Carmen

An Opera by Georges Bizet

Resource Pack for Teachers

Written by David Knotts and Julian West
Edited by Maria Turley

An Introduction
Dear colleague,
This resource pack is designed to support the forthcoming production of Bizets opera Carmen at Blackheath
Concert Halls.
Getting involved with a production of Carmen is a great introduction to opera because its the most popular
piece in the genre. Its also full of great music! Its worth noting however that Carmen deals with issues
which stray into complicated emotional and moral territory: Carmen is a dangerous gypsy woman who lives
by her own moral code; many of the most likable characters are gypsies, smugglers and tavern owners who
are on the outskirts of main-stream society and are occasionally at odds with those in authority. Weve
approached many of these issues head on and they should provide useful starting points for both creative
work and discussion.
Although the contents of this pack are music-orientated, there are also links to other areas of the National
Curriculum including English, Art and Design, Mathematics, Geography, History, Science and Citizenship.
The music tasks are written with the non-music specialist in mind although there is plenty of scope for music
specialists as well. Content is aimed at Key Stage 2 level children in Years 5 and 6.
A Note on Resources
This pack is designed with a busy teacher and the photocopier in mind so you can copy appropriate pages to
hand out to your class. Its designed to dip in and out of, so dont feel that you have to work doggedly through
from one unit to the next. We would recommend that you get a recording of Carmen so that you and your
class can get to know the wonderful music. The highlights of the opera should be easy to find in a CD
compilation. Weve also suggested internet links for specific listening tasks. Youll find these as foot notes on
the relevant pages. They are, we hope, nearly foolproof!
Rather than clutter up the pack itself, there is a table included which shows how particular activities in the
pack link up with specific areas in the curriculum.
Good luck and happy music making!
David Knotts & Julian West

Contents
The pack is divided into sections as follows:
1. Opera: what is it and who gets involved?

TASK 1.1: All about Opera!

TASK 2.1: Musical Travelling

2. Carmen: the most famous opera ever!

TASK 2.2: Short-stories and Librettos

TASK 3.1: Who loves who?

3. The Story of Carmen

TASK 3.2: Family Trees

TASK 3.3: Become a Designer
TASK 4.1: The Habaera Rhythm

4. The Famous Habaera

TASK 4.2: Write your own Habaera

TASK 5.1: Authority Figures

5. a) Carmen and her Community

TASK 5.2: Different sorts of Communities

TASK 5.3: Andalucian Music

5.

b) Andalucian Music: Fandangos and Flamenco!

TASK 5.4: Flamenco Rhythm

TASK 5.5: Write your own Flamenco Music

6. Bull Fighting: the Matador and the Bull Ring

TASK 6.1: Escamillo the Matador!

TASK 7.1: Different Voices in Carmen

7. Singing: how voices work and how they are different

TASK 7.2: How do our Voices Work?

TASK 7.3: Remembering Whos Who
TASK 7.4: Perform in Carmen!
TASK 8.1: Instrument Families
TASK 8.2: The Entractes in Carmen

8. The Orchestra

DIAGRAM 1: Instrument Family Card

DIAGRAM 2: Instrument pictures
DIAGRAM 3: Orchestra Seating Chart

9. Blackheath Halls

TASK 9.1: All about Blackheath Halls!

10. Curriculum Links

National Curriculum and QCA links

Explanation of terms, useful resources and

11. Glossary and Useful Information

websites etc
The Blackheath Halls Opera Project

12. Other information

Information about organisations involved

Contacts

1. Opera: what is it and who gets involved?

What is an Opera?
An opera is a bit like a play it is a story which is usually acted out on a stage. Unlike an ordinary play
however, an opera uses music to tell all (or almost all) of the story. So instead of using actors, an opera is
performed by a group of singers.
Who gets involved?
Opera is one of the biggest musical spectacles ever created and so lots of different people do lots of different
kinds of jobs.
The musical jobs include:
Solo singers

People singing on their own. They usually have the biggest voices.

Chorus singers

These singers work together in small groups.

Repetiteur
Orchestra
Conductor

This fancy French word is for the person who plays the piano during
rehearsals.
An orchestra is a group of musicians who play together.
This person has the job of trying to keep everyone together. He usually
waves a white baton to keep everyone in time.

The theatre jobs include:

Director

Choreographer

The directors job is to organise how the opera works on the stage. This
includes deciding where the performers stand and how they move around.
Many operas include lots of movement and dancing. A choreographer helps
people to learn the steps.
Stage managers make sure that live stage performances run smoothly.

Stage Manager

They organise practical and technical things like scene changes, props,
lighting and sound, and make sure that all the performers and crew are in
the right place at the right time.

Stage Designer

Prop Maker

Stage designers create the overall look of the theatre and the stage,
planning the design style for sets and props.
Prop makers are responsible for producing the props (short for properties)
that are used on stage.

Makeup

Its important that the singers faces show up well on stage so there is
always a team of makeup artists on hand.
Often, singers have to change quickly from one costume to another. A

Dressers

dresser will help them to get changed and will make sure that the costume is
on the right way round!

Prompter

Box Office

A prompter sits in a box at the front of the stage and tells the singers what
lines are coming up so they dont forget what to sing!
The box office is made up of a team of people who organise and sell tickets
for the show.
Many operas contain fight scenes which can involve hand to hand combat

Fight Director

and work with pretend guns and swords. The fight director makes sure no
one gets hurt.
This person is like a fashion designer who designs what people will wear on

Costume Designer

stage. Sometimes costumes are especially made for a production and

sometimes they are hired from costume companies.

Lighting Designer

A lighting designer plans how the opera will be lit and with which lights.

Is an opera very expensive to put on?

Sometimes, yes. There are lots of different things to think about, practice, buy, build and organise in order to
make an opera exciting and spectacular. As weve already mentioned, lots of different people are needed to
make this happen and at very big opera houses there are often many more jobs than the ones weve talked
about here.
Where can you see opera in London?
There are two big opera companies in London, the Royal Opera (who perform at the Royal Opera House in
Covent Garden) and English National Opera (who perform at the Coliseum near Trafalgar Square).
What was the first opera and where was it performed?
The first opera was performed in 1607 at a place called Mantua in Italy. It was called Orfeo and is about a
husband who tries to rescues his wife from the underworld. Orfeo was written by an Italian composer called
Claudio Monteverdi. Italy is considered to be the birthplace of opera and many of the greatest opera singers
are Italian you might have heard of Pavarotti.

TASK 1.1: All about Opera!

English and History Links

See what you can remember about what an opera is and who gets involved!
1 Who are the people who tell the story in an opera? Are they singers, actors or stage designers?
.
2 How is an opera different from an ordinary play?
.
3 Can you name three different MUSICAL JOBS?
.

4 Can you think of three THEATRE JOBS?

.

5 What does a solo singer do?

.
6 What does a fight director do?
.
7 What was the first opera ever performed called and who composed it?
.

8 The first opera was performed in 1607. Can you work out how many years ago this was?
.
9 What country was the first opera performed in?
.
1 Can you name the two big opera companies in London?
0
.

EXTRA.. What can you find out about the two big opera companies who perform in London?

2. Carmen: the most famous opera ever!

6

The opera youre going to be involved with is called Carmen. It is the most famous opera ever written. It was
composed by the French composer, Georges Bizet. Like many of the worlds best operas, it explores some
big themes and ideas including love and jealousy.
A little bit about Monsieur Bizet
Bizet was born in Paris in 1838. Two weeks before his 10 th
birthday, he was sent to Francess most famous music school, the
Paris Conservatoire.
Bizet spent most of his life writing for the theatre and he composed
six operas. Although Bizet didnt travel very far himself, many of his
operas are set in exotic locations. The Pearl Fishers is set in Sri
Lanka; the Fair Maid of Perth is set in Scotland (considered very
exotic and strange by a French composer!) Djamilah tells the tale
of a beautiful slave in Turkey and Carmen is set in Spain. Writing
music about exotic people and locations meant that Bizet could go
on exciting holidays without ever leaving his study!

TASK 2.1: Musical Traveling

Geography Links

Bizets music took him all over the world! On a map of the world, find and mark Paris in France (Bizets
birthplace) and then Sri Lanka, Scotland, Turkey and Spain. Maybe you could think of different symbols to
represent the operas when you mark the country they are from on the map.

A little bit about the first performance of Carmen

Carmen was performed for the first time in Paris in 1878. But its premiere was a disaster! The audience and
the newspapers who wrote about it the next day, thought that it was too long and that Carmen and some of
the other characters were not good people and shouldnt be celebrated in an opera.
Despite this, Carmen went on to become one of the most popular operas ever written. But poor Bizet didnt
see how successful it was, because he died from a heart attack at the age of 36, just a few months after
writing it.

Composers and writers

Composers sometimes write the music AND the words for their operas. However, they can also decide to
work with a writer who will create the words for the composer to set to music.
When he wrote Carmen, Bizet worked with three writers:
Prosper Mrime was born in Paris in 1803 and died in 1870.
Here he is in the picture:
He was a writer and also a translator, historian and archeologist.
He studied law as well as Greek, Spanish, English, and Russian.
He was the first person to translate Russian literature into French.
Mrime loved mysticism, history, and the unusual. Unlike Bizet
who stayed in France nearly all his life, Mrime spoke many
different languages and he was a keen traveller. Lots of the
stories he wrote are mysteries set in foreign countries and they
reflect his love of travelling to unusual places.
Mrime wrote a short story called Carmen in 1845. It tells the
tale of a French traveller who falls in love with a beautiful gypsy
woman called Carmen who uses her charms to trick and trap
people.

Ludovic Halvy and Henri Meilhac were writers who met in 1860. They worked
for lots of the most famous theatres in Paris.
Halvy and Meilhac were particularly known for writing something called a libretto.
A libretto is like a script for a play and contains the words which a composer sets
to music.
They used Mrimes short story about the mysterious gypsy girl as inspiration for
a libretto which Bizet then set to music.

TASK 2.2: Short-stories and Librettos

English Links

In a moment, you are going to write your own short-story and part of a libretto. To help you, we will
first look at Mrimes short-story and Halvy and Meilhacs libretto:
1.

Mrimes short-story talks about the way Carmen looks. Here is the moment when the traveller
meets Carmen for the first time:
Seorita Carmen was prettier than any other gypsy girl I had met on my travels. Her skin was nearly
the colour of copper. Her eyes were remarkably wide; her lips rather full, but finely shaped, showing a
glimpse of her teeth, whiter than blanched almonds. Her long black hair had a blue sheen like a
ravens wing. She had a strange wild beauty that was unforgettable. Her eyes in particular were both
beautiful and fierce. Watch your cat when it is stalking a sparrow and you will know what I mean.
Questions:

What does the traveller think about Carmen?

How does he describe the way Carmen looks?

The traveller says that Carmens face makes her look like a cat when it is stalking (or
hunting) a sparrow. What do you think this means?

2.

Here is the first time we meet Carmen in Halvy and Meilhacs libretto. She works with her friends
in a factory which makes cigarettes and cigars. The bell rings for break time and the factory girls
come out into the sunshine and chat with the soldiers in the square:
Soldiers:

It's the bell for break. Lets go and have a chat with the lovely girls from the factory.
Look at them, all smoking!
Theyre all talking about love and boyfriends.
Look at how the smoke makes pretty patterns in the sky.
But we dont see little Carmen!
There she is! Theres Carmencita!
Carmen, were at your feet. Be sweet and tell us on which day youll love us!

Carmen:

When will I love you?

Maybe never, maybe tomorrow.
But not today thats certain!

Questions:

How is the libretto written down in a different way from the short-story?

Why do you think the soldiers are so eager to see Carmen?

Carmencita is her nick name. Why do you think the soldiers are using her nickname?

Do you think this Carmen is similar to the character in the short-story?

3.

Write a short-story!
Write about a meeting between a traveller to a foreign country and person who lives and works there.
Try to describe them as fully as you can. What does their appearance suggest about the person as a
whole?
Things to think about

4.

Will your character be male or female?

Which country will your character come from?

Which country will the traveller come from?

What will your character look like?

What colour hair and eyes will they have?

What will they wear?

Write a libretto!
Transform your story into part of a libretto for an imaginary opera.
Things to think about

What groups of people might have met your character?

How do they describe him or her?

What do they say to each other about your character?

What has your character got to say for him or herself?

Remember how Halvy and Meilhac set out their libretto.

3. The Story of Carmen

Act 1
In a beautiful square in Seville there is a cigarette factory, a guard house and a bridge. The soldiers are on
guard and feeling very bored. Micala comes into the square. She is looking for her fianc Don Jose, who is
also a soldier. The bored soldiers try to talk to her, but Micala is upset by them, and she runs away. Just
as she has gone, Don Jose himself arrives with the new guard.
The cigarette factory bell rings and all the women who work there come out into the square for a break.
Among them is Carmen. All the men tease her, asking her when she will fall in love with them. Carmen is
happy to play along, replying in her famous habanera that she loves the man who does not love her, and she
throws a flower to Don Jose. Don Jose is surprised but just then, his girlfriend Micala arrives, bringing him
a letter and a kiss from his mother, reminding him how much he misses home.
Screams are heard from the factory, and we discover that Carmen has been fighting with another woman.
Carmen is arrested by Don Jose and he takes her to jail. On the way to jail however, Carmen manages to
persuade him to let her escape in the Seguidilla song which means that Don Jose himself gets arrested!
Act 2
It is evening, and Carmen and two of her friends are at a tavern owned by Lillas Pastia. Carmen is in love
with Don Jose, and can only think about him. The famous matador Escamillo arrives and everyone is very
excited to see him! Escamillo sings the famous Toreador song, telling everyone what it is like to be a
matador, how brave he is, and how the crowds love him. Escamillo spots Carmen, and he tries to charm
her, but Carmen refuses him because she is in love with Don Jose.
Don Jose arrives at the tavern, just as everyone else is leaving, and he and Carmen are alone together.
She tells him stories about her dancing and dances for him, but is interrupted by the sound of trumpets
calling all the soldiers back to the barracks. Carmen is angry that Don Jose has to go, but he tells her that

he is in love with her. Carmen tells him that if he really loves her, he will join her and her gypsy smuggler
friends. Don Jose refuses, but as he is leaving he is caught by his superior officer, and they both draw their
swords. The gypsies manage to disarm them both and they take the officer away. Because of what he has
done, Don Jose is forced to run away with Carmen.
Act 3
Carmen and Don Jose hide out with the smugglers. Carmen realizes that she isnt really in love with Don
Jose, and that she likes Escamillo the famous matador much more!
Carmen and her friends Frasquita and Mercedes try to tell their fortunes using a pack of cards. While her
friends finds that good things are in store for them love, romance, wealth and luxury Carmens cards tell
her that she and Don Jose will both die.
Escamillo arrives, and tells Don Jose that he is in love with Carmen, but that he knows she is already in love
with a soldier (he doesnt know that the soldier he is talking about is Don Jose!). There is almost a fight
between them over the misunderstanding, but the gypsies manage to stop them. Escamillo leaves, inviting
Carmen and the other gypsies to a bullfight.
Micala appears, and tells Don Jose that his mother wants to see him. At first he refuses to go, but Micala
tells him that his mother is dying, and he agrees to go, telling Carmen that he will return. Unknown to
everyone, Micala has seen and heard everything that has been going on, because she arrived much earlier,
but stayed hidden in the rocks.

Act 4
The crowds have gathered in front of the arena in Seville to watch the bullfight. They greet Carmen and
Escamillo when they arrive, and Carmen tells everyone that she has never loved anyone as much as she
loves Escamillo. One of Carmens friends warns her that Don Jose is in the crowd, and has said he is going
to kill her, but Carmen says that she will talk to him. However, before Carmen can even enter the bull ring,
Don Jose appears. He demands that Carmen should love him, even after she tells him again and again that
she doesnt love him any more. She throws him back the ring that he gave her, and Don Jose stabs her in
the heart, just as Escamillo triumphs over the bull in the bull ring. The crowds leave the bull ring, and Don
Jose confesses to them, crying that he adored Carmen.

TASK 3.1: Who Loves Who?

English Links

This kind of complicated story about people falling in and out of love is common
to many operas. It is interesting that lots of the programmes we watch on TV
today are called soap operas. What do you think they have in common with
operas like Carmen? In Italy, the birth place of opera, singers and operas were
as famous and popular as the characters and actors in Eastenders today!
Can you remember who loves who in Carmen? Fill in the blanks. You might
need to go back over the story to help you.
Here are the characters names to help you:
CARMEN

DON JOSE

ESCAMILLO

MICAELA

the cigarette-factory worker with a temper loves

but then she falls in love with

the soldier

the famous matador instead.

the soldier is going to marry his girlfriend

but then he falls in love with

the cigarette-factory worker.

the soldiers girlfriend stays in love with

the famous matador loves
and maybe himself!

the soldier.
the cigarette factory worker

TASK 3.2: Family Trees

English and Art & Design Links

A family tree is a chart which shows different generations of one family, when they
were born and when they died, who had children and who married who. This kind of
chart shows what are sometimes called blood ties.
Everyone in the Carmen story is linked to somebody else by ties of emotion rather
than blood. Youre going to design a family tree for the characters in Carmen,
showing how the different characters feel about each other.
You will need a large, plain piece of paper.
Here are the characters who will feature on your family tree:

Carmen, the cigarette-factory worker.

Micala, the soldiers girlfriend.

Don Jose, the soldier.

Escamillo, the bull fighter.

Lillas Pastias, the inn keeper.

Frasquita, a gypsy friend of Carmens who likes fortune telling!

Don Joses mother.

For each character, you will need to include:

A drawing of their face this is called a cameo. Its usually in a round or oval frame.

What their name is and what their role is (i.e. soldier, mother, Carmens friend etc). Add this information
in a little box underneath the picture.

Whether the character is still alive at the end of the story.

Add this information in the little box

underneath the picture too.

Emotional ties
Love isnt the only strong emotion in the story. Theres dislike, hatred, jealousy, tenderness and kindness
too. Choose a line of a particular colour to join together the characters who are in love. Then chose different
colours to show the other emotions that the characters feel for one another. Be sure to include a key to show
which colours represent which emotions.

How complicated is your finished chart?

What does this tell you about the story?

TASK 3.3: Become a Designer

English, History and

Art & Design Links

It is the job of the designer to decide what the scenery and costumes will look like for a particular production.
They do this by researching the Operas story, when it is set and what sort of people it portrays.
1.

Stage Designers
Its your job to design some scenery for one of the acts in Carmen. Choose one of the following places
and design the set:
The Square:

What do you think the square in Act 1 looks like?

The Tavern:

How do you think the tavern looks where Carmen meets Escamillo?

Carmens Hideout:

Where is Carmen hiding out with Don Jos and the gypsies when Escamillo
arrives?

The Bull Ring:

What do you think the bull ring is like?

Designers often begin on a piece of paper and then transfer their 2-dimensional drawing into a
3-dimensional model box. This is a model the size of a shoe box which shows how the set will look in
the theatre. You could transfer your drawing into a model box
2.

Costume Designers
Its your job to design a costume for one of the characters in Carmen. Choose one of the following
characters and design a costume for them:

How does Don Jos look in his soldiers uniform?

The outfits for the matadors are always incredibly bright and intricate.
Can you design a matador costume for Escamillo?

Carmen is a gypsy, who dances in the traditional Spanish style called

flamenco what is her dress like? If you visit Andaluca, the area of
Spain where Seville is, you will see rows and rows of orange trees.
Some people think that the traditional pattern of polka dots on the
flamenco dresses comes from this pattern of orange trees.

EXTRA
Lots of operas today are staged in a modern times not necessarily just at the time when Bizet was alive.

Do the places and characters remind you of people who are around today?
Could you stage Carmen in a place that you know?
The famous choreographer Matthew Bourne made an up to date version of Carmen called Car Man.
Where do you think he set his piece?

4. The Famous Habaera

When we first meet Carmen, she sings the famous Habaera. The Habaera is a popular Spanish dance.
The rhythm is very important. It begins with a long beat, followed by a short beat. This pattern is followed by
two equal beats called quavers.

TASK 4.1: The Habaera Rhythm

Music Links

Heres the Habaera rhythm. Have a look at it and see if you can clap the rhythm a few times. Notice that
you dont clap on beat two but just after it, on the and. You may find it helpful to count: 1 2 & 3 4:

The dance started life in Cuba but travelled all over the world. It is believed that the Habaera was brought
to Spain by sailors, where it became very popular. All things Spanish became very fashionable in Paris in the
1850s so Bizet would probably have had a go at dancing a Habaera himself in one of the Parisian salons or
ballrooms which were springing up. These were the nineteenth century equivalent of our modern-day clubs
where young ladies and gentlemen could meet and dance.
In a Habaera, the rhythmic pattern repeats over
and over. We call this an ostinato.
Listen to Bizets Habaera.1 This is the first song
which we hear Carmen sing. In an opera, songs
sung by one person are called arias. Carmen sings
this song to the soldiers who are having a joke with
her while shes on her break. They tease her, asking
when she will love them. In the Habaera, she says
that love is a rebellious bird and cannot be tamed.
Youll notice that the ostinato is played by a low
sounding stringed instrument called the cello in the
orchestra. Over the top, Carmen sings a long,
slippery melody.

Youll find a recording here: http://www.amazon.com/Bizet-Greatest-Hits-Rene-Bianco/dp/B00022LJL0

Scroll down the page and click on number 3. L'amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle (Habanera)

TASK 4.2: Write your own Habaera

Music Links

You are going to write your own Habaera with a slippery melody and a repeating ostinato.
Divide yourself into groups of two. Each pair will need:

A piano, keyboard or chromatic glockenspiel (one with black and white notes)

A percussion instrument. Tambourines and castanets are particularly Spanish

Some plain paper and a pencil

STEP 1 Create an ostinato

On your percussion instrument, practice the Habaera rhythm. Youll notice that its not too fast so try to keep the
beat nice and steady. Each of you should have a go. Keep playing the rhythm over and over again to make it into
an ostinato.
STEP 2 Create a slippery melody
Bizet uses a chromatic scale to create Carmens slippery melody. This is what suggests to us that Carmen herself
can be a slippery and dangerous character. A chromatic scale is a collection of notes which moves in tiny steps.
Have a look at this picture of a keyboard:

Youll notice that the white notes each have a name, but between them are half steps or semi-tones. Each of
these black notes has two names. First of all, find an F and a G. They are neighbouring notes. Snuggled in
between these two notes is a black note. It is called F sharp and also a G flat. Play those three notes and see how
close together they sound.
The symbol for a flat is b the symbol for a sharp is #

Together, begin work on your slippery melody. You will need to choose one note that the melody begins and ends
on. Then experiment with different slippery patterns. Carmens melody always starts at the top and wriggles down
but you might want your melody to move in a different direction. Try moving up and down this slippery musical
pathway.
Once you are happy with your melody, try playing it with the ostinato pattern. The two lines do not have to have
the same rhythm. Your melody could move faster or slower than the ostinato. If you get stuck, listen to Bizets
Habaera again and see how the ostinato and the melody work together.
Once youre happy with what you have made, write down the notes youve used in whatever way will help you
remember them. Remember to use the correct symbols for flats and sharps.
This is your Habaera! Why dont you perform it to the rest of the class?
EXTRAS
Carmens Habaera has 4 musical sentences which we call phrases.
When you write your Habaera, why dont you see if you can make 4
phrases?

Just like Bizet does at the start of his aria, you could put the ostinato
rhythm onto another pitched instrument a xylophone, flute, clarinet,
guitar, violin or cello. Pick some of the notes which repeat a lot in your
melody to make sure that the two layers fit together nicely.

Carmen sings Bizets Habaera. You could try adding words to your
Habaera so that you can sing your slippery melody.

Why do you think Bizet used this particular Spanish dance for
Carmen? What do you think it tells the audience about her character?

5a. Carmen and her Community

There is a very clear divide in Bizets opera between authority figures of soldiers
and police, and the factory workers, smugglers and gypsies. The problems begin
when the people in charge start chatting to the girls from the factory during their
break.

TASK 5.1: Authority Figures

Citizenship Links

The soap opera Coronation Street has a factory called Underworld, which makes underwear. The people
who work in the factory are nearly all girls. The people in charge of the factory are called Mr and Mr Connor.
They earn more money than the factory workers.

How do the people in charge feel about the people that work for them?

How do the workers feel about the people in charge?

What would happen if one of the factory workers fell in love with one of the people in charge? How
would the people around them feel?

How do we recognise authority figures? Should we be scared of them?

TASK 5.2: Different Sorts of Communities

Citizenship Links

Our schools, especially in London, benefit from having people from many different communities.

Which communities are we all part of? Schools, neighbourhoods, clubs etc

What different communities live in and around your school?

How do they differ from each other, and what things do they have in common?

Which buildings around your schools were built by different communities, and what are they for?

Think about the things you put into your shopping basket, the clothes you wear, and the toys you play
with. Who made them? Where do they come from? Which of your favourite foods comes originally from
another country? What is it like in the place where the things were made and what do you know about
the people who made them? These days, we often talk about the Global Community what do you think
that this means?

5b. Andalucian Music: Fandangos and Flamenco!

Heres a map of Spain. See if you can find the southern city
of Seville where Carmen is set. It is part of the region called
Andaluca.
You will notice that Seville is near to the coast and accessible
from lots of other countries. This means that southern Spain
has always been open to the influences of other peoples and
cultures. The North African countries of Algeria and Morocco
are both near to the Spanish coast. Look how easy it is to
travel from the bottom of Spain to Morocco.

During the nineteenth century when Bizet was writing his opera, there were lots of people from other
countries who came to work in southern Spain. In his original story, Monsieur Mrime talks about gypsies
today we might use the term immigrant to describe someone who comes to join us from another country.
Carmen and many of her friends who work at the cigarette factory and make music at the tavern were part of
this immigrant community.
London is a very good example of a place where lots of different people from across the world have come
together. One of the really good things about this sort of multicultural society is that it influences our culture
(music, dancing, even what we like to eat!) in a really exciting way.

The kinds of musical influences that

Bizet includes in Carmen, shows that he thought that Seville was an exciting place to be too!
Weve already explored the Habaera, which was brought to Spain by sailors. This is just one type of music
which came to Spain from outside. Flamenco is another musical style which became very popular. The
immigrant communities who came to Andalucia brought with them different and very exciting musical
influences, and as the eastern traditions of Morocco, Algeria and Islamic music merged with traditional
Spanish music, flamenco music was born!
The guitar is one of the most important musical instruments used in flamenco
music. People from northern African countries who became known as the Moors
introduced an instrument known as al Khitara which gave birth to the guitar as we
know it. In flamenco music there is often also hand-clapping.
Besides the guitar, musical instruments used in Andalucan traditional music
include drums and drumming instruments, and other percussion instruments.

Music, History and

Citizenship links
Listen to another Spanish dance song called a Fandangos

TASK 5.3: Andalucian Music

sung by Carmen Amaya.2

Youll

hear

strumming

guitar,

which

forms

the

background of the song.

Listen to how the people are playing interesting clapping

patterns.

Carmen Amaya sings the melody, which is complicated

and uses lots of small steps.

If you listened to Bizets Habaera, how does Carmen

Amayas Fandangos compare with it?

EXTRAS

What else can you find out about Andalucian traditional music?

What can you find out about the guitar and about the al khitara

Can you find out something about the castanets, the percussion instrument most often used in flamenco

music?
The culture of Islam has also had a very strong influence
in Andalucia, as this area was lived in by Moorish
peoples for many years. They left behind many beautiful
buildings, such as the Alhambra Palace in Granada.
What can you find out about its design? Youll find lots of
repeating patterns in its decoration, just like you find lots
of repeating rhythms in Andalucian music.

Youll find an excerpt of this piece at http://www.esflamenco.com/product/en80427736.html. Scroll down the

page and click on track number 2 under the list of songs called Fandangos.

TASK 5.4: Flamenco Rhythm

Music and Maths

Links

The clapping rhythms of flamenco music are often very complicated. They are usually based on a pattern of
six quavers. Sometimes this pattern of 6 is divided into two groups of 3 quavers and sometimes it is divided
into three groups of 2 quavers.
1.

Have a look at these two patterns and see if you can practise clapping them.
Can you go from pattern 1 to pattern 2? Youll need to make the clap on each number 1 louder than the
others so that the rhythm is clear.
Pattern 1

Pattern 2

Lets have a look at this pattern a bit more closely. Both pattern 1 and pattern 2 contain 6 quaver beats
which are divided up in different ways:
In pattern 1,
2.

62=3

In pattern 2,

63=2

Can you design your own clapping rhythm using alternating patterns of twos and threes?
a)

How many numbers up to 20 can be divided by two other numbers (not including the number 1)?
Heres an example

15 3 = 5 and 15 5 = 3

Notice that the example uses numbers in common. Can you find any similar examples?
b)

How many numbers up to 20 can be divided by three other numbers (not including the number 1)?
Heres an example

18 2 = 9 and 18 3 = 6 and 18 9 = 2

Notice that the example uses numbers in common. Can you find any similar examples?

TASK 5.5: Write your own Flamenco Music

Music Links

You are going to have a go at making your own flamenco clapping music based on these number
patterns.
1.

Lets try one example as a whole class first of all. The class should be divided into two equal
halves.
Were going to use this number pattern:

15 3 = 5 and 15 5 = 3

The first group will clap pattern 1, thats 15 quaver beats divided into three groups of 5. Remember
to make the claps on the beats marked 1 louder than the others. Ive marked number 1 with an
arrow symbol called an accent to remind you.
Here it is:

The second group will clap pattern 2, thats 15 quaver beats divided into 5 groups of 3. Have a go
at clapping this pattern:

Now you can put both patterns together. You should start and finish at the same time as you both
have 15 beats but the beats with accents on will come in different places.
2.

Once youve had a go at this as a class, split up into smaller groups and work on your own
flamenco music. Can you keep going and stay together as a group? (If you are working with
numbers, which are divisible by two other numbers, then your group must have two equal teams; if
you are working on numbers which are divisible by three other numbers, then you need three
equal teams.)
Things to think about

Remember that each number 1 needs to sound louder than the others.

You can repeat your pattern over and over just like the hand clappers do in flamenco music.

Once youve practised you could write your patterns down. To help you, look at how the
examples are written out above.

You might want to transfer your patterns onto some percussion instruments. Try to keep the
instrumental groups nice and clear for example, if one team within a groups uses metal
instruments, the other team could use wooden ones to give your piece some contrast.

6. Bull Fighting: the Matador, and the Bull Ring

Spain has a long tradition of bull fighting, and the bull ring is still an important building in many Spanish
towns and cities. Bull fights often happen on national holidays in Spain.

The man who fights the bull is called a matador. The matador is a celebrated figure in Spain. He must fight
the animal, using his cloak to confuse and exhaust him until he is able to kill the bull using spears. It is a very
dangerous sport because there is a possibility that the bull will win and the matador could be injured or even
killed! The matadors always wear very elaborate, expensive and decorated costumes.
Successful matadors were always very popular, especially with the ladies! At the time when Bizet was writing
his opera, bull fighters were viewed like our famous footballers today. They were often paid very well and
crowds of people waited to catch sight of them. In some ways, Carmen is a bit like a modern-day footballers
wife. She is attracted by the fame and the glamour.

TASK 6.1: Escamillo the Matador!

Music, History and

Citizenship Links

Bizet begins Carmen with marching music, which we come to associate with the bull ring and Escamillo, the
matador. Have a listen the opening music.3

How does this music describe the atmosphere of the bull ring and Escamillos character?

What kind of character do you think Escamillo is?

Like all matadors, Escamillo wears a very elaborate costume.

Why do you think matadors wear

costumes like this?

Many people think that bull fighting is a cruel sport that should be banned. What do you think?

Youll find a recording here: http://www.amazon.com/Bizet-complete-Nicolai-GeorgesOrchestra/dp/B000002RXS Scroll down to listen to samples and click on Disc 1, track 1. Carmen: Prelude.

7. Singing: How voices work, and how they are different

Opera is all about singing - if the words werent all sung, then it would be like going to see a play, where the
actors just speak their lines.

Because the words are all sung, we can often tell more about how the

characters are feeling, because what we hear in the music tells us about them.
Different kinds of voice in Carmen
Each of the characters in Carmen has a different kind of voice:

Micala is a soprano. This is the highest kind of voice.

Carmen herself is a mezzo soprano. Her voice is a little lower than Micalas.

Don Jos is a tenor. This is a higher male voice, which can sound very exciting sometimes.

Escamillo is a bass baritone. This is a rich, deeper kind of voice. This tells us that he is strong and
brave.

TASK 7.1: Different voices in Carmen

Music Links

Bizet chose a different kind of voice for each of the main characters in Carmen. Why do you think he did
this? What was he trying to tell the audience about them?

The character of Carmen is sung by a mezzo soprano. In other operas, the heroine is good and kind. This
part is usually sung by a soprano. Maybe by choosing a different kind of voice for Carmen, Bizet is telling his
audience something about her

Who in the opera IS good and sweet? And what kind of voice do they have?

How do our voices work?

When we sing or speak, air from our lungs passes up our wind pipe,
and though our vocal chords. As the air passes through them, they
vibrate together to make a sound.
Our voices are all different because we are all different shapes and
sizes thats why some singers are sopranos and others are mezzos.
To change the pitch of our voices, we loosen or tighten the muscles in the larynx (or Adams Apple) in our
throat when we yawn, our larynx is very relaxed, and so the sound of a yawn is low. To change the
volume, we change the amount of air that passes through the vocal chords the more air, the louder the
sound.

Opera singers train very hard to learn how to control all the different muscles that
affect their voices. They are like Olympic athletes, training every day. Thats why
they can sing so loudly when they need to their voices have to be able to fill an
opera house, with no microphone, and the audience needs to hear every word.
FACT - If you sang loudly for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have
produced enough sound wave energy to heat one cup of coffee!

TASK 7.2: How do our voices work?

Music and Science

Links

Hold two thin pieces of paper very closely together and blow between them. Can you get a sound?

Your vocal chords work in the same way. Lets see if we can feel our own vocal chords vibrate

Sing a long note, and put your hand gently on your larynx (or Adams apple) in your throat. Can you feel
it vibrating?

TASK 7.3: Remembering whos who!

Music Links

The names of the characters in an opera are often sung so we get to know whos who. Often, its like a
musical tag or motif. If we hear a characters motif, we know that they are about to arrive or do something
important.
Youre going to make up a song based on the names of the following characters in the opera:
Carmen

Don Jose

Micala

Escamillo

In a small group, get together with this list of character names and a pitched instrument like a piano,
xylophone, keyboard of glockenspiel.

Begin by thinking about who has the higher or lower voice in the opera and then make a short musical
motif that fits with their name and represents them. As a starting point, think about how many syllables
there are in each name. Give each syllable a different note. You can then decide the order to play the
notes. This is your motif.

Practice singing each of your motifs as a group. By putting the motifs together, you have created a
melody

Experiment with loud and soft singing and with high and low notes to represent the spirit of each
character.

Once you are sure about which motif represents each character, you might want to try putting them
together and singing them all in a round. This means that some of you in the group start after the others.

TASK 7.4: Perform in Carmen!

Music and English

(drama) Links

You are going to form part of the cast for a production of Carmen at Blackheath Halls. Along with other local
school children you will sing the Urchins Chorus, which happens in Act 1 and you may also perform it at the
end of the opera during the March & Procession.

Leigh OHara is the MUSICAL DIRECTOR of this production. He will help you to learn the chorus and get
you ready to perform it on stage.

Bim Malcolmson is a CHOREOGRAPHER. She will help you to learn your dance routine.

Lets have a look at the Urchins Chorus and its place in the opera. You should listen to a recording of it.
Things to think about

Which characters sing the Urchins Chorus?

When in the opera does it happen? What else is happening?

Why do the urchins sing this chorus?

Who do they sing it too?

8. The Orchestra
Bizet uses quite a big orchestra to accompany the singers in Carmen. The orchestra also have some
important moments on their own without the singers, especially in between the acts, where they set the
scene for the action that is about to happen. They also allow the stage team to get new scenery into place
and give the singers time for a quick break and a costume change. Bizet uses the French word entracte
which literally means between the acts.
The orchestra is divided into different groups or families. You can find out more about the different
instrumental

families

which

make

up

the

orchestra

by

referring

to

www.dsokids.com

or

www.nyphilkids.org

TASK 8.1: Instrument Families

Music Links

See if you can group some of the instruments from the orchestra into the correct instrument families.
Enlarge the instrument family cards that follow (Diagrams 1 and 2) to help you do this. This can be done as
a whole class activity or copies of the resources can be made for individuals. Some of the instruments
mentioned here are pictured, along with other additional members of the orchestra. Diagram 3 is a complete
seating chart showing the families sitting together.

TASK 8.2: The Entractes in Carmen

English and
Music Links

READ over the story of Carmen once more in Unit 3. Think about what might be happening in the gaps
between Acts 1 & 2, 2 & 3 and 3 & 4.
LISTEN to the Entractes between acts 1 & 2, acts 2 & 3, and the one between Acts 3 & 4.4

How does each Enracte sound different?

Which characters or elements of the story do you think each of the Entractes represents?

How does the music prepare the audience for what is going to happen next in the story?

What is it about the music that creates the different atmospheres and emotions? Think about the tempo
(pace or speed) of the music, the dynamics (louds and quiets), and the instruments that Bizet has
chosen.

Look at Diagram 3 again this is a complete seating chart showing the different instruments and their
families. Can you spot which instruments are featured in each of the Entractes?

Youll find excerpts of each of these pieces at http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?

EAN=028947753421&z=y&cds2Pid=14636&linkid=888492.
Scroll down to samples. The entracte between acts 1 and 2 is no: 20 on disc 1; the entracte between acts 2
and 3 is no: 6 on disc 2; the entracte between acts 3 and 4 is no: 19 on disc 2.

DIAGRAM 1: Instrument Family Cards

STRINGS

BRASS

WOODWIND

PERCUSSION

DIAGRAM 2: Instrument Pictures (to cut and match to the correct family card)

Cymbals

French Horn

Violin
Cello

Clarinet
Cor Anglais

Bassoon

Triangle

Piccolo

Bass Drum

Timpani

Oboe
Viola

Tambourines

Bass Clarinet
Trombone
Double Bass

Flute

Trumpet

DIAGRAM 3: Orchestra Seating Chart

9. Blackheath Concert Halls

This performance of Bizets Carmen will take place at Blackheath Concert Halls.

Here are few facts about the Concert Halls.

They were built in 1895 in response to lots of local music making both professional and amateur

They have a fantastic acoustic which means that all kinds of music sounds great when performed there!

Many London orchestras come to the Halls to rehearse including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and
the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The English National Opera, one of Londons big opera companies,
also rehearses at the halls and lots of records have been recorded there because of the good acoustic

There are 2 halls, 1 large (The Great Hall) and 1 smaller (The Recital Room)

The halls are highly decorated with musical motifs in the high Victorian style

The halls have had a turbulent 20th century. For many years the building was used as a DHSS office!
After being saved once from bankruptcy by local residents in the nineties, the Halls were bought by
Trinity College of Music in 2003 and now run with support from the local councils

Today the Halls host lots of concerts in many different genres, a film club, tea dances, jazz nights,
literary evenings, childrens holiday workshops, and childrens theatre. There is a Blackheath Halls
Community Orchestra and finally, Carmen will be staged there!

TASK 9.1: All about Blackheath Halls!

History and
Geography Links

Blackheath Concert Halls are over 100 hundred years old and have had a very varied and interesting life!
What can you find out about the halls and about their history?
Things to think about

Why were the halls built?

Who designed and built them?

What different uses have the halls been put too?

What sort of people have used the halls?

Have any famous people, groups and ensembles performed at the halls?

How are the halls used today? How do local people feel about them?

10. Curriculum Links

KS2 Music
Links to QCA Schemes of Work
Unit 15. Ongoing skills

Links to National Curriculum

1. Controlling sounds through singing and playing performing skills

Unit 16. Cyclic patterns - Exploring rhythm and pulse

Pupils should be taught how to:

Unit 17. Roundabout - Exploring rounds

a) Sing songs, in unison and two parts, with clear diction, control of pitch, a

Unit 18. Journey into space - Exploring sound sources

sense of phrase and musical expression

Unit 19. Songwriter - Exploring lyrics and melody

b) Play tuned and un-tuned instruments with control and rhythmic accuracy

Unit 20. Stars, hide your fires - Performing together

c) Practice, rehearse and present performances with an awareness of the

Unit 21. Who knows? - Exploring musical processes

audience
2. Creating and developing musical ideas composing skills
Pupils should be taught how to:
a) Improvise, developing rhythmic and melodic material and musical ideas when
performing
b) Explore, choose, combine and organise musical ideas within musical
structures
3. Responding and reviewing - appraising skills
Pupils should be taught how to:
a) Analyse and compare sounds
b) Explore and explain their own ideas and feelings about music using
expressive language and musical vocabulary
c) Improve their own and others work in relation to its intended effect

4. Listening and applying knowledge and understanding.

Pupils should be taught:

a) To listen with attention to detail and to internalise and recall sounds with
increasing aural memory.
b) How the combined musical elements of pitch, dynamics, tempo, timbre,
texture and silence can be organised within musical structures (for example
ostinato) and used to communicate different moods and effects.
d) How time and place can influence the way music is created, performed and
heard (for example, the effect of occasion and venue).
5. Breadth of study.
Pupils should be taught knowledge, skills and understanding through:
a) A range of musical activities that integrate performing, composing and
appraising.
b) Responding to a range of musical and non-musical starting points.
c) Working on their own, in groups of different sizes and as a class.
e) A range of live and recorded music from different times and cultures.

KS2 History
Links to QCA Schemes of Work
Unit 18. What was it like to live here in the past?

Links to National Curriculum

1. Chronological understanding

Unit 20. What can we learn about recent history from studying the life of

Pupils should be taught to:

a famous person?

a) Place events, people and changes into correct periods of time

b) Use dates and vocabulary relating to the passing of time, including ancient,
modern, BC, AD, century and decade
2. Knowledge and understanding of events, people & changes in the past
Pupils should be taught:
b) About the social, cultural, religious and ethnic diversity of the societies
studied, in Britain and the wider world
4. Historical Enquiry
Pupils should be taught:
a) To find out about events and people from a range of sources of information,
including ICT based sources (for example, documents, printed sources, CDROMS, databases, pictures and photographs, music, artefacts, historic buildings
and visits to museums, galleries and sites)
b) To ask and answer questions, and to select and record information relevant to
the focus of the enquiry
5. Organisation and Communication
Pupils should be taught to:
c) Communicate their knowledge and understanding of history in a variety of
ways (for example, drawing, writing, by using ICT)

KS2 Citizenship
Links to QCA Schemes of Work
Unit 1. Taking Part developing skills of communication & participation.

Links to National Curriculum

1. Developing confidence and responsibility and making the most of their

Unit 3. Animals and us

abilities

Unit 5. Living in a diverse world

Pupils should be taught:

Unit 11. In the media - what's the news?

a) To talk and write about their opinions, and explain their views, on issues that
affect themselves and society
2. Preparing to play an active role as citizens
Pupils should be taught:
a) To research, discuss and debate topical issues, problems and events
c) To realise the consequences of anti-social and aggressive behaviour, such as
bullying and racism, on individuals and communities
e) To reflect on spiritual, moral, social, and cultural issues, using imagination to
understand other peoples experiences
j) That resources can be allocated in different ways and that these economic
choices affect individuals, communities and the sustainability of the environment
4. Developing good relationships and respecting the differences between
people
Pupils should be taught:
b) To think about the lives of people living in other places and times, and people
with different values and customs
f) That differences and similarities between people arise from a number of
factors, including cultural, ethnic, racial and religious diversity, gender and
disability
5. Breadth of Study

During the key stage, pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and
understanding through opportunities to:
g) Consider social and moral dilemmas that they come across in life (for
example, encouraging respect and understanding between different races and
dealing with harassment)

KS2 Art and Design

Links to QCA Schemes of Work
Unit 6B. What a performance

Links to National Curriculum

1. Exploring and developing ideas

Unit 9 gen. Visiting a museum, gallery or site

Pupils should be taught to:

a) Record from experience and imagination, to select and record from first-hand
observation and to explore ideas for different purposes
b) Question and make thoughtful observations about starting points and select
ideas to use in their work
5. Breadth of study
During the key stage, pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and
understanding through:
a) Exploring a range of starting points for practical work
b) Working on their own, and collaborating with others, on projects in two and
three dimensions and on different scales

KS2 Geography
Links to QCA Schemes of Work
Unit 24. Passport to the world

Links to National Curriculum

2. Geographical enquiry and skills
In developing geographical skills, pupils should be taught:
c) To use atlases and globes, and maps and plans at a range of scales (for
example, using contents, keys, grids)

KS2 English
SPEAKING AND LISTENING
1. Speaking
To speak with confidence in a range of contexts, adapting their speech for a range of purposes and audiences, pupils should be taught to:
c) Choose material that is relevant to the topic and to the listeners
d) Show clear shape and organisation with an introduction and an ending
2. Listening
To listen, understand and respond appropriately to others, pupils should be taught to:
a) Identify the gist of an account or key points in a discussion and evaluate what they hear
b) Ask relevant questions to clarify, extend and follow up ideas
c) Recall and re-present important features of an argument, talk, reading, radio or television programme, film
e) Respond to others appropriately, taking into account that they say
3. Group discussion and interaction
To talk effectively as members of a group, pupils should be taught to:
a) Make contributions relevant to the topic and take turns in discussion
b) Vary contributions to suit the activity and purpose, including exploratory and tentative comments as discussion moves to conclusions or actions
c) Qualify or justify what they think after listening to others questions or accounts
d) Deal politely with opposing points of view and enable discussion to move on
e) Take up and sustain different roles, adapting them to suit the situation, including chair, scribe and spokesperson
f) Use different ways to help the group move forward, including summarising the main points, reviewing what has been said, clarifying, drawing others in,
reaching agreement, considering alternatives and anticipating consequences
4. Drama

To participate in a wide range of drama activities and to evaluate their own and others contributions, pupils should be taught to:
a) Create, adapt and sustain different roles, individually and in groups
Breadth of Study
Reading
The range should include:
8a) Reading aloud
Listening
The range should include opportunities for pupils to listen to:
9a) Live talks / readings / presentations
9c) Others in groups
Groups discussion and interaction
The range of purposes should include:
10a) Investigating, selecting, sorting
10b) Planning, predicting, exploring
10c) Explaining, reporting, evaluating
WRITING
1. Composition
Pupils should be taught to:
a) Choose form and content to suit a particular purpose
c) Use language and style that are appropriate to the reader
d) Use and adapt the features of a form of writing, drawing on their reading
e) Use features of layout, presentation and organisation effectively
Breadth of Study
9a) The range of purposes for writing should include to imagine and explore feelings and ideas, focusing on creative uses of language ad how to interest

the reader
12) The range of forms of writing should include narratives, poems, play scripts, reports, explanations, opinions, instructions, reviews, commentaries
READING
2. Understanding texts
Pupils should be taught to:
a) Use inference and deduction
b) Look for meaning beyond the literal
4. Literature
To develop understanding and appreciation of literary texts, pupils should be taught to:
a) Recognise the choice, use and effect of figurative language, vocabulary and patterns of language
d) Recognise the differences between author, narrator and character
e) Evaluate ideas and themes that broaden perspectives and extend thinking
f) Consider poetic forms and their effects
h) Respond imaginatively, drawing on the whole text and other reading
i) Read stories, poems and plays aloud
Breadth of Study
Literature
The range should include:
8e) Texts drawn from a variety of cultures and traditions
8g) Play scripts

KS2 Science
1. Ideas and evidence in science
Pupils should be taught:
a) That science is about thinking creatively to try to explain how living and non-living things work, and to establish links between causes and effects
b) That it is important to test ideas using evidence from observation and measurement

KS2 Mathematics
1. Using and applying number
Pupils should be taught to:
a) Make connections in mathematics and appreciate the need to use numerical skills and knowledge when solving problems in other parts of the
mathematics curriculum
b) Break down a more complex problem or calculation into simpler steps before attempting a solution; identify the information needed to carry out the tasks
d) Find different ways of approaching a problem in order to overcome any difficulties

10. Glossary and Useful Links

Musical Terms
Beat

The regular pulse of music.

Ostinato

A repeating phrase or rhythm.

Pitch

The degree of highness or lowness of a sound: lower pitches are

produced by slower vibrations, higher pitches by faster vibrations.

Dynamics

How loud or soft musical passages are played.

Al Khitara

Forerunner of the guitar

Soprano

The highest female voice

Mezzo Soprano

A lower female voice

Tenor

A higher male voice

Bass-Baritone

A lower male voice

Round

Musical form in which performers begin in turn and then repeat the
melody.
Large instrumental ensemble including string, brass, woodwind and

Orchestra

percussion sections. Famous British orchestras include the London

Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC
Symphony Orchestra.
For example strings (violin, viola, cello, double bass), woodwind (flute,

Instrument families

clarinet, oboe, bassoon etc), brass (trumpet, trombone, tuba etc) or

percussion (cymbals, snare, timpani etc)

Tempo

How fast or slow a piece is played.

Baton

The white stick used by a conductor to direct the orchestra.

Opera: General Information

Based at the Royal Opera House, the Royal Opera is one of Britains
Royal Opera

leading opera companies. Note the learning section of this website.

www.royalopera.org

English National Opera

Orfeo

Based at the Coliseum, ENO is one of Britains leading opera

companies. Note the education section of this website. www.eno.org
Written by Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi. Orfeo is credited as
being the first opera.

Pearl Fishers
The Fair Maid of Perth
Djamilah

Other operas by Georges Bizet who wrote Carmen.

People
Georges Bizet

19th Century French composer. He completed Carmen in 1875.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Bizet
Renowned choreographer and director.

Matthew Bourne

www.new-adventures.net/index.php
www.matthewbourne.org
19th Century French writer and librettist. He worked with his partner

Ludovic Halevy

Henri Meilhac to create the libretto for Bizets Carmen, using

Merimees short story as a source.
19th Century French writer and librettist. He worked with his partner

Henri Meilhac

Ludovic Halevy to create the libretto for Bizets Carmen, using

Merimees short story as a source.
19th Century French writer, dramatist, historian, archeologist and

Prosper Merimee

translator. He wrote a short-story called Carmen, which is the source

for Bizets opera.
16th / 17th Century Italian composer. He composed Orfeo, which is

Claudio Monteverdi

credited as being the first opera.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_Monteverdi

Luciano Pavarotti

Very famous operatic tenor!

www.lucianopavarotti.com

Spain
Seville

City in the Andalucian region of south-western Spain. Seville is the

setting for Carmen.
Popular and traditional form of public entertainment in Spain. It is a

Bull Fighting

Bull Ring

controversial sport because the bull (and the matador) can be harmed.
www.andalucia.com/bullfight/home.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullfighting
Arena in which a bullfight takes place. Still a common site in many
Spanish towns and cities.

Sequidilla

A Spanish folksong and dance form.

Toreador

Another word for matador. A toro is a bull.

Habanera

A Cuban folksong and dance form. Popular in Spain.

Flamenco
Fandangos

A folksong and dance form.

www.flamenco-world.com/flamenco.htm
A variety of Flamenco

Supporting Resources
Bizet: Carmen
1.

LSO with Claudio Abbado, Placido Domingo and Teresa

Berganza
2005 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
Bizet: Carmen (highlights)

2.

Slovak Philharmonic Chorus and Slovak Radio Symphony

Orchestra

Carmen Recordings

1993 Naxos
Bizet: Carmen
Royal Philarmonic Orchestra, Conductor David Parry
2003 Chandos
3.

Carmen: Mary Hegarty

Micaela: Mary Plazas
This recording contains the translation being used for the
Blackheath performance

Carmen Short-story

www.galloway.1to1.org/Carmen.html

Carmen Libretto

www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/040588/details.html
Education website for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Includes

Dallas Symphony Orchestra

useful activities and printable worksheets etc.

www.dsokids.com
Education website for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Includes

New York Philharmonic Orchestra

useful activities and printable worksheets etc.

www.nyphilkids.org

11. Other Information

The Blackheath Halls Community Opera Project:
PERFORMANCE DATES: 10, 12 & 14 July 2007 at 7pm
Blackheath Halls Community Opera Project has been
designed to give the local community and schools a
chance to be involved in the making of an opera.
Bizet's wonderful opera, Carmen has been chosen for
the performance because of the many chorus numbers
and for its popular and well-loved tunes.
The project aims

To give members of the local community an

opportunity to take part in the making of an opera

To give local school children the chance to take

part in the making of an opera and have a wider
knowledge of opera

To give local professional and amateur musicians

the chance to perform in Blackheath Halls

To bring live opera to a different audience

To counter the myth that opera is an elitist art form

To create a flexible and exciting production

To allow the local community and schools to

access Blackheath Halls

Cast, Orchestra and Crew

How are local schools involved?

Director: Bill Bankes Jones

Children from 11 local primary schools will be involved

Musical Director: Leigh OHara

Carmen: Alexandra Sherman

Escamillo: Grant Doyle

Other soloists are local young professional

singers

Chorus: local amateur singers

Orchestra: Blackheath Halls Community

Orchestra

Childrens chorus: Children from 11 local

primary schools

in the opera, in a range of ways. Each school will take

part in one of the three performances. Some of the
children will be singers in the production, some children
will be involved through dance, and others will be able
to take part in front of house and production tasks.
Singing and dance workshops will take place in schools
to support this.
Teachers from participating schools will be able to
attend an INSET session led by David Knotts and
Julian West to support this pack.

Information about the organisations involved:

www.tcm.ac.uk
In August 2001, Trinity College of Music moved to the World Heritage Site of the Old Royal Naval College at
Greenwich, the King Charles Court.

The college has been described as one of the most dynamic

conservatoires in Europe. Collaboration is key to a variety of opportunities unique to Trinity and the college
actively works with schools and the community, developing music programmes for young people and adults
whilst at the same time enabling students from the college to develop skills for successful future careers.

www.raisingtheroof.org.uk
Raising the Roof is Trinitys music education programme for schools in the London Boroughs of Greenwich &
Lewisham.

The programme brings together the expertise of Trinitys Senior and Junior Colleges and

Blackheath Halls, in partnership with Greenwich & Lewisham Music Services.

Working closely with its

partners, the programme delivers a cohesive and progressive widening participation and education
programme for young people at Lewisham and Greenwich schools. Raising the Roof supports the music
curriculum and provides opportunities for young people to join together, exploring music opportunities within
their local environment. The programme delivers a range of projects and activities, including music making
and performances, ticket offers, visiting musicians, INSET and teacher resources. As part of the colleges
successful Professional Skills Department, the programme places students on Raising the Roof projects to
further inspire young participants, in turn highlighting opportunities for further music study.

www.blac
kheathhall
s.com

Blackheath Halls is South East Londons premiere music venue hosting acts as wide ranging as Glenn
Tilbrook and the Brodsky Quartet. Blackheath Halls is also dedicated to other art forms, hosting Literary
events and a Film Club and much, much more. Blackheath Halls, in its association with Trinity College of
Music and Laban, contemporary school of dance, offers a vibrant array of performances by students
including many concerts and an annual fully staged opera.

Contacts:
For further information, please contact:
Lucy Brown

Rose Ballantyne

Raising the Roof Schools Programme Manager

Community Development Officer

Trinity College of Music

Blackheath Halls

King Charles Court

23 Lee Road

Old Royal Navel College

Blackheath

Greenwich

London

London

SE3 9RQ

SE10 9JF
Tel: 020 8305 4379

Tel: 020 8318 9758

Email: lbrown@tcm.ac.uk

Email: rose.ballantyne@blackheathhalls.com