5 Habanara” about how love is a “rebellious bird” and a “Bohemian child,” as well as to “Beware” if Carmen loves you. All of the young men instantly turn their attention to her and then she sings the famous “No. Carmen enters the stage holding a small flower after a chorus between the young men and the women working at the factory. Don Jose, Zuniga (bass), and the choir of children come onstage, and as the guard changes, the children imitate the guards.Īfter several repeating verses and a short accompagnato recitative, the cigarette factory workers are on a break, one of these workers being Carmen the gypsy (mezzo-soprano). The lieutenant, Morales (bass), and the guards watch over the people, and the routine changing of the guards occurs. She refuses and eventually exits the stage. When she tries to leave, the guards surround her and ask her to stay. She asks the guards if Don Jose is with them and the guards say that he isn’t.
Then, Micaëla, a young peasant (soprano), enters the stage looking for Don Jose (tenor). 2 Scene and Choir,” the guards at their post are observing the people of Seville. The two main characters in this opera are Don Jose and Carmen (also called Carmencita).Īs stated in the English translation of the libretto by Operas Arias Composers Singers, act one of “Carmen” is set in the town square of a town called Seville. The former representing the excitement of the life of a bullfighter with the famous melody, and the far more menacing latter that represents the dark story of love and loss portrayed between the opera’s two protagonists. Accompagnato recitatives, on the other hand, have the orchestra playing along with the vocalists and the recitative singing is closer to actual singing but still has the effect of normal conversation.Īt the beginning of Bizet’s “Carmen,” there is a dramatic beginning with the Overture consisting of two parts.
Secco recitatives are recitatives where the orchestra is not playing and only the vocalists are singing. There are two types of recitative secco and accompagnato. This means that every single fluctuation and syllable in their speaking is carefully coordinated with the music. Recitatives are a unique number in opera because, to the audience, they sound as if the performer is talking in normal dialect when actually, they are singing in a style that is meant to sound like normal talking. This happens between acts two and three, after the intermission. The second entr’act is also called an intermezzo.
In operas with four acts, like “Carmen,” there are three recitatives, one at the beginning of each act except for act one, where the overture takes the place of an entr’act. Entr’acts are instrumental pieces played in between acts. It is kind of like a preview for the rest of the opera. An overture is the grand beginning to an opera, and most often contains passages from later in the opera. In addition, there are the necessary numbers including the overture, finales for each act, and the entr’acts. Some of the most common pieces in an opera are arias, ensembles (duet, trio, etc), scenes, choruses, songs, and recitatives. There are lots of different pieces in opera that can vary depending on their time period and composer. Operas consist of two main elements, the libretto (the words and story) and the music (the lyrics and orchestra). The couplet in act two, “Habanara” in act one, and the overture all contain very famous melodies that are easily recognizable. This opera is one of the most emotionally expressive and is beautiful in some parts, and mysterious, or even evil, in others. The opera is sung in French but is set in the Spanish city of Seville. Georges Bizet’s only opera, “Carmen,” is a dramatic tale of gypsy woman named Carmen in the 1820s.
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