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Georges Bizet

Georges Bizet (né Alexandre César Léopold Bizet; 25 October 1838 – 3 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, which has become one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertoire.

During a brilliant student career at the Conservatoire de Paris, Bizet won many prizes, including the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1857. He was recognised as an outstanding pianist, though he chose not to capitalise on this skill and rarely performed in public. Returning to Paris after almost three years in Italy, he found that the main Parisian opera theatres preferred the established classical repertoire to the works of newcomers. His keyboard and orchestral compositions were likewise largely ignored; as a result, his career stalled, and he earned his living mainly by arranging and transcribing the music of others. Restless for success, he began many theatrical projects during the 1860s, most of which were abandoned. Neither of his two operas that reached the stage in this time—Les pêcheurs de perles and La jolie fille de Perth—were immediately successful.

After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, during which Bizet served in the National Guard, he had little success with his one-act opera Djamileh, though an orchestral suite derived from his incidental music to Alphonse Daudet's play L'Arlésienne was instantly popular. The production of his final opera, Carmen, was delayed because of fears that its themes of betrayal and murder would offend audiences. After its premiere on 3 March 1875, Bizet was convinced that the work was a failure; he died of a heart attack three months later, unaware that it would prove a spectacular and enduring success.

Bizet's marriage to Geneviève Halévy was intermittently happy and produced one son. After his death, his work, apart from Carmen, was generally neglected. Manuscripts were given away or lost, and published versions of his works were frequently revised and adapted by other hands. He founded no school and had no obvious disciples or successors. After years of neglect, his works began to be performed more frequently in the 20th century. Later commentators have acclaimed him as a composer of brilliance and originality whose premature death was a significant loss to French musical theatre.

Birth and Death Data: Born October 25, 1838 (Rue Louise-Émilie-de-La-Tour-d'Auvergne), Died June 3, 1875 (Bougival)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1895 - 1950

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 601-625 of 738 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Gramophone 691c 12-in. 7/11/1906 Pastorale Nellie Melba Soprano vocal solo, with piano composer  
Gramophone 743m 12-in. 3/30/1914 Ho nome Escamillo Bernardo De Muro Vocal duet (tenor and baritone), with orchestra composer  
Gramophone 850c 12-in. November 1906 Del tempio al limitar Giuseppe Acerbi ; Renzo Minolfi Vocal duet (tenor and baritone), with orchestra composer  
Gramophone 912c 12-in. ca. 1906 Brahma, gran Dio Linda Brambilla Soprano vocal solo, with chorus and orchestra composer  
Gramophone 915c 12-in. approximately 1906 Terzetto finale Giuseppe Acerbi ; Linda Brambilla ; Francesco Cigada Vocal trio (mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone), with orchestra composer  
Gramophone 0986v 12-in. June 1909 O Carmen, nur ein Wort Hermine Kittel ; Leo Slezak Vocal duet (contralto and baritone), with orchestra composer  
Gramophone 1045c 12-in. Apr. 1907 Preludio Teatro alla Scala Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Gramophone 1172c 12-in. approximately May 1907 Mia madre vedo ancor Fernando De Lucia ; Josephina Huguet Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with orchestra composer  
Gramophone 1175c 12-in. ca. May 1907 Romanza del fiore Fernando De Lucia Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Gramophone 1190c 12-in. 1907 Canzone boema Ines Salvador Mezzo-soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Gramophone 1204½c 12-in. 1907 Mia tu sei Francesco Cigada ; Josephina Huguet ; Antonio Paoli ; Ines Salvador Vocal quartet (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone), with orchestra composer  
Gramophone 1204½c 12-in. approximately Aug. 1907 Mia tu sei Francesco Cigada ; Josephina Huguet ; Antonio Paoli ; Ines Salvador Vocal quartet (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone), with orchestra composer  
Gramophone 1257c 12-in. June 1907 Je t'aime encore Antonio Paoli ; Maria Passeri Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with orchestra composer  
Gramophone 1292F[o] 10-in. Dec. 1902 Quand la flamme de l'amour Jean-François Delmas Bass vocal solo, with piano composer  
Gramophone 01331v 12-in. 2/28/1910 L'Arlésienne : Prélude Orchestre symphonique du Gramophone Orchestra composer  
Gramophone 01332v 12-in. 2/28/1910 L'Arlésienne : Prélude Orchestre symphonique du Gramophone Orchestra composer  
Gramophone 0B1413 10-in. 7/4/1931 I pescatori di perle Beniamino Gigli ; Eugene Goossens Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Gramophone CR1677 12-in. 2/8/1928 Patrie overture Royal Albert Hall Orchestra ; Malcolm Sargent Orchestra, with organ composer  
Gramophone CR1678 12-in. 2/8/1928 Patrie overture Royal Albert Hall Orchestra ; Malcolm Sargent Orchestra, with organ composer  
Gramophone CR1679 12-in. 2/8/1928 Patrie overture Royal Albert Hall Orchestra ; Malcolm Sargent Orchestra, with organ composer  
Gramophone 1817½c 12-in. 4/29/1909 Del tempio al limitar Francesco Federici ; Aristodemo Giorgini Vocal duet (tenor and baritone), with orchestra composer  
Gramophone 2024W(b) 10-in. 1902 Con voi ber Antonio Scotti Baritone vocal solo, with piano composer  
Gramophone G2058b 10-in. July 1902 Habanera Emma Calvé Soprano vocal solo, with piano composer  
Gramophone G2062R 10-in. 1902 Seguidilla Emma Calvé Mezzo-soprano vocal solo, with piano composer  
Gramophone 2062b 10-in. July 1902 Seguidilla Emma Calvé Soprano vocal solo, with piano composer  
(Results 601-625 of 738 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bizet, Georges," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102559.

Bizet, Georges. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102559.

"Bizet, Georges." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102559

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