Celebrity Graveland

October 25, 1838 – June 03, 1875

Georges Bizet had all the hallmarks of the stereotypical Romantic composer in 19th Century Europe: He showed genius from an early age. He struggled financially. He shunned religious themes in his work. He didn’t make it to the age of 40…

Bizet’s career, though brief, was full of promise. While he really only has one enduring masterwork (1875’s opéra comique, Carmen) he left behind a number of other memorable scores and compositions like L’Arlésienne and Symphony in C Major. Carmen wasn’t his only opera, of course – he wrote more than a dozen – but it was his final triumph.
Georges Bizet was a standout student in Paris. He was accepted to the Conservatoire de Paris at the age of 10. A piano virtuoso, he was awarded many prizes including the coveted Prix de Rome scholarship which afforded him the means to pursue many of his early compositions. When the money dried up, he taught piano and tinkered away at projects as he could. Many of his works were not well received during his lifetime, though there were certainly exceptions. When Carmen was finally produced, it received mostly negative reviews and its complexity caused chaos amongst the performers. In poor health much of his life, Bizet suffered a series of heart attacks in the early summer of 1875, finally succumbing to one on June 3rd. As a tribute to the popular composer, a special performance of Carmen was held. The show was suddenly a massive hit and it went on to cement Bizet’s legacy in the world of classical music.

Burial

Père Lachaise Cemetery – Paris, FRANCE

Specific Location

Division 68; On the west side of Avenue de la Chappelle just north of its intersection with Avenue des Ailantes.

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