Georges Bizet

On 3 June 1869, Georges Bizet married Geneviève Halévy, the younger daughter of composer Jacques-Fromental Halévy. The couple had one son, Jacques Bizet, born in 1871. Initially they were happy. But later difference cropped up between them, mainly because of Geneviève's nervous instability.

Bizet had been Halévy’s student and over the years he had become very close to the family. Having good relations with Madam Halévy, he allowed her to interfere in their personal affairs. Contrarily, Geneviève had a difficult relationship with her mother and this was another reason for their strained relationship.

Bizet also had another son, Jean Reiter, born in 1862, out of a liaison with the family's housekeeper, Marie Reiter. However, Jean believed that he was Adolphe Bizet's child and came to know about his true paternity in 1913, years after Bizet’s death.

Georges Bizet was born on 25 October 1838 in Paris. Although he was registered as Alexandre César Léopold, for some unknown reason, he was baptized on 16 March 1840 as Georges and from that point he began to be known by that name.

His father, Adolphe Armand Bizet, was originally a hairdresser and wigmaker but later he took up music teaching as his vocation. He also composed a few pieces and at least one of them was published.

His mother, Aimée Léopoldine Joséphine née Delsarte, was an accomplished pianist. She came from an impoverished, but highly cultured family. Her brother, François Delsarte, was a distinguished singer, who used to perform at the courts of King Louis Philippe and Emperor Napoleon III.

Georges, their only child, showed an aptitude for music early in his life. He probably received his first piano lesson from his mother. Standing at the door, listening to his father giving music lessons to his students, he learned to sing difficult songs accurately from memory.

In the same way, he also learned to identify and analyze structure of chords, some of which were quite complex. This convinced his parents that their son was ready for formal training at the Conservatoire de Paris even though he was yet to reach ten, the minimum age for admission to the Conservatoire.

On 9 October 1848, sixteen days before his tenth birthday, Georges entered the Conservatoire de Paris. Here, apart from studying organ and theory, he also studied piano with Antoine François Marmontel, benefiting much from the association.

At the Conservatoire, Georges made an early impression, winning within six months the first prize in solfège. It impressed Pierre-Joseph-Guillaume Zimmermann, who had just retired from service, to such an extent that he offered to give young Georges private lessons in counterpoint and fugue.

Thus along with studying at the Conservatoire, Georges started studying with Zimmermann. It was during one of these classes that he came in contact with Charles Gounod, who left a lasting impression on his young mind.

Marmontel also yielded a great impression on young Georges. Under his tutelage, his skills in piano began to develop rapidly. In 1851, he won the second prize and in 1852, the first prize for piano.

Thereafter from 1853, he started studying composition with Fromental Halévy. While his first recorded composition dates back to 1850, under Halévy’s guidance, the quality of his works became more sophisticated.

Georges Bizet reached Rome on 27 January 1858. Here he put up at Villa Medici, which housed the French Académie in Rome and offered a very convivial environment. He now began to study the works of Robert Schumann, Carl Maria von Weber, Mendelssohn, and Gounod.

Subsequently, he wrote ‘Te Deum’ for a competition on religious work, open to Prix de Rome winners. However, it failed to impress the judges. As a result it remained forgotten until it was rediscovered in 1971. Moreover, Bizet was so disappointed that he vowed not to take up religious works anymore.

But, the rules required that each year he submit an original envoi and the first one should be a mass. Breaking the rule, Bizet decided to submit 'Don Procopio', a two-act opera buffa with an Italian libretto. Although he was apprehensive about the breach of rule it was well received by the authority.

For his second envoi he submitted ‘Ode Symphony Vasco de Gama', which was based on Luís Vaz de Camões' epic poem ‘The Lusiad.’ It is possible that he did not complete any other work during this period but used the opportunity to travel around in Italy.

On his return to Rome, he successfully persuaded the Académie to allow him to spend the third year in Italy. While on a trip to Rimini in 1860, he planned to write ‘Symphony in C Roma’ in which he thought of dedicating the four movements to four different Italian cities – Rome, Venice, Florence and Naples.