Editing Carmen (section)

==Music==
[[Hervé Lacombe]], in his survey of 19th-century French opera, contends that ''Carmen'' is one of the few works from that large repertory to have stood the test of time.<ref>Lacombe, p. 1</ref> While he places the opera firmly within the long ''opéra comique'' tradition,<ref>Lacombe, p. 233</ref> Macdonald considers that it transcends the genre and that its immortality is assured by "the combination in abundance of striking melody, deft harmony and perfectly judged orchestration".<ref name=OMO /> Dean sees Bizet's principal achievement in the demonstration of the main actions of the opera in the music, rather than in the dialogue, writing that "Few artists have expressed so vividly the torments inflicted by sexual passions and jealousy." Dean places Bizet's realism in a different category from the ''verismo'' of Puccini and others; he likens the composer to Mozart and Verdi in his ability to engage his audiences with the emotions and sufferings of his characters.<ref name=Grove />

[[File:Habanera Carmen.jpg|thumb|Carmen sings the "Habanera", act 1]]
Bizet, who had never visited Spain, sought out appropriate ethnic material to provide an authentic Spanish flavour to his music.<ref name=Grove /> Carmen's habanera is based on an idiomatic song, "El arreglito", by the Spanish composer [[Sebastián Yradier]] (1809–65).{{refn|Dean writes that Bizet improved considerably on the original melody; he "transformed it from a drawing-room piece into a potent instrument of characterisation". Likewise, the melody from Manuel García used in the act 4 prelude has been developed from "a rambling recitation to a taut masterpiece".<ref name=D228>Dean 1965, pp. 228–232</ref> |group= n}} Bizet had taken this to be a genuine folk melody; when he learned its recent origin he added a note to the vocal score, crediting Yradier.<ref>{{cite dictionary|last= Carr|first= Bruce|url= http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/13894?q=Sebastian+Yradier&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit|title= Iradier (Yradier) (y Salaverri), Sebastián de|dictionary= Oxford Music Online|access-date= 18 February 2012|display-authors=etal}} {{Grove Music subscription}}</ref> He used a genuine folksong as the source of Carmen's defiant "Coupe-moi, brûle-moi" while other parts of the score, notably the "Seguidilla", utilise the rhythms and instrumentation associated with [[flamenco]] music. However, Dean insists that "[t]his is a French, not a Spanish opera"; the "foreign bodies", while they undoubtedly contribute to the unique atmosphere of the opera, form only a small ingredient of the complete music.<ref name=D228 />

{{Listen|type=music|image=none|help=no
| filename     = Carmen - Prelude to Act 1.ogg
| title        = Prelude to act 1
| description  =
}}
The prelude to act 1 combines three recurrent themes: the entry of the bullfighters from act 4, the refrain from the [[Toreador Song]] from act 2, and the [[Motif (music)|motif]] that, in two slightly differing forms, represents both Carmen herself and the fate she personifies.{{refn|The form in which the motif appears in the prelude prefigures the dramatic act 4 climax to the opera. When the theme is used to represent Carmen, the orchestration is lighter, reflecting her "fickle, laughing, elusive character".<ref name=D228 /> |group= n}} This motif, played on [[clarinet]], [[bassoon]], [[cornet]] and [[cello]]s over [[tremolo]] strings, concludes the prelude with an abrupt crescendo.<ref name=D228 /><ref>Newman, p. 255</ref> When the curtain rises a light and sunny atmosphere is soon established, and pervades the opening scenes. The mock solemnities of the changing of the guard, and the flirtatious exchanges between the townsfolk and the factory girls, precede a mood change when a brief phrase from the fate motif announces Carmen's entrance. After her provocative habanera, with its persistent insidious rhythm and changes of key, the fate motif sounds in full when Carmen throws her flower to José before departing.<ref name="auto2">Azaola, pp. 11–14</ref> This action elicits from José a passionate [[A major]] solo which Dean suggests is the turning-point in his musical characterisation.<ref name= D221/> The softer vein returns briefly, as Micaëla reappears and joins with José in a duet to a warm clarinet and strings accompaniment. The tranquillity is shattered by the women's noisy quarrel, Carmen's dramatic re-entry and her defiant interaction with Zuniga. After her beguiling "Seguidilla" provokes José to an exasperated high [[A♯ (musical note)|A sharp]] shout, Carmen's escape is preceded by the brief but disconcerting reprise of a fragment from the habanera.<ref name=D228 /><ref name="auto2"/> Bizet revised this finale several times to increase its dramatic effect.<ref name="McC" />
{{Listen|type=music|image=none|help=no
| filename     = Bizet - Carmen - Toreador Song (French, Musopen).ogg
| title        = Toreador Song
| description  = 
}}
Act 2 begins with a short prelude, based on a melody that José will sing offstage before his next entry.<ref name=D221 /> A festive scene in the inn precedes Escamillo's tumultuous entrance, in which [[Brass instrument|brass]] and [[percussion instrument|percussion]] provide prominent backing while the crowd sings along.<ref name="auto1">Azaola, pp. 16–18</ref> The quintet that follows is described by Newman as "of incomparable verve and musical wit".<ref>Newman, p. 276</ref> José's appearance precipitates a long mutual wooing scene; Carmen sings, dances and plays the [[castanets]]; a distant cornet-call summoning José to duty is blended with Carmen's melody so as to be barely discernible.<ref>Newman, p. 280</ref> A muted reference to the fate motif on an [[Cor anglais|English horn]] leads to José's "Flower Song", a flowing continuous melody that ends ''pianissimo'' on a sustained high [[B♭ (musical note)|B-flat]].<ref>Newman, p. 281</ref> José's insistence that, despite Carmen's blandishments, he must return to duty leads to a quarrel; the arrival of Zuniga, the consequent fight and José's unavoidable ensnarement into the lawless life culminates musically in the triumphant hymn to freedom that closes the act.<ref name="auto1"/>

The prelude to act 3 was originally intended for Bizet's [[L'Arlésienne (Bizet)|''L'Arlésienne'']] score. Newman describes it as "an exquisite miniature, with much dialoguing and intertwining between the woodwind instruments".<ref>Newman, p. 284</ref> As the action unfolds, the tension between Carmen and José is evident in the music. In the card scene, the lively duet for Frasquita and Mercédès turns ominous when Carmen intervenes; the fate motif underlines her premonition of death. Micaëla's aria, after her entry in search of José, is a conventional piece, though of deep feeling, preceded and concluded by horn calls.<ref name="auto">Azaola, pp. 19–20</ref> The middle part of the act is occupied by Escamillo and José, now acknowledged as rivals for Carmen's favour. The music reflects their contrasting attitudes: Escamillo remains, says Newman, "invincibly polite and ironic", while José is sullen and aggressive.<ref>Newman, p. 289</ref> When Micaëla pleads with José to go with her to his mother, the harshness of Carmen's music reveals her most unsympathetic side. As José departs, vowing to return, the fate theme is heard briefly in the woodwind.<ref>Newman, p. 291</ref> The confident, off-stage sound of the departing Escamillo singing the toreador's refrain provides a distinct contrast to José's increasing desperation.<ref name="auto"/>

The final act is prefaced with a lively orchestral piece derived from [[Manuel García (tenor)|Manuel García]]'s short operetta ''El criado fingido''.<ref name=D228 /> After the opening crowd scene, the bullfighters' march is led by the children's chorus; the crowd hails Escamillo before his short love scene with Carmen.<ref>Azaola, p. 21</ref> The long finale, in which José makes his last pleas to Carmen and is decisively rejected, is punctuated at critical moments by enthusiastic off-stage shouts from the bullfighting arena. As José kills Carmen, the chorus sing the refrain of the Toreador Song off-stage; the fate motif, which has been suggestively present at various points during the act, is heard [[Dynamics (music)#Dynamic markings|fortissimo]], together with a brief reference to Carmen's card scene music.<ref name="McC" /> Jose's last words of love and despair are followed by a final long chord, on which the curtain falls without further musical or vocal comment.<ref>Newman, p. 296</ref>