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The Worlds of Gilbert and Sullivan

This hauntingly beautiful tune with its poignant lyrics combines to make, almost certainly, one of the world's greatest love-songs.

Scribe says he fought back the tears as the MusicSmiles team arranged and performed Georges Bizet's wonderful tenor solo. He says he can hear the strings in the accompaniment crying with Don José! But Scribe, seldom short on hyperbole, has been known to sometimes transcend the normal call of duty in these matters. However, the song certainly has the ability to make the hairs down your spine tingle, and bring a proverbial lump to the throat. And maybe the orchestral strings are crying for Georges himself (or for us?).

Coming, as it does in the opera, in the middle of a furious musical argument between Carmen and Don José, Scribe says, it's like discovering a precious jewel in the middle of a steaming jungle; or a mirage in a harsh, hostile, arid desert; or perhaps a schooner emerging out of a swirling dense fog in an angry ocean; or maybe a glimpse of the moon tantalisingly peeping out from behind storm-riven clouds. 

However, let's forget Scribe's flights of fancy. The Carmen leitmotiv (in 3/4 time, key signature G major [E minor]  - which hardly seems to matter in its resolution!) in the first eight bars reminds us of a possible Wagnerian influence. It portends the inevitable return to 'jungle', 'desert', 'fog', 'storm' and tragedy; but before that we have this majestically serene song (in 4/4 time, key signature D flat major, lapsing into its relative B flat minor - yes, five flats!) with a passionate middle section to satisfy most, if not all, tastes.

Have a go and sing along with Georges' indescribably lovely Flower Song, or just simply wallow in the 3 minutes of luxurious music in his sumptuous masterpiece.  During the introduction to this song the Vocal Score directs: (He draws from the vest of his uniform, the flower which Carmen threw at him in Act I, and shows it to Carmen) . . .

The Flower
(8 bar introduction)

Don José (con amore):    La fleur que tu m'avais je-té-e,
Dans ma pri-son m'é-tait res-té-e,
Flé-trie et sè-che, cet-te fleur,
Gardait tou-jours. . sa douce o-deur;
Et pen-dant des heures en-tiè-res,
Sur mes yeux, fermant mes pau-piè-res,
De cette o-deur je m'eni-vrais
Et dans la nuit . . je te vo-yais! . .

Je me pre-nais à te mau-di-re,
A te dé-tes-ter à me di-re:
Pour-quoi faut-il-que le des-tin
L'ait mi-se là sur che-min! . . .

Puis je m'ac-cusais de blas-phé-me,
Et je ne sentais en moi-mé-me,
Je ne sen-tais . . qu'un seul dé-sir,
Un seul dé-sir, un seul es-poir;
Te re-voir, ô Carmen, oui, te re-voir!

Carmen... tu n'a-vais eu qu'à pa-raî-tre,
Qu'à je-ter un re-gard sur moi,
Pour t'em-pa-rer de tout mon être,
Ô ma Carmen . . !
Et j'é-tais une chose à toi . . .!
Car-men je t'ai . . .me . . .!

It's super, isn't it? Like to sing it again, in English . . .?

The Flower
(8 bar introduction)

Don José (con amore):    Through every long and lonely hour . .
In prison there, I kept your flower,
And though its bloom was swiftly gone
Its haunting fragrance lingered on.
In the darkness, as I lay dreaming
Its perfume consoling, redeeming,
Recalled your image night and day,
And my despair would fade away.

Another time I would berate you,
I swore to detest and to hate you!
Of what Nemesis am I the prey?
What whim of fate sent you my way?

Then I realised I was lying;
There could be no doubt, no denying,
One burning hope  . . was all I knew,
One sole desire inflamed my heart!
Carmen, I longed for you,
I longed for you!

Car . . men, the magic of your glances
Cast a spell around my heart,
Luring me on like an enchantress.
You rule my soul!
You took possession of my heart  . . .!
Carmen, I love . . you . . .!

We dedicate this MusicSmiles arrangement of the song to Tony of the Village Singers, who, with his remarkable tenor voice, made a memorable job of this wonderful number in our potted concert version of Carmen. JEA.

And finally, the fantastically exciting, martial - Toreador?

( Click number to view statistics > > >). Scribe thanks all our  223,547 MusicSmiles visitors up to beginning of September, 2010. 

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