Bizet was born on 25th October 1838 in Paris. He was registered with the legal name Alexandre-César-Léopold Bizet, but was baptised Georges Bizet and was always known by the latter name. A child prodigy, he entered the prestigious Paris Conservatory of Music a fortnight before his tenth birthday.
In 1857 he shared a prize offered by Jacques Offenbach for a setting of the one-act operetta Le docteur Miracle, and won the Prix de Rome. As per the conditions of the scholarship, he studied in Rome for three years. There, his talent began to mature with such works as the opera Don Procopio. Apart from this stay in Rome, Bizet lived in the Paris area for his entire life.
On his return from Rome, he dedicated himself to composition. In 1863 he composed the opera Les pêcheurs de perles for the Theatre-Lyrique. During this period Bizet also wrote the opera La jolie fille de Perth, his well-known L'arlésienne (written as incidental music for a play), and the piano piece Jeux d'enfants. He also wrote the romantic opera Djamileh, which is often seen as a percursor of Carmen. His first symphony, the symphony in C major, was written at the Paris Conservatory when he was only seventeen years old, evidently as a student assignment. It seems that Bizet completely forgot about it himself, and it was not discovered again until 1935, in the archives of the Conservatory library. Upon its first performance, it was immediately hailed as a junior masterwork and a welcome addition to the early Romantic period repertoire. he symphony is noteworthy for bearing a strong stylistic resemblance to the music of Franz Schubert, whose work was virtually unknown in Paris at that time (with the possible exception of a few of his songs). A second symphony, "Roma" was not completed.
Bizet's best-known work is his 1875 opera, Carmen, which was based on an 1846 novel of the same name by Prosper Mérimée. Influenced by Giuseppe Verdi, Bizet composed the title role in Carmen for a mezzo-soprano. The opera was not an immediate success, and Bizet became despondent over the perceived failure, but praise came from such luminaries as Camille Saint-Saëns, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Claude Debussy, who recognised its greatness. Their views were prophetic, as the public eventually made Carmen one of the most popular works in operatic history.
Although best known as a composer, Bizet was also a fine pianist, whose playing was praised by no less a judge than Franz Liszt. After Bizet flawlessly sightread a complex piece, Liszt said he considered him one of the three finest pianists in Europe.
Bizet had long suffered from quinsy, a painful inflammation of the tonsils associated with angina, and never got to enjoy Carmen's success. Just a few months after the opera's debut, he died on his sixth wedding anniversary, 3rd June 1875, at the early age of thirty-six, the official cause of death being listed as a failed heart due to "acute articular rheumatism". He was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris.
Adieux de l'hôtesse arabe
Georges Bizet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ni l'ombre du palmier, ni le jaune maïs,
Ni le repos, ni l'abondance, Ni de voir à ta voix battre le jeune sein
De nos sœurs, dont, les soirs, le tournoyant essaim
Couronne un coteau de sa danse,
Qui donnent pour limite à leurs pieds paresseux
Leur toit de branches ou de toiles!
Qui, rêveurs, sans en faire, écoutent les récits,
Et souhaitent, le soir, devant leur porte assis,
De s'en aller dans les étoiles!
Si tu l'avais voulu, peut-être une de nous,
O jeune homme, eût aimé te servir à genoux
Dans nos huttes toujours ouvertes;
Elle eût fait, en berçant ton sommeil de ses chants,
Pour chasser de ton front les moucherons méchants,
Un éventail de feuilles vertes.
Si tu ne reviens pas, songe un peu quelquefois
Aux filles du désert, sœurs à la douce voix,
Qui dansent pieds nus sur la dune;
O beau jeune homme blanc, bel oiseau passager,
Souviens-toi, car peut-être, ô rapide étranger,
Ton souvenir reste à plus d'une!
(Victor Hugo)
Georges Bizet's song Adieux de l'hôtesse arabe tells the story of an Arab hostess saying farewell to a traveler who has found happiness in her country, but must now leave. The hostess begins by describing all the things that are unable to keep the traveler from leaving, such as the shadows of the palm tree and the fields of yellow corn. She also mentions the abundance and restfulness of the land and the joy that her sisters bring to his heart with their song and dance. Even though the traveler has found a place of bliss in her country, he must leave and continue his journey. The hostess wishes that he could be like the lazy wanderers who listen to stories and dream of traveling to the stars while they sit at their doorstep.
The hostess then propositions the traveler, saying that if he decides to come back, one of her sisters would have loved to serve him in their always-open huts, sing to him and fan him with green leaves to keep the hot desert sun off his face. Lastly, the hostess urges the traveler to think of the desert girls, who dance barefooted in the sand dunes and to remember them, for perhaps his memory will be cherished by more than one of them.
The song is a beautiful representation of the sadness and longing of goodbyes and the beauty and allure of the Arabian landscape.
Line by Line Meaning
Puisque rien ne t'arrête en cet heureux pays,
Since nothing stops you in this happy land,
Ni l'ombre du palmier, ni le jaune maïs,
Neither the shade of palm trees nor the yellow corn,
Ni le repos, ni l'abondance,
Neither the rest nor the abundance,
Ni de voir à ta voix battre le jeune sein
Nor seeing the young breast beat at your voice
De nos sœurs, dont, les soirs, le tournoyant essaim
Of our sisters, whose swirling swarm in the evenings
Couronne un coteau de sa danse,
Crowns a hill with their dance,
Adieu, beau voyageur, hélas! Oh! que n'es-tu de ceux
Farewell, beautiful traveler, alas! Oh! why aren't you one of those
Qui donnent pour limite à leurs pieds paresseux
Who give as a limit to their lazy feet
Leur toit de branches ou de toiles!
Their roof of branches or canvass!
Qui, rêveurs, sans en faire, écoutent les récits,
Who, as dreamers, listen to stories without doing anything
Et souhaitent, le soir, devant leur porte assis,
And wish, sitting in front of their door in the evening
De s'en aller dans les étoiles!
To go away into stars!
Si tu l'avais voulu, peut-être une de nous,
If you had wished, perhaps one of us
O jeune homme, eût aimé te servir à genoux
Oh young man, would have loved serving you at her feet
Dans nos huttes toujours ouvertes;
In our huts always open;
Elle eût fait, en berçant ton sommeil de ses chants,
She would have sung you lullabies while cradling you to sleep
Pour chasser de ton front les moucherons méchants,
To chase away the nasty mosquitoes from your forehead
Un éventail de feuilles vertes.
Using a green leaf fan.
Si tu ne reviens pas, songe un peu quelquefois
If you don't come back, think about us sometimes
Aux filles du désert, sœurs à la douce voix,
About the girls of the desert, sisters with sweet voices,
Qui dansent pieds nus sur la dune;
Who dance barefoot on the dune;
O beau jeune homme blanc, bel oiseau passager,
Oh beautiful white young man, beautiful passing bird,
Souviens-toi, car peut-être, ô rapide étranger,
Remember, for maybe, oh fast stranger,
Ton souvenir reste à plus d'une!
Your memory stays with more than one!
Contributed by Aria R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ana Cecilia
Puisque rien ne t’arrête en cet heureux pays,
Ni l’ombre du palmier, ni le jaune maïs,
Ni le repos, ni l’abondance,
Ni de voir à ta voix battre le jeune sein
De nos sœurs, dont, les soirs, le tournoyant essaim
Couronne un coteau de sa danse,
Adieu, beau voyageur! Hélas adieu.
Oh! que n’es-tu de ceux
Qui donnent pour limite à leurs pieds paresseux
Leur toit de branches ou de toiles!
Que, rêveurs, sans en faire, écoutent les récits,
Et souhaitent, le soir, devant leur porte assis,
De s’en aller dans les étoiles!
Si tu l’avais voulu, peut-être une de nous,
O jeune homme, eût aimé te servir à genoux
Dans nos huttes toujours ouvertes;
Elle eût fait, en berçant ton sommeil de ses chants,
Pour chasser de ton front les moucherons méchants,
Un éventail de feuilles vertes.
Si tu ne reviens pas, songe un peu quelquefois
Aux filles du désert, sœurs à la douce voix,
Qui dansent pieds nus sur la dune;
O beau jeune homme blanc, bel oiseau passager,
Souviens-toi, car peut-être, ô rapide étranger,
Ton souvenir reste à plus d’une!
Hélas! Adieu! bel étranger! Souviens-toi!
Lisette Oropesa
The title should be called "Adieux de l'hôtesse sonoran" 😆
High Ground Productions
*Sonorane, though, I should think.
ercheche
cuidado con las cascabel
Hakim Bel
"Adieux de l'hotesse francophone", Your french is impeccable ... I am speechless
Ana Cecilia
Es en Sonora? Ya decía yo que estaba muy mexicano ese paisaje. Eres magnífica Lisette!
doGreatartistsgrowontrees?
Lisette Oropesa 😉
Art Danks
Lisette - I am sooo glad to have "stumbled" across your channel! I have been wanting to tell you how MUCH I appreciate your incredible singing, musicianship, and overall artistry! I haven't heard a soprano of your caliber in many many years! You are one of the few singers today who truly knows how to use her voice properly, and understands the "old school" training of Bel Canto! BRAVA!
I saw you last year with L.A. Opera as Gilda, and was highly impressed. You will (and already are) definitely go far with that great talent! Thank you for giving us hope in knowing there are still some great, and well trained, voices out there! You are awesome!
Lisette Oropesa
Hi there! Thanks so very much for your lovely comments today! I'm grateful for the appreciation. It inspires me daily!
Chesley Ramos
Honestly, your voice is so amazing. It feels so seamless, smooth, and transcendent.
Lisette Oropesa
C. Ramos thank you so much that’s a wonderfully kind comment!