List of compositions by Georges Bizet explained

This is a list of musical works by the French composer Georges Bizet (1838–1875).

List of works

Stage works

Operas:^[1]

• La maison du docteur (The Physician's House), opéra comique, 1 act, (H. Boisseaux; composed either in 1852 or 1855; unperformed)
• Le docteur Miracle (Doctor Miracle, opérette, 1 act, (L. Battu & L. Halévy, after R.B. Sheridan; composed 1856; first performance: Paris, Bouffes-Parisiens, 9 April 1857)
• Don Procopio, opéra bouffe, 2 acts, (C. Cambiaggio, after L. Prividali; composed 1858–59; first performance: Monte Carlo, 10 March 1906)
• La prêtresse (The Priestess), opérette, 1 act, (P. Gille; composed ca. 1861; unperformed)
• La guzla de l'émir (The Guzla of the Amir), opéra comique, (J. Barbier & M. Carré; composed ca. 1862; unperformed)
• Ivan IV, opéra, 5 acts, (F.-H. Leroy & H. Trianon; composed ca. 1862–65; first performance: Württemberg, Mühringen Castle, 1946)
• Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers), opéra, 3 acts, (E. Cormon & M. Carré; composed 1863; first performance: Paris, Théâtre Lyrique, 30 September 1863)
• La jolie fille de Perth (The Fair Maid of Perth), opéra, 4 acts, (J.-H. Vernoy de Saint-Georges & J. Adenis, after W. Scott); composed 1866; first performance: Paris, Théâtre Lyrique, 26 December 1867)
• Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerre (Marlbrough Goes to War), opérette, 4 acts, (P. Siraudin & W. Busnach; composed 1867, Act I only, lost; first performance: Paris, Théâtre de l'Athénée, 13 December 1867; the title was taken from the popular song "Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerre")
• La coupe du roi de Thulé (The Cup of the King of Thule), opéra, 3 acts, (L. Gallet & E. Blau; composed 1868–69, after his death the autograph full score was mutilated by various hands^[2] and only fragments remain; first performance: (excerpts) BBC Radio, 12 July 1955)
• Clarisse Harlowe, opéra comique, 3 acts, (Gille & A. Jaime, after S. Richardson; composed 1870–71, incomplete; unperformed)
• Grisélidis, opéra comique, 1 act, (V. Sardou; composed 1870–71, incomplete; unperformed)
• Djamileh, opéra comique, 1 act, (Gallet, after A. de Musset; composed 1871; first performance: Paris, Opéra-Comique (Favart), 22 May 1872)
• Don Rodrigue, opéra, 5 acts, (Gallet & Blau, after G. de Castro y Bellvis; composed 1872, incomplete draft; unperformed)
• Carmen, opéra comique, 4 acts, (H. Meilhac & L. Halévy, after P. Mérimée; composed 1873–74; first performance: Paris, Opéra-Comique (Favart), 3 March 1875)

Incidental music:

• L'Arlésienne (The Girl from Arles), incidental music, 3 acts (A. Daudet; composed 1872; first performance: Paris, Théâtre Vaudeville, 1 October 1872)

Orchestral works

• Overture in A, 1855
• Symphony in C major, 1855
• Roma Symphony, 1866/1868
• Petite suite (five movements orchestrated from Jeux d'enfants)
• Overture Patrie, 1872
• He compiled an orchestral suite using some pieces from his incidental music for L'Arlesienne; after his death, Ernest Guiraud put together a second L'Arlésienne suite, although it also included music from La jolie fille de Perth

Works for chorus and orchestra

• Clovis et Clotilde (cantata), 1857
• Te Deum, 1858
• Ode Symphony Vasco de Gama, 1859–60

Songs

(words by / year composed)

• L'âme triste est pareille au doux ciel (Lamartine)
• Petite Marguerite (Olivier Rolland, 1854)
• La rose et l'abeille (Rolland, 1854)
• La foi, l'esperance et la charité (de Lagrave, 1854))
• Vieille chanson (Millevoye, 1865)
• Adieux de l'hôtesse arabe (Hugo, 1866)
• Apres l'hiver (Hugo, 1866)
• Douce mer (Lamartine, 1866)
• Chanson d'avril (Bouilhet, 1866)
• Feuilles d'album (1866): "À une fleur" (de Musset), "Adieux à Suzon" (de Musset), "Sonnet" (Ronsard), "Guitare" (Hugo), "Rose d'amour" (Millevoye), "Le grillon" (Lamartine)
• Pastorale (Regnard, 1868)
• Rêve de la bien-aimée (de Courmont, 1868; dedicated to Léontine de Maësen)
• Ma vie a son secret (Arvers, 1868)
• Berceuse (Desbordes-Valmore, 1868)
• La chanson du fou (Hugo, 1868)
• La coccinelle (Hugo, 1868)
• La sirène (Mendès, 1868)
• Le doute (Ferrier, 1868)
• L'esprit saint
• Absence (Gautier)
• Chant d'amour (Lamartine)
• Tarentelle (Pailleron)
• Vous ne priez pas (Casamir Delavigne)
• Le colibri (Flan, 1868)
• Sérénade 'Oh, quand je dors' (Hugo)
• Vœu (Hugo, 1868)
• Voyage, Aubade, La nuit, Conte, Aimons, rêvons!, La chanson de la rose, Le Gascon, N'oublions pas!, Si vous aimez!, Pastel, l'abandonnée (these songs are from unidentified unfinished dramatic works)

Works for piano

• Nocturne in F major
• Variations chromatiques de concert (Chromatic Variations in Concert; orchestrated by Felix Weingartner in 1933)
• Caprice in C minor
• Caprice in C major
• Chasse fantastique (The Fantastic Hunt)
• Romance sans paroles (Romance Without Words) in C major
• Thème brilliant in C
• Valse in C major
• Trois esquisses musicales (Three Musical Sketches)
• Grande valse de concert in E
• Marine
• Nocturne in D major
• Impromptu in E-flat Major (Ends in E-Flat Minor)
• Moment Musicaux in F Minor (Ends in F Major)
• Chants du Rhin (Songs of the Rhine)
• Four préludes
• Chansons-Mélodies Romances sans Paroles: Chanson d'Avril, Extase, Méditation : Souvenir de l'Arlésienne^[3]
• Venise : Romance sans Paroles^[3]
• Jeux d'enfants (Children's Games) 12 pieces for piano duet

1. L'escarpolette (The Swing, Rêverie)
2. La toupie (The Top, Impromptu)
3. La poupée (The Doll, Berceuse)
4. Les chevaux de bois (The Hobby-horses, Scherzo)
5. Le volant (Battledore and Shuttlecock, Fantasy)
6. Trompette et tambour (Trumpet and Drum, March)
7. Les bulles de savon (Soap Bubbles, Rondo)
8. Les quatre coins (Puss in the Corner, Esquisse)
9. Colin-maillard (Blind Man's Bluff, Nocturne)
10. Saute-mouton (Leap-frog, Caprice)
11. Petit mari, petite femme (Little Husband, little wife, Duo)
12. Le bal (The Ball, Gallop)

Transcriptions

• Version for solo piano of all three movements of Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2

Completions of others' works

• Fromental Halévy – Noé, opéra, 3 acts (Saint-Georges; composed 1858–62 and left unfinished at Halévy's death; completed by Bizet; first performance Karlsruhe, 5 April 1885)

References

Notes

Sources

• Sadie, Stanley, ed. (1992). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (4 volumes). London: Macmillan. .
• Dean, Winton (1978). Bizet (The Master Musician Series, 3rd edition). London: J. M. Dent. .

Notes and References

1. [Hugh Macdonald (musicologist)|Macdonald]
2. Dean (1978)
3. CD ADW7515, Pavane Records, 2007. Souvenir de l'Arlésienne is the Intermezzo from L'Arlésienne ; Venise is the air "Je crois entendre encore" from Les pêcheurs de perles