Bizet, Georges, << bee ZAY, zhawrzh >> (1838-1875), a French composer, wrote Carmen (1875), one of the most popular operas of all time. This violent love story was severely criticized at first. Critics said the murder scene was inappropriate for the stage, and called the story obscene and its characters repulsive. They did not realize that Bizet had created true-to-life characters, rather than the usual opera types. He based Carmen on a novelette by the French author Prosper Mérimée (see Mérimée, Prosper).
Bizet was born in Paris on Oct. 25, 1838, and became a student at the Paris Conservatory just before his 10th birthday. At 14, he won a first prize for piano playing. Even before he graduated in 1857, he had written his Symphony in C. This work was neglected during Bizet’s lifetime and was not published until 1935.
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Although Bizet was a brilliant pianist, his main interest was in composing, especially operas. He was an impulsive man, and started many works but completed only a few. His first important completed opera, The Pearl Fishers (1863), was poorly received. He gained his first recognition with his opera The Young Girl of Perth (1867). In 1872, Bizet wrote the incidental music for Alphonse Daudet’s play L’Arlésienne. The two orchestral suites that were created from music from this play rank among Bizet’s best compositions. His other important works include songs and pieces for solo piano.
Bizet’s music is very melodic—tightly organized with relatively simple yet creative orchestral accompaniment. These features brought new freshness to music of his time. He died on June 3, 1875.
