Georges Bizet is known as the composer of the famous opera Carmen, but other aspects of his life and work may be less familiar. Bizet was born on October 25, 1838, christened Alexandre-César-Léopold Bizet. His parents were musical (a singing teacher and an amateur pianist) and Bizet showed precocious musical ability at a very young age. He was admitted to the Paris Conservatory at 9 years old (the usual minimum age was 10) and won the coveted and prestigious Prix de Rome before turning 20. His first Symphony in C was written in 1855, at the age of 17. The symphony was lost and not rediscovered until 1935, but has since become a popular work both on the concert stage and on the radio.

The young Bizet was independent-minded and distrustful of religious institutions. He reportedly had a moody and rather quarrelsome temperament, but is also described as being open, sincere, and energetic. He married Geneviève Halévy in 1869, and they were very happy initially, though problems later arose and the marriage was strained during the last few years of his life.

Like many composers, Bizet had a difficult time making a living solely from composing, and took on other jobs including working as a piano accompanist (he was an excellent pianist and sight-reader) and transcribing and arranging works by other composers. A quote attributed to Bizet may be a familiar sentiment to many musicians, past and present: "Ah, music! What a beautiful art! But what a wretched profession!"

Due to Bizet’s untimely death, Carmen was his final opera. The period leading up to its premiere was fraught with various difficulties, from producers’ concerns about the scandalous themes of the story to complaints from singers and musicians about the difficulty of the score. It was premiered on March 3, 1875, and initial reactions were mixed, though it did have a respectable first run of 45 performances.

Sadly, Bizet died of a heart attack a few months later, and did not live to see his opera become one of the most popular in the entire repertoire, nor to continue developing his innovative styles of drama and music. Bizet was 36 years old at his death, and had only recently come into his own as a mature composer. Had he lived longer, he might have become one of the most prominent composers in late 19th-century France.

Quite a few of Bizet’s compositions were unfinished, and unfortunately many of the autograph scores did not survive. Some of his other works that have entered the repertoire, in addition to Carmen and the Symphony in C, include the operas Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers) and La jolie fille de Perth (The Fair Maid of Perth),  incidental music for the play L’arlésienne, and Jeux d’enfants for piano four hands. His second symphony (also in C), begun during his time in Rome, was eventually completed in 1868 and published posthumously as the “Roma” suite.

Tune in today — Bizet’s birthday — to hear some of his colorful, exciting and tuneful works on WHRO-FM, WHRJ and WHRF. 

 

A Sample of Bizet's Music: