Bizet Georges

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 in a very early age: Already from the age of four he knew the 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 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 seventeen, 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 greatest 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 at that time.
During his stay in Italy, Bizet wrote the symphony-cantata “Vasco da Gama” and several orchestral pieces, some of which were later included in the 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 light genre and worked with other people's works. Shortly after Bizet's arrival in Paris, his mother died. Constant overexertion and sharp declines in creative strength that accompanied 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 crisis moment 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 he, in addition to serious problems
I experienced a long creative crisis with my health.
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.” 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 Comic Opera Theater, it can only be formally attributed to this genre, since "Carmen" is, in fact, a musical drama in which the composer managed to clearly 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. heart attack.

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Bizet, Georges (1838–1875), French composer. Alexandre Cesar Leopold Bizet (at baptism he received the name Georges) was born in Paris on October 25, 1838 in musical family: His father and maternal uncle taught singing. At the age of nine he entered the Paris Conservatory. He studied brilliantly in the piano class with A.F. Marmontel and in the composition class with P. Zimmerman, J.F.F. Halévy and C. Gounod; was awarded many awards. In 1857 he was awarded the prestigious Prix de Rome; by that time he had completed a symphony in C major, and Bizet's one-act operetta Doctor Miracle (Le Docteur Miracle) was awarded first prize at a competition established by J. Offenbach.

Bizet spent about three years in Rome, where the beauty of nature and art had a stronger effect on him than Italian music. In the comic opera Don Procopio, written during this period, he imitates Donizetti in many ways; however, from contemporary composers greatest influence on him for a long time provided by Gounod, and among his predecessors - Mozart and Rossini. An extremely gifted pianist, Bizet earned the recognition of Liszt himself, who listened to him play in May 1861 - a few months after Bizet returned from Rome to Paris.

As usual, Bizet immediately began composing an opera if he liked the libretto, but soon grew cold and left the work unfinished (one of his biographers counted about 20 such fruitless attempts). The composer's first completed and staged opera was The Pearl Fishers (Les Pecheurs de perles, 1863); despite the obvious influence of Gounod and J. Meyerbeer, the charm of lyricism and exotic oriental flavor ensured her a place of honor in the French operatic repertoire. Possessing outstanding talent, Bizet could barely make ends meet and was forced to work part-time in music publishing houses. Day labor took up a lot of his time, undermined his health and distracted him from serious creativity. The next completed opera, The Perth Beauty (La jolie fille de Perth), was written in 1866 and staged at the end of 1867. The weak libretto and the composer’s forced concessions to the prima donna undoubtedly affected the quality of the score, but it still contains a lot of wonderful material that Bizet later used in other works.

Bizet’s versatile talent allowed him to begin creating a grand opera, but the first works in which his creative possibilities(not counting the early symphony), there were pieces for piano duet Children's Games (Jeux d'enfants, 1871), a one-act opera by Djamileh (Djamileh, 1872) and music for A. Daudet's drama L'Arlsienne, 1872. Bizet's marriage in 1869 to Genevieve Halévy, the daughter of his old teacher, streamlined his life and brought balance to his feelings; in the trials that befell him during the Franco-Prussian War (Bizet served in the National Guard) and in the days of the Paris Commune, his personality acquired true depth.

In the cycle Children's Games, Bizet showed himself as a master of witty and lyrical miniatures; in Jamila he continued to perfect his original orchestral writing, his gift for recreating local color and depicting poetic characters, already evident in The Pearl Fishers. The music to Arlesienne indicates further creative growth composer: in several dances, intermezzos and “melodramas” he managed to convey not only the atmosphere of Provence, but also the lyrical and tragic element of Daudet’s drama.

The excellent libretto chosen by Bizet for the next opera corresponded for the first time to the uniqueness of his talent: it was a dramatization of Prosper Mérimée's short story Carmen, made by A. Melhac and L. Halévy. Bizet began work in 1872, but the premiere at the Parisian Opera Comique did not take place until March 3, 1875. An impressive success in Vienna Opera(October 1875) allowed us to imagine the true value of the work. Bizet died on June 3, 1875.

my opinion
orchestra-man

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 the Parisian stage with 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 was about to go on a campaign”), and in 1871 he created new opera- “Djamila” based on the poem “Namuna” by A. Musset.

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 a work recognized as the pinnacle of French operatic realism has gone around all over the world. opera scenes world and which became one of the most beloved and popular in the history of music, was not successful when first staged 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 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 a quiet life as a peasant, Jose suffers from betrayal of duty, from longing for 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 Micaela about her mother’s fatal illness 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.

...I need the theater: without it I am nothing.
J. Bizet

My short life French composer J. Bizet dedicated 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 cultural 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 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: completes the Rome symphony, begun in Italy, writes pieces for piano for 4 hands “Children's Games” (some of them in the orchestral version made up 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; Arabic intonation 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) by no means 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 best rooms composed an orchestral suite (the second suite after Bizet’s death was composed 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: this bell ringing.

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 introduces folk scenes with their spontaneous manifestation vitality, overflowing 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 kept in pastel colors, 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 found expression in Bizet’s work French culture. This - highest point realistic aspirations in French music of the XIX century. Bizet's works clearly depicted those features that Romain Rolland defined as typical national characteristics one of the sides of the French genius: “...heroic efficiency, intoxication of 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 ebullient, 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 modern Art 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 musical art. Along with Verdi, among the composers Bizet valued, Mozart, Rossini, and Schumann should be named. He didn’t know everything from Wagner’s operas (works from the post-Lohengrin 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). With feeling deep respect Bizet related to Berlioz, 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.

Basic it 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 compositions that brought him world fame, although their artistic merits are undoubted, but last works- 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.

Born on October 25, 1838 in Paris in the family of a singing teacher. He was registered under the name Alexandre-Cesar-Leopold Bizet, but at baptism he received the name Georges, by which he was later known. Bizet entered the Paris Conservatoire two weeks before he turned ten.

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.

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”. 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", music for Alphonse Daudet's play "The Arlesian" and a piece for piano "Child's Games". He also wrote the romantic opera Djamile, 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. 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.

After Bizet's death, his works, with the exception of Carmen, were generally not widely recognized, their manuscripts were given away 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 in the 20th century did the name of Georges Bizet stand on a par with the names of other 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. Bizet's premature death at the very beginning of the flowering of his mature creativity is assessed as a significant and irreparable loss for world classical music.

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