Georges Bizet in the Service of the Opera: More than “Just” a Composer?

Abstract

Georges Bizet occupies an important place in the history of French musical theatre thanks to his works such as Carmen and Les pêcheurs de perles. However, the musical career of this bright and original composer includes not only his own compositional oeuvre, which is relatively modest in terms of the number of works he created, but also his work in adjacent spheres. The article discusses the editorial and correction work on the works of other authors, which Bizet began to carry out in the mid-1850s and was especially active in the 1860s and early 1870s. Bizet worked on transcriptions (piano-vocal reductions, arrangements for solo piano and duets for 4 hands, orchestration and additional compositions) of opera works by other composers for French music publishing houses — primarily Choudens and Heugel. The article also examines Bizet’s participation in the rehearsal and production process of opera performances by his colleagues and friends — in particular, Charles Gounod and Ernest Reyer. By turning to the composer’s epistolary legacy and the memoirs of his contemporaries, as well as by analysing some of the available operatic arrangements made by Bizet, we gain the opportunity to take a closer look at French musical and theatrical life of the second half of the 19th century as well as the private work of a musician of that time: work that was not always socially or legally recognised, but which nevertheless demonstrated the quality and professionalism of its producer. Moreover, a discussion of Bizet’s piano arrangements is important both in the context of the existence of this kind of music, as well as from the point of view of the educational and development functions that it fulfilled. No less significant for Bizet’s career was his assistance and participation in rehearsals of his compatriots’ performances in Parisian and other theatres: acting as an accompanist and “assistant composer”, Bizet could observe the opera “kitchen” from the inside and thus avail himself of the opportunity to prepare the ingredients for his own musical and theatrical masterpieces.

Keywords: Georges Bizet, opera transcriptions, proofs for music publishers, rehearsal work

Acknowledgments: The article is based on a report given at the International Scientific Conference Opera in Musical Theatre: History and Present Time (Moscow, 11–15 March, 2024, Gnesin Russian Academy of Music). The author expresses deep gratitude to the entire organizing committee of the conference and personally to Irina P. Susidko for the opportunity to speak at this event. The author alco expresses heartfelt gratitude to Anastasiia Syreishchikova-Horn for the reference material, for the translation help and for the valuable comments.

For citation: Zakharbekova, I. S. (2024). Georges Bizet in the Service of the Opera: More than “Just” a Composer? Contemporary Musicology, 8(4), 64–90. https://doi.org/10.56620/2587-9731-2024-4-064-090