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"The composer gives the best of himself to the making of a work. He believes, doubts, enthuses, despairs, rejoices, and suffers in turn." —GEORGES BIZET

Key Points

  • Many Romantic composers turned to exotic plots for their operas, looking to faraway lands or cultures for inspiration.
  • The opera Carmen, by French composer Georges Bizet, exemplifies this trend by romanticizing Roma, or Gypsy, culture in Spain.
  • Carmen displays brilliant orchestration and rhythmic energy; the famous Habanera, a mesmerizing aria sung by Carmen, is set to a Spanish dance-song rhythm (of Cuban origin).
  • The appeal of Carmen stems from its strong emotions, sensuality, and realism.

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