File:Carmen - 'Carmen and José', by Byam Shaw.jpg

Identifier: favouriteoperasf00hadd (find matches)
Title: Favourite operas from Mozart to Mascagni : their plots, history and music
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Hadden, J. Cuthbert (James Cuthbert), 1861-1914
Subjects: Operas
Publisher: New York : Thomas Nelson
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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ut Carmen knows no fear. She declines toconceal herself or to seek protection, and boldly facesJos^ outside the arena. Jos^ ** tries hard to touchher heart. He ** kneels at her feet, vowing neverto forsake her, and to be one of her own people.Carmen remains obdurate. She declares frankly anddisdainfully that she has given her love to thetoreador, whose triumphs are now being borne to herears by the shouts of the multitude. Almost besidehimself with defeated love and revengeful rage, DonJos^ draws his dagger and stabs her to the heart.Fanfares and trumpets announce the approach of thevictorious toreador. But there is no Carmen forEscamillo; Carmen lies dead upon the ground, withDon Jos^, bereft of his senses, kneeling beside her. THE MUSIC Musically, Carmen is prefaced by a short orchestral introduction, very free in form and not elaborate enough to be dignified by the title of overture. It is almost a literal transcription of the festive music announcing the bull-fight in the last 136
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CABMEN AND JOS:^ Act I. THE MUSIC Act, including the short phrase in F sharp minorassigned to the childrens chorus and the refrainof the Toreadors Song in the second Act. Thisfestive noise is succeeded by a short movement,andante moderator introducing a striking theme oftwo bars only, which is throughout the opera con-stantly associated with Carmen herself. The themederives its striking effect, as the theoretical musicianwould tell us, from Bizets use of an unusual musicalinterval—the superfluous second. This intervalis peculiar to the popular tunes of the gipsy tribe,hence its significance here. In addition, moreover,to its national import, the theme in question, toquote the late Francis HuefFer (to whose analysis Iam much indebted) also conveys a graphic idea ofthe waywardness of Bizets frail heroine, while, at thesame time, its weird harmonic colouring seems toforbode some strange doom. The theme is turnedto account in the opera itself in a truly masterly way,and, if the listener

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