Hinomadoka's "Bizet - The Man Who Gave His Life for the Theater" Synopsis and Comments - A biography recommended to learn about the life of Bizet, the composer of Carmen!
The book introduced here is "Bizet - The Man Who Dared to Live in the Theater" written by Madoka Hino and published by LIBRIO Publishing in 2007.
This work is part of the "Composers' Stories" series, and I first encountered this series when I picked up a copy of Madoka Hino's book, "The Life of Smetana," to learn more about the life of the great Czech composer, Smetana.Smetana"was the catalyst.
I was not familiar with classical music, but I found this biography so interesting that I decided to pick up the "Composers' Stories" series, thinking that if I could read such an interesting biography, I would like to read more of this series to learn about the historical background of the time.
This "Composer's Story Series" is described at the end of the book as follows
First children's book to have full on-site coverage by a musician
This book makes you want to touch live music while reading it. It conveys a weight that could only have been written by someone who had interviewed the musicians in the field. I think that for a while, there will be no more biographies of musicians than this one. It is outstanding among recent biography publications for children, etc. ...... It has received the highest acclaim in various fields as an introductory book that can be shared with children and adults.
Librio Publishing, Hino Madoka, "Bizet - The Man Who Gave His Life for the Theatre
Although this book is said to be written as a children's book, this is an excellent and inspiring read for adults as well. As stated in the commentary above, "This book has received the highest acclaim in various fields as an introductory book that can be shared by children and adults.
This is a wonderful series that allows even those with little knowledge to learn about the life of the composer and the historical background of the time. It is truly an excellent introduction to the works of the best composers.
Now, our protagonist is Bizet, the composer of "Carmen".
I am ashamed to admit that I had never seen "Carmen," so I was surprised that this was the song from "Carmen" until I saw this video.
Bizet was a French composer, famous for "Carmen" as well as "The Lady of Arles," "The Pearl Harvester," and "The Beauty of Perth's Daughter.
Unlike usual this time, I would like to go through the author Madoka Hino's afterword first.
In Europe and the United States, opera education for young people is very popular. In every city in every country, each theater makes various efforts.
For example, children are invited to the final stage rehearsal, a shortened version of a long opera is made to help them understand the story, singers and directors visit schools to give explanations with demonstrations, and children are assigned roles such as scriptwriting, composition, singing, stage design, and management to actually produce an opera. The children are assigned the roles of scriptwriter, composer, singer, stage designer, management, and so on.
All in all, it is a steady effort to keep the tradition of "comprehensive art" opera alive.
The reason why even Europe, with its centuries-old tradition of opera, makes such efforts is that the production of an opera takes a great deal of time, manpower, and money, and cannot be done without the financial support of the state, city, and fans. The reason for this is to encourage children to become familiar with opera at an early age and to help keep the opera alive. Underlying this is the common understanding that opera, which brings together talents from many fields, is the highest art form, and that there is no better way to convey the history and culture of a country.
In this regard, I must say that it is quite difficult for Japanese youths, who rarely have a chance to visit a theater, much less see a real Opéra, to appreciate the wonder of Opéra and the excitement of going to the theater. However, recently, videos and DVDs of the classic operas with Japanese subtitles are available at reasonable prices, so if you are interested in seeing an Opéra, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you are interested in seeing an opera, please try this method of experiencing an opera.
The opera I recommend first and foremost is Bizet's "Carmen. To be a bit technical, this opera was the first "realist opera" to use music to depict human life and psychology as they really are, and it was the forerunner of many operas of the same type that would come after it. The audience is immediately drawn into the world of Opéra, as the emotions of Carmen and José and the passionate soil of Spain are passionately conveyed to the audience. The decisive factor is Bizet's music, which is so eloquent and charming that it makes the listener's body and soul jump with excitement. For this reason, "Carmen" has often been made into a film or used as the subject of a ballet, and has captured the interest of contemporary artists. It is a work that is loved all over the world. Those who have seen "Carmen" on video or DVD may be surprised to learn that some of the music in the film has already been heard in commercials.
Therefore, I had no hesitation in choosing Bizet as the subject of this "Composers' Stories Series" when I chose a French composer. Although I did not know Bizet in detail, and only a few biographies of Bizet had been translated, I began my research with high hopes that I would be able to obtain a lot of information about Bizet in France.
Surprisingly, however, not much was known about Bizet even in his home country. What surprised me the most was that there were no memorials to him anywhere. I have been visiting the footsteps of great composers over the past 30 years, and all of them had memorials in their birthplaces or last homes, and especially famous composers had memorials in various places.
Why?" was my frank impression. I have since learned the reason from Mrs. Calderon, the secretary general of the "Friends of Bizet" in Bougival, but to be honest, I still do not understand how the French musical world responds to the "creator of the most famous French opera in the world. Even if Bizet's belongings have not survived, there are still quite a few autographs and letters, and I would like to say, at the risk of meddling, that a memorial hall should be built as soon as possible to recreate Bizet's time and life, focusing on those items.
My view of Bizet after the interview is that he was an unlucky genius buried in the shadow of "Carmen," a commoner who lived hard despite being at the mercy of revolution and war, and a theatrical artist who devoted his life to composing Opéra. Bizet fully realized his talent in "Carmen," and died unexpectedly just as he was about to "start! Bizet died unexpectedly just as he was about to give it his all. This was a terrible loss for the French music world, but I feel that it was an even greater loss for the history of Opéra, one that cannot be compensated for.
LIBRIO Publishing, Hino Madoka, "Bizet: The Man Who Dared to Live His Life in the Theater," p. 253-255.
As you will see at the end of this postscript, Bizet died at the rather early age of 36. If he had lived another 20 years, or even 10 years, there is no telling how many masterpieces he would have left behind.
The Paris of Bizet's time was a turbulent time, with the French February Revolution of 1848, the inauguration of the French Second Empire by Napoleon III, the Franco-Prussian War from 1870, and the Paris Commune War.
That French literary giant Emile Zola depicted Paris in this period.
I love Zola's novels and have mentioned him on this blog.
- The Impact of "Izakaya! About the French writer Emile Zola, who was too funny.
- Zola is the best place to learn about French society and culture in the second half of the 19th century! What is Emile Zola's "Lugon-Macquart Series"?
- The Monk's Choice! 7 recommended works by Emile Zola! An exciting human drama full of troubles for you!
Emile Zola has written 20 novels about France during the Second Empire of Napoleon III (1852-1870), which he has compiled into the Lugon MacCarte series. Although all the novels are interrelated, they are masterpieces that can be read as stand-alone works of great interest.
I was very interested in reading Zola's depiction of France and Madoka Hino's "Bizet: The Man Who Gave His Life for the Theater," which I read this time, because they overlapped in time and place.
And then there is the relationship between "Carmen" and the German philosopher Nietzsche! The text of the article says the following about this.
The philosopher Nietzsche, who saw "Carmen" some twenty times in one year, praised the play.
What a perfect piece of music! Light, graceful, without the slightest exaggeration of expression. Has music ever been heard on stage that is so light, so elegant, so free of exaggeration, and yet so poignant in its tone? Have people realized how much freedom this music brings? When Bizet speaks to me, I become an even better person. ......
Nietzsche wrote this in 188, when "Carmen" had conquered the whole world.
LIBRIO Publishing, Hino Madoka, Bizet: The Man Who Dared to Live in the Theater, p. 208.
The year 1888 was a while after Bizet's death, but I was surprised that he had impressed Nietzsche so much. Moreover, 1888 was the very year before Nietzsche went insane. It was very interesting that Nietzsche, in such an extreme state of mind, was able to express such impressions.
Wagner is famous for his connection with Nietzsche and music, but it was a surprise to me to learn that Bizet was also a major influence on him.
- Nietzsche's Encounter with Wagner - The Enormous Influence of the Master Wagner
- Remarkable similarity between the scene of Nietzsche's madness and Raskolnikov's dream in "Crime and Punishment".
I was also shocked to learn about Bizet's last location, the villa estate of Bougival.
Let's hear what Hinomadoka has to say.
Bougival, Bizet's final destination from Le Vignet, is about 7 km south along the Seine River. The Seine Riverbanks are known as the birthplace of Impressionism in French painting. In the summer of 1869, Monet and Renoir stood side by side on canvases at La Grenouille (The Dwelling of the Frogs), a riverside resort near Bougival, and competed in their depiction of light and color reflected on the surface of the river.
Bougival is located about 10h kilometers from Paris in a straight line, and is known as a luxury villa resort along the meandering Seine River. If you take the train, get off at Le Pech next to Le Véginet, and come by car (in Bizet's time, by horse-drawn carriage).
At the time of Bizet, this was the villa of the great French singer Pauline Viardot and her ardent admirer, the Russian writer Turgenev. In his novel "La Traviata," the writer Dumas Fyss also chose this place as the resting place for lovers who had left Paris.
Bizet rented a villa here for the last two summers. The house was a three-story structure on the banks of the Seine. The house is now owned by someone else and cannot be entered, but a memorial plaque made in 1912 hangs on the street-side fence. There,
The musician Georges Bizet died in this house on the night of June 2 to 3, 1875. The first summer he spent here, he wrote the orchestration of "Carmen" (120 pages), but the second summer he passed away six days after his arrival.
Ironically, June 3 was the Bizet couple's sixth wedding anniversary.
LIBRIO Publishing, HINO Madoka, Bizet: The Man Who Dared to Live in the Theater, p.
First, the villa where Bizet spent his last days is the birthplace of Impressionism.
Impressionism was previously introduced on this blog in the process of learning about Zola and the French Second Empire.
- Taiji Kimura, "The Revolution of Impressionism" Zola and French Impressionism: Cézanne, Manet, and Monet
- Zola's "Creation" Synopsis - The birth pains and madness of a genius painter! If you want to know about Impressionism, this is the book for you!
I was simply amazed to read this biography and see how music, art, and literature are also connected here.
And then there is more Turgenev and Pauline Viardot.
Turgenev has also been introduced on this blog as an essential part of the study of Dostoevsky. The reason why Turgenev remained celibate all his life was because he fell in love with the diva Pauline Viardot. Pauline Viardot already had a husband, so they never tied the knot, but Turgenev remained by her side as a friend (sort of), as history has it.
I was even more surprised to see the names of such Turgenev and even Pauline Viardot in this biography.
- Turgenev, a lifelong celibate - his fated love with Madame Viardot
- Eight recommended works by Russian literary great Turgenev
Reading this biography, I felt a connection between the literature, art, and history I have studied. The moment of connection is still a very powerful moment for me. This is why I can't stop reading. For me, it's the moment when I say, "Oh, I didn't know that! I didn't know that! is one of the greatest joys of reading. This book was also a most interesting and stimulating work.
This work is also a good way to learn about the situation in France in the mid-19th century. We highly recommend this biography.
The above is a recommended biography to learn about the life of Bizet, composer of Carmen, "Bizet: The Man Who Dared to Live for the Theater" by Madoka Hino! The above is a recommended biography to learn about the life of Bizet, the composer of Carmen!
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Click here for a list of 20 works in the Hinomadoka "Composer Biography Series"! Read this and you will love classical music! It is shockingly interesting!
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