Bizet, Georges (1838–1875), French composer. Alexandre Cesar Leopold Bizet (baptized as Georges) was born in Paris on October 25, 1838. 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 fine arts 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, among contemporary composers, the greatest influence on him for a long time was 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 provided her with an honorable place in French opera 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 grand opera, however, 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 improve his original orchestral writing, gift for recreating local color and image poetic characters, already evident in The Pearl Fishers. The music for Le d'Arlesienne testifies to the composer's further creative growth: 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. Melhak 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

Georges Bizet short biography French composer outlined in this article.

Georges Bizet short biography

Alexandre César Leopold Bizet was born October 25, 1838 to Paris in a musical family. The boy's talent was discovered early: at the age of four he already knew all the notes, and at the age of nine he entered the famous Paris Conservatory. He had phenomenal hearing, memory, brilliant pianistic and compositional abilities, which delighted all his teachers.

Bizet was awarded more than once at conservatory competitions, and after completing courses at the conservatory in 1857, he was awarded the right to spend 3 whole years in Italy for the purpose of improvement. These were years of intense creative search. The composer tried own strength in various musical genres: he created symphonic suite, one-act operetta, cantata, piano romances and plays. But Bizet's true vocation was musical theater.

Upon returning from Italy, he wrote the opera “The Pearl Fishers” (1863) on an exotic plot, telling about the love drama of Leila and Nadir, and after that “The Beauty of Perth” (1867). Both musical works were not successful, and the composer continued his intense search for something new in his work. “I am going through a crisis,” he wrote in those years.

The opera "Djamile" (1872) marked the onset of his creative maturity— psychological expressiveness is perfectly combined in her music with brightness oriental flavor. Then the music was created for A. Daudet’s drama “The Arlesian”. Opera " Carmen“, was Bizet’s greatest creative achievement and at the same time his swan song. But its premiere ended in 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.

Georges Bizet. Pages of life and creativity

Georges Bizet (1838-1875)

Georges Bizet was born in 1838 in Paris. His father, a singing teacher, discovered amazing musical abilities and sent him to the Paris Conservatory, where he studied piano with Marmontel, organ with Benois, harmony with Zimmermann and composition with Halévy.

During his studies at the conservatory, Bizet took part in nine competitions and took first place in all of them.

In 1857, after graduating from the conservatory, he received the Rome Prize and went to Italy to improve his skills there. It was there in Italy, in addition to music, that another passion of Bizet appeared.

Overweight and shortsighted, with curls that curled so tightly that they were difficult to comb, 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. His hands were also constantly sweating, which he was also terribly embarrassed about and blushed all the time.

Georges met the funny and flirtatious Giuseppa in Italy and, of course, began inviting her to Paris. The young man was intoxicated with happiness and kept repeating: “I’m not rich, but making money is so easy. Two successful comic operas, and we will live like kings.” The letter about his mother's illness took him by surprise. He left with Giuseppa's promise to come as soon as his mother felt better.

Father grieved in one room, Georges in another. Money was needed to fight disease and poverty. If Georges could now write a work of genius that would bring him a lot of money, but it takes time, and he doesn’t have it.

While abroad, Bizet composed a two-act Italian opera“Don Procopio”, two parts of the symphony, an overture and a one-act comic opera “Guzla zmira”.

In 1863, he returned to Paris, where soon his opera “The Pearl Fishers” was staged on the stage of the Lyric Theater, which was not successful.

Bizet’s next opera, La Belle de Perth, did not gain public recognition either.

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!”

But, despite the failures, it was during this period that Bizet met his love.

Passing by his teacher’s house, he was overcome by the desire to go where he felt good and calm. Here he met the teacher’s grown-up daughter.

Their romance was not swift. Finally, Georges proposed. It seemed as if the sun had finally begun to shine into his difficult, long-suffering life. Genevieve took care of the household chores and cut down on expenses, surrounded Bizet with tenderness and care, and the composer was able to work again.
The family idyll was short-lived. Soon the wife got tired of her husband’s constant absences and his eternal busyness.

The lesson that day was canceled, the student fell ill, and Bizet came home ahead of schedule. His only desire was to sit down and start writing, because he had an order - the comic opera “Djamile”. Voices were heard in the dining room. His wife laughed, the male baritone echoed her...

Failures with operas were compensated by the popularity that Bizet’s works from the region won among listeners symphonic music, among them the music for A. Daudet’s drama “La Arlesienne” and the overture “Motherland”, the symphony “Rome” and the suite “Child’s Games”.

In 1871, the comic opera “Djamile” was completed, a year later he wrote “Les Arlesiennes”, both of them were staged and were a great success. It was a gift of fate. But his wife gave him an even greater gift by giving birth to a son, Jean. But Bizet needed to work even more. A serious opera was conceived - “Carmen”.

Prototype main character should become Mogador with her passion. Music thatcame out of the pen, did not allow Bizet to sleep. And now, finally, the premiere. Hall Paris Opera full Bizet, standing behind the scenes, was cold with fear. "Carmen" couldn't be another failure...

The first act is over. Cold reception, liquid claps. The production turned out to be very mediocre. Nobody appreciated the music. Genevieve could not stand it and left the hall. Bizet was crushed. He rushed into cold water Seny and the next morning he came down with a fever. Deafness set in, and my arms and legs went numb. Then there was a heart attack. The composer alternately regained consciousness and became delirious.

Georges Bizet died at the age of 37, less than four months before the enchanting success of Carmen at the Vienna Opera.

http://www.muzzal.ru/bize.htm

The site is an information, entertainment and educational site for all ages and categories of Internet users. Here both children and adults will spend time usefully, will be able to improve their level of education, read interesting biographies of the great and famous in different eras people, look at photographs and videos from the private sphere and public life popular and famous personalities. Biographies talented actors, politicians, scientists, discoverers. We will present you with creativity, artists and poets, music brilliant composers and songs famous performers. Screenwriters, directors, astronauts, nuclear physicists, biologists, athletes - many worthy people that have left their mark on time, history and the development of mankind are collected together on our pages.
On the site you will learn little-known information from the lives of celebrities; latest news from cultural and scientific activity, family and personal life of stars; reliable facts about the biography of outstanding inhabitants of the planet. All information is conveniently systematized. The material is presented in a simple and understandable manner, easy to read and interestingly designed. We have tried to ensure that our visitors receive the necessary information here with pleasure and great interest.

When you want to find out details from the biography of famous people, you often start looking for information from many reference books and articles scattered throughout the Internet. Now, for your convenience, all the facts and most full details from life interesting and public people collected in one place.
the site will tell you in detail about the biography famous people who left their imprint on human history, both in ancient times and in our modern world. Here you can learn more about the life, creativity, habits, environment and family of your favorite idol. About the success story of bright and extraordinary people. About great scientists and politicians. Schoolchildren and students will find on our resource the necessary and relevant material from the biographies of great people for various reports, essays and coursework.
Learn biographies interesting people who have earned the recognition of mankind, the activity is often very exciting, since the stories of their destinies are no less captivating than others works of art. For some, such reading can serve as a strong impetus for their own achievements, give them confidence in themselves, and help them cope with a difficult situation. There are even statements that when studying the success stories of other people, in addition to motivation to action, leadership qualities are also manifested in a person, fortitude and perseverance in achieving goals are strengthened.
It is also interesting to read the biographies of rich people posted on our site, whose perseverance on the path to success is worthy of imitation and respect. Big names of past centuries and today will always arouse the curiosity of historians and ordinary people. And we have set ourselves the goal of satisfying this interest to the fullest. Do you want to show off your erudition, are you preparing a thematic material, or are you just interested in learning everything about historical figure– go to the website.
Those who like to read biographies of people can adopt them life experience, learn from someone else’s mistakes, compare yourself with poets, artists, scientists, draw important conclusions for yourself, improve yourself using the experience of an extraordinary person.
Studying biographies successful people, the reader will learn how great discoveries and achievements were made that gave humanity a chance to ascend to a new stage in its development. What obstacles and difficulties did many have to overcome? famous people artists or scientists, famous doctors and researchers, businessmen and rulers.
How exciting it is to plunge into the life story of a traveler or discoverer, imagine yourself as a commander or a poor artist, learn the love story of a great ruler and meet the family of an old idol.
The biographies of interesting people on our website are conveniently structured so that visitors can easily find information about anyone in the database. the right person. Our team strived to ensure that you liked both simple, intuitive navigation and easy, interesting style writing articles, and original page design.

...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 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 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 work 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: 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 musical drama, revealing 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 designed in pastel colors and soft romantic intonations. But Jose is literally “infected” by Carmen’s passion, her strength and uncompromisingness. "Regular" 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 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. Bold approach to subjects everyday life helped him create images that were precisely snatched from the surrounding reality, to enrich contemporary art new topics and extremely truthful, by strong means in the depiction of 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). 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.

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: they brought him world fame not instrumental compositions, although their artistic merits are undoubted, but latest 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.