different genres.

In parallel with composition, Georges began playing the organ in the class of Professor François Benoit and soon won the second and then the first Conservatory prize for performing skills.

Music

During his studies, Bizet created the first musical works: “Symphony in C,” unknown until 1933, found in the archives of the Paris Conservatoire, and the comic opera “The House of the Doctor.”

The public's acquaintance with the aspiring composer took place after a creative competition announced by Jacques Offenbach, owner of the Bouffe-Parisienne theater in Montmartre. It was necessary to write a musical comedy play with the participation of 4 characters. Reward - gold medal and 1200 francs. Bizet presented the operetta Doctor Miracle to the jury and shared the prize with Charles Lecoq.

In 1857 for the Academy's annual competition fine arts the aspiring composer composed the cantata “Clovis and Clotilde”, became a laureate of the Rome Prize, received a grant and went on an internship to Rome. Bizet was enchanted by the beauty of Italy, he became interested in opera, and fell in love with music and paintings. In Rome, the composer was supposed to create a cantata under the terms of the grant, but instead composed the comic opera Don Procopio and the ode-symphony Vasco da Gamma.

In the fall of 1960, Bizet's foreign internship was forced to be interrupted due to his mother's illness, and he returned to Paris. The next 3 years became difficult in the composer's creative biography. Georges was forced to make a living by creating entertaining music for cafe-concerts and transcribing orchestral scores famous works for piano, give private lessons.

As Rome laureate, Bizet had to write comic work for the Opera-Comic theater, but this was impossible for personal reasons. In 1961, my mother died, and six months later the teacher Fromental Halévy died. In 1863, the composer, having overcome his experiences, created the lyrical opera “The Pearl Fishers”, and then the opera “The Perth Beauty” based on the plot.

In the 70s, Bizet's work began to flourish. The premiere of “Jamile” took place at the Opera Comique theater; critics and spectators appreciated the subtle style and grace of the Arabic motifs of the work. In 1872, the composer composed the music for Alphonse Daudet’s drama “The Arlesian”. The production was not successful and was remade by the author into an orchestral suite.

The pinnacle of Bizet's work was the opera Carmen, which was not appreciated during the author's lifetime. The 1875 premiere was a failure and caused a negative reaction from the press; the production was called scandalous and immoral. Despite this, the play was shown 45 times during the first year. Spectators went to see it out of curiosity, which doubled after the composer’s death.

Bizet did not live to see his creation recognized. The first positive reviews appeared a year after the premiere. "Carmen" was appreciated, Johannes Brahms. , who watched the production more than once during the year, wrote:

“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!”

The audience fell in love with the heroine, musical portrait which is woven from the sounds of habanera, polo, seguidilla. The bullfighter's couplets melted the hearts of the audience.

Personal life

Bizet's first love was the Italian Giuseppa. This relationship was not destined to last long, since the composer left Italy, and the girl did not follow him.

An interesting fact in the biography of the author of “Carmen” was his passion for Madame Mogador, known as the Countess de Chabrilan, the opera singer Madame Lionel, and the writer Celeste Venard. The lady was much older than Georges and enjoyed scandalous fame. The composer was not happy with her and suffered from mood swings and obscene antics. After the breakup I was depressed for a long time.

Bizet found happiness with the daughter of his teacher Fromental Halévy, Genevieve. The marriage was preceded by a stubborn struggle with the relatives of the chosen one, who were against the wedding. The young couple defended their love and got married on June 3, 1869, and settled in Barbizon, a popular place among creative people.

In 1870, the Franco-Prussian War began, the composer was drafted into the ranks of the National Guard, but was quickly released from service as a Rome Scholar. He took his young wife from Barbizon and returned to Paris, where he helped the defenders of the city as best he could.

On July 10, 1871, Genevieve gave birth to a son, the boy was named Jacques. According to rumors, the composer had two children, the second boy, Jean, from the maid Maria Reiter. Georges loved his son and wife, but could not be completely happy in his personal life. Genevieve considered her husband a loser and began an affair with pianist and neighbor Elie-Miriam Delaborde. Bizet knew about this and was very worried.

Death

Bizet's death still remains a mystery to researchers. It is known that this happened in Bougival, where the composer’s family, accompanied by the maid Maria Reiter and her son, went for the summer. They settled in a two-story house, which is still preserved; its photo is on the Internet.

Bizet was ill, but this did not stop him from going for a walk to the river on May 29, 1875, in the company of his wife and neighbor Delaborde. Georges loved to swim. He bathed in cold water. On May 30, the composer suffered from an attack of rheumatism with fever and unbearable pain, his arms and legs gave out. Happened a day later heart attack. When the doctor arrived, Bizet felt better, but not for long.

The patient spent the next day delirious, and in the evening the attack repeated. The composer died on June 3, 1875. The last person to see the composer alive was Delaborde. The doctor stated the cause of death: a cardiac complication of acute articular rheumatism.

The version voiced by the composer's friend Anthony de Choudan, who was the first to come to Bougeval upon learning about the tragedy, became sensational. He said that there was a cut wound on Bizet's neck that could have been inflicted by the last person to see Georges alive, namely Delaborde. The neighbor had reasons for murder, he was caring for Genevieve, and her husband stood in the way of happiness. Subsequently, Delaborde wanted to marry the composer's widow, but the wedding did not take place.

One more possible reason Researchers consider the death of the creator of “Carmen” to be suicide. In their opinion, the composer inflicted the wound on himself, trying to cut the trachea or artery. There were reasons for such an assumption. Lately Georges was depressed due to creative failures and illness. Before leaving for Bougeval, he put his papers in order and made important orders. The doctor who certified the death could have hidden the fact of suicide at the request of the relatives.

Documents confirming any of the versions have not survived. Genevieve's uncle, Louis Halévy, kept a diary that could shed light on the mystery of the composer's death, but the lines written after the sad event were destroyed. In addition, Bizet's widow demanded that friends and acquaintances get rid of Georges' letters over the past 5 years.

The composer was buried at the Père Lachaise cemetery. Excerpts from the works of the deceased were performed at the ceremony. A year later, a monument by Paul Dubois was erected on the grave with the inscription on the pedestal:

"Georges Bizet, his family and friends."

Works

Operas

• 1858-1859 – “Don Procopio”
• 1862-1863 – “Pearl Finders”
• 1862-1865 – “Ivan IV”
• 1866 – “Perth Beauty”
• 1873-1874 – “Carmen”

Operettas

• 1855-1857 – “Heloise de Montfort”
• 1855-1857 – “Return of Virginia”
• 1857 – “Clovis and Clotilde”
• 1857 – “Doctor Miracle”

Odes-symphonies

• 1859 – “Ulysses and Circe”
• 1859-1860 – “Vasco da Gama”

Works for orchestra

• 1866-1868 – “Rome” (“Memories of Rome”)
• 1873 – Overture “Motherland”

Bizet Georges (1838-1875), French composer.

Born on October 25, 1838 in Paris in the family of a singing teacher. Noticing his son's musical talent, his father sent him to study at the Paris Conservatory. Bizet graduated brilliantly in 1857 in the composition class of F. Halévy. Already in his senior year he wrote the operetta “Doctor Miracle”.

Upon graduating from the Conservatory, Bizet received the Rome Prize, which gave him the right to a long trip at public expense to Italy to improve his skills. In Italy he composed his first opera, Don Procopio (1859).

Returning to his homeland, Bizet made his debut on Parisian scene the opera “The Pearl Fishers” (1863). Soon the next opera was created - “The Beauty of Perth” (1866) based on the novel by W. Scott.

Despite all the musical merits, the opera did not bring success, and in 1867 Bizet again turned to the genre of operetta (“Malbrouck is ready to go on a campaign”), and in 1871 he created a new opera - “Djamile” based on the poem by A. Musset “Namuna "

The composer brought real fame and glory symphonic music to the drama by A. Daudet “La Arlesienne” (1872); Subsequently, two orchestral suites were composed from it. After Le L'Arlesienne, Bizet again turned to opera - in 1875 the famous Carmen was written based on P. Merimee's novella.

Now it’s hard to believe that the work, recognized as the pinnacle of French operatic realism, which went around all the opera stages of the world and became one of the most beloved and popular in the history of music, was not successful during its first production in Paris and was soon removed from the repertoire. The failure of his beloved brainchild had such an effect on Bizet, who had suffered from a heart defect since childhood, that it led to a tragic end - he died on June 3, 1875 in Paris.

After the composer’s death, the score of the opera “Ivan the Terrible” (1865) was found in his papers, which was first staged only in 1946. Tchaikovsky was the first to predict the immortality of the opera “Carmen.”

"Carmen"

Bizet began working on the opera Carmen in 1874. The opera is in four acts. Libretto by A. Meillac and L. Halévy based on the short story of the same name by P. Mérimée. The first presentation was on March 3, 1875 in Paris.

Characters:

Carmen, gypsy, mezzo-soprano cigar factory worker

Don Jose, foreman tenor

Escamillo, baritone bullfighter

Dancairo smugglers,
Romendado Barinon

Zuniga, captain bass

Morales, baritone sergeant

Micaela, Jose's soprano fiancée

Frasquita soprano,

Mercedes gypsy, Carmen's friend

Lilas-Pastya, tavern keeper without singing

Guide without singing

Officers, soldiers, street urchins, cigar factory workers, young men, gypsies and gypsies, smugglers, bullfighters, picadors, people.

The action takes place in Spain, around 1820.

PLOT

In the city square in Seville, near a cigar factory, a guard post was located. Dragoons, street urchins, and cigar factory workers with their lovers flash through the lively crowd. Carmen appears. Temperamental and courageous, she is used to ruling over everyone. A meeting with the dragoon Jose awakens passion in her. Her habanera - a song of free love - sounds like a challenge to Jose, and the flower thrown at his feet promises love. The arrival of Jose's fiancée Michaela temporarily makes him forget about the daring gypsy. He remembers his native village, home, mother, and indulges in bright dreams. And again Carmen breaks the peace. This time she is the culprit of a quarrel at the factory, and Jose must take her to prison. But the gypsy's charms are omnipotent. Conquered by them, Jose breaks the order and helps Carmen escape.

Fun is in full swing at the Lilas Pastya tavern. This is a secret meeting place for smugglers, whom Carmen helps. Together with her friends Frasquita and Mercedes, she spends her leisure time singing and dancing. The tavern's welcome guest is the bullfighter Escamillo. He is always cheerful, confident and brave. His life is full of worries, the fight in the arena is dangerous, but the hero’s reward is sweet - glory and the love of beauties. It's getting dark. Customers leave the tavern. Under the cover of darkness, smugglers gather for a risky trade. This time Carmen refuses to go with them. She is waiting for a friend. Jose comes to the tavern, but the joy of their meeting is short-lived. The war bugle calls the dragoon to the barracks. In his soul, passion fights with duty. Carmen is indignant. A quarrel is brewing between the lovers. Suddenly Zuniga appears - Jose’s boss, he hopes for Carmen’s favor. In a fit of jealousy, Jose draws his saber. The military oath has been violated, the path to returning to the barracks is cut off. Jose stays with Carmen to start new life full of worries and dangers.

In the dead of night, in the mountains, the smugglers made a stop. Carmen and Jose are with them. The quarrel in the tavern is not forgotten. The difference between lovers is too great. Dreaming of peaceful life a peasant, Jose suffers from betrayal of duty and longing for his home. Only his passionate love for Carmen keeps him in the smuggling camp. But Carmen no longer loves Jose, and a break between them is inevitable. Will the cards tell her something? They predicted happiness for their friends, but fate does not promise joy for Carmen: she read her death sentence in the cards. With deep sorrow she reflects on the future. Suddenly Escamillo arrives - he is in a hurry to meet Carmen. Jose blocks his way. Jealousy and indignation flare up in the soul of the dragoon. Carmen stops the rivals' fight. At this moment, Jose notices Micaela, who, having overcome her fear, came to the smugglers’ camp to take Jose away. Jose does not heed her words. Only the news brought by Michaela about fatal disease Jose's mother forces Jose to leave Carmen. But their meeting is ahead.

Bright sunny day. The square in Seville is full of people. The crowd eagerly awaits the start of the bullfight. Noisily and joyfully they greet the procession of bullfighting heroes, led by everyone's favorite Escamillo. Carmen also greets him. She is attracted to the cheerful, courageous Escamillo. Frasquita and Mercedes warn Carmen about the impending danger: Jose is constantly watching her. Carmen doesn't listen to them; she rushes to the circus. Jose stops her. He addresses Carmen tenderly and lovingly. Jose does not believe that she has fallen out of love. But Carmen’s answer is inexorable: it’s all over between them. “I was born free, and I will die free,” she proudly throws in Jose’s face. In a fit of anger, he stabs Carmen to death. By death she asserts her freedom.

"Carmen" is one of the masterpieces of opera. Music, full of life and light, brightly affirms freedom human personality. The drama of clashes and conflicts is deeply truthful. The characters of the opera are depicted juicily, temperamentally, in all the psychological complexity of their characters. The national Spanish flavor and setting of the drama were recreated with great skill. The strength of Carmen's optimism lies in the inextricable internal connection between the heroes and the people.