This Rebellious Bird Torears (bullfight) Till the End, to Find Love.
Carmen is a four-part opera, adapted from Prosper Mérimé's (a French writer) novel of the same name. Georges Bizet composed the music, and this was his most famous piece though time. Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy wrote the libretto, which was originally in French. It premiered at the Opera Comique in Paris in 1875 and lasted about three hours (Bizet's Carmen ; Waugh, 1996).
George Bizet was born in Paris. He was trained musically by his parents since a young age, and was put into the Paris Conservatoire just before he turned ten. He excelled at piano and had composed many songs. When Bizet went to Rome, he begun many compositions, but only four, including opera buffa, Don Procopio survived. His other works throughout the years, that gained recognition, included operas Les Pechurs de Perles (The Pearl Fishers), and La Jolie Fille de Perth (The Fair Mai of Perth), piano duet Jeux D'enfants and one-act opera, Djamileh. From Djmileh, he created his masterpiece Carmen (Classical Music Pages, 1996; Waugh, 1996). Sadly, Carmen was Bizet's last work. He died three months after its premier, at the age of 36. .
Inspiration for the Carmen character probably came from a lady named Céleste Vénard, or more commonly known as La Mogador. She led a colorful life, and was married to Lionel, Comte de Moreton de Chabrillan, a young nobleman who gambled away his fortune, despite many eligible and wealthy suitors. She dazzled many men during her lifetime, and even made a Jewish musician change his religion, as well as give up his career. La Mogador tried her hands at many occupations, which includes actress, author, singer, director, and temptress. She met Bizet in 1865, when she bought an estate next to his home. Based on her Mémoires (book that she had written about her life), their relationship was purely platonic.
