OPPapers.com

George Bizek

George Bizek


Georges Bizet, who is best known for his opera, Carmen, has remained
somewhat of a mystery as far as his musical education, social life, and
personal life. He is not like so many other composers and musicians of the
Romantic Period who led a highly publicized life like Hector Berlioz, Peter
Ilyich Tchaikovsky, or Johannes Brahms. He spent his short life devoted to music
and he did not quite make it into the limelight like these other Romantic
composers. The most believable explanation for his obscurity would be the
lack of scandal in his life. He had a happy childhood, was well awarded with
musical scholarships, and a happy marriage.
Georges Bizet grew up in a musical house. His father was a singing
teacher and his mother was a well-known pianist who had attended the Paris
Conservatory. His parents encouraged him in music. His father was confident
that his son would become a great musician. His father was actually too
supportive of his musical education. He had been known to hide young Georges'
other school books so he would not be distracted from his musical studies. He
received his first music lesson from his mother when he was just four years old.
She was teaching him to read music at the same time she was teaching him his
alphabet.
Bizet was enrolled in the Paris Conservatory when he was nine years old.
This was a special exception arranged by his uncle who taught at the
Conservatory, since Bizet was still a year younger than the minimum age
requirement. Here he studied piano, organ, singing, harp, strings, woodwinds,
and composition. His instructors were the composers Charles Gounod, who is
known for his opera Faust, and who is considered the greatest musical influence
in Bizet's life. And Jacque Halevy, who wrote the opera LaJuive, is also
considered an important musical influence. He had a unique, unstructured
teaching style. Halevy would listen to and correct his students but he would
never require them to do any specific...