Bizet, G :: Gypsy Song

Musicians Publications presents Georges Bizet s Gypsy Song' from 'Carment' arranged for flute choir plus by Bill Holcombe and Bill Holcombe Jr. Scored for 4 C flutes, alto flute, and bass flute, this arrangement also includes an optional parts for bass clarinet or cello, as well as a contra bass flute part to add to the bass sound if desirable.

Carmen' became Bizet s most celebrated work, although the premiere at the Opera Comique in Paris on March 3, 1875, was greeted by silence from its charter audience. Bizet died three months later, believing that his last opera had completely failed. By featuring smugglers, gypsies, factory girls, corporals, and cigarette smokers, Carmen' violated the chastity and lightweight fare of the typical Opera Comique productions. Despite its initial critiques, the quality of the music and the international soap opera appeal -- a tangled relationship amongst the beautiful, seductive Carmen, the army corporal Don Jose, and the famous matador Escamillo -- have continued to promote the work. Bizet s portrayal of Spanish life and music, and his understanding of the gypsies is instinctive and real. Upon hearing it in Paris, Peter I Tchaikovsky announced, In a few years 'Carmen will be the most popular opera in the world. With the 1875 Vienna production, just months after the disastrous Paris premiere, 'Carmen' was on its way to fulfilling Tchaikovsky's prediction. Other major composers of Bizet s era who praised 'Carmen were Brahms, Wagner, and Ravel.

- University of Texas Wind Symphony, 2017