Bizet

Question 1

What genre did Bizet write?

Answer 1

Bizet contributed to a broad range of genres, but focused mainly on opera.

Question 2

True or False:

Bizet enjoyed limited success during his lifetime.

Answer 2

True.

Bizet enjoyed limited success during his lifetime.

Question 3

What settings and storylines did Bizet use in his operas?

Answer 3

Bizet was drawn to storylines with exotic settings and suggested local color through the use of dance rhythms and evocative orchestration.

Question 4

Bizet's harmony incorporated:
A. unusual juxtapositions of chords and keys
B. Chromaticism
C. Dissonance 
E. Con belto style

Answer 4

Bizet’s harmonies were rich and frequently tinged with chromaticism

Question 5

How did Bizet make use of the chorus?

Answer 5

Bizet integrated the chorus into the musical fabric of his operas and experimented with musical structures such as blending the chorus into the solo aria

Question 6

what sort of legacy did Bizet leave?

Answer 6

Like Mozart, Schubert and Chopin, Bizet left a lasting legacy, despite a short life.

Question 7

What is the ‘fate’ motive in Bizet’s song?

Answer 7

Fate motive: D-C#-Bb-C#-A sound in quick succession

Question 8

What song of Bizet’s does RCM use in its history course?

Answer 8

Carmen:
“Quand Je Vous Aimerai?”
“Votre Toast, Je Peux Vous le Rendre” (Escamillo’s aria)

Question 9

What is the literal translation of “Quand Je Vous Aimerai”?

Answer 9

When will I love you? Good lord, I don’t know,

Maybe never, maybe tomorrow. But not today, that’s certain!

Question 10

What is special about the refrain of Escamillo’s aria?

Answer 10

marked con fatuità (with smugness), a telling indication of Escamillo’s vanity
more diatonic than the opening verse

Question 11

What era is Bizet?

Answer 11

The romantic era