Bizet

- The first book on Bizet in English in nearly four decades
- Takes into account recent scholarship, including the recent publication of large collection of the Bizet's own letters
- Identifies a number of previously unknown works by Bizet
- Places special emphasis on the material and geographical aspects of Bizet's life in Paris during the Second Empire

Today Georges Bizet is most immediately recognized as the composer of the acclaimed opera Carmen. One of the most frequently performed operas for over a century, Carmen explores concepts such as the femme fatale and murderous jealousy with vivacity, color, and a wealth of melody. Yet it is only one act in Bizet's story. In Bizet, renowned musicologist Hugh Macdonald goes beyond the composer's most famous opera to take an in-depth look at his entire life and oeuvre. In so doing, Macdonald identifies a number of previously unknown pieces by Bizet, assembling the first comprehensive catalogue of the composer's work.

Incorporating these little-known pieces with a thorough reading of primary sources, Macdonald considers the latest in Bizet scholarship to create a complete biography of the composer. Revealing the true extent of Bizet's work as arranger and transcriber, Macdonald sheds light on the composer's complex relationships with his contemporaries, and traces the strange misrepresentation of Bizet's work by French publishers and opera houses in the 1880s, when Carmen rose to worldwide popularity ten years after the composer's early death. The first biography of Bizet in the Master Musicians series in nearly four decades, Bizet will be essential reading for students and scholars of nineteenth-century opera, as well as for Carmen devotees and opera fans.

CONTENIDO:

Preface
List of Illustrations

1. 1838 - 1857: Le Docteur Miracle
2. 1858 - 1860: Don Procopio
3. 1860 - 1863: Les Pêcheurs de perles
4. 1864 - 1865: Ivan IV
5. 1866 - 1867: La Jolie Fille de Perth
6. 1868 - 1870: La Coupe du Roi de Thulé
7. 1870 - 1872: Djamileh
8. 1872 - 1873: Don Rodrigue
9. 1873 - 1875: Carmen
10. 1875 - 2013: Life After Death

Appendices
A. Calendar
B. List of Works
C. Personalia
D. Select Bibliography
Index