The Habaera:

Based on a type of dance from Havana, Cuba.

Mostly operates in periodic, 4-bar phrases.
Descending chromatic melodic line with triplets that cut across the rhythm of the existing
instrumental vamp.
The melody was influenced by the Spanish cabaret composer Sebastian Yradier.
Quote from Paper: Nelly Furman Love Languages in Carmen
While Don Joss exclamations of Je taime (I love you) throughout the opera are
profuse, about the closest Carmen comes to this phrases is the line Si tu ne maime pas, je
taime. This can be interpreted in two ways, perhaps simultaneously. This phrase could express
a casual attitude towards love: If you dont love me, I love you.1 In this reading, love is a game
more focused on the thrill of the chase than about maintaining a long-lasting relationship. Yet,
it is also possible to translate this sentence as I will love you whether you love me or not. This
does not necessarily convey loyalty, but it does show that Carmen feels confident and fulfilled
enough in herself to love someone else without the need for that love to be reciprocated. There is
also a certain amount of capriciousness to her love. She will love whom she will love for her
own reasons and in her own timing.

The Flower Song:

Commonly known as The Flower Song
Preceding duet was in G major, but Jos moves to D-flat here.
His statements are not based in reality.
In this aria, Jos is defined less by a specific motif and more by his upward gestures of longing.
This culminates in the phrase: Je ne sentait quun seul dsir, un seul dsir, un seul spoir: te
revoir! where Jos finally breaks through the ceiling of the held high F to the high A-flat.
Jos is completely controlled by his desire for Carmen.
Dangerous position for a male character to be in because he is not in control of the situation --he
is the one being controlled.
Carmen subverts the happy ending by moving towards a tri-tone.
QUOTE FROM McClary pg. 98 about CONFLICTING VIEWS OF LOVE!

Toreador Song:
Similar to Carmens Habaera, Escamillos signature song also has Spanish-influences and
supporting chorus.
Unclear if the dark eyes Escamillo refers to are meant to be about the bull or a woman.
Iterations of lamour create a shared understanding between Carmen and Escamillo
She sings in a lower register and ends on an augmented octave
Escamillos music (not Joss) is foreshadowed in the overture.

Je dis que rien mpouvante:

Horns, traditionally used for hunting, evoke the wilderness scene.
Michala may be briefly swayed by Carmens chromaticism, but she ultimately remains firm in
her tonic key.
1 Furman, Love Languages in Carmen 178.
 As she reflects on the wildness of her surrounding landscape, she seems to become trapped in
an oppressive G minor. But drawing upon her faith and passion, she manages to break through
into the light of C major and thence to an elaborate return to E-flat. Bizets Carmen by Susan
McClary, pg. 103
This aria most closely fits with typical opra-comique fare.
Solid sense of closure in contrast with the end of Joss Flower Song.
Her air concludes simply, confidently with a cause-effect melodic resolution up to eb,
harmonically endorsed by a dominant seventh resolving to tonic. By contrast, Joss attempt at
resolving the leading tone back to tonic at the end of his Flower Song was harmonically shaky,
riddled with doubt. pg. 104 McClary

Final:
WARN ABOUT RAPE SCENE! Not graphic, but adds another dynamic to the scene. Perhaps
less defiant and more resolute.
Shifts through several keys.
Baseline oscillates chromatically up and down.
This wave-like movement in the bass stops when Carmen declares that she loves Escamillo.
The desire for tonal closure leads the listener to not only anticipate, but desire Carmens death.
Joss victory is shakey for two reasons: 1. The opera ends in F# major, which is far removed
from the opening key of B-flat, and 2. Escamillos Toreador Song, rather than Joss own
motif, is heard.

Character Comparisons:
Carmen and Michala
Don Jos and Escamillo
Michala and Escamillo
Carmen and Escamillo
Carmen and mystery guest

Carmen and Michala:

Michalas characteristics: idealized, sexless, pure woman.
Survives the opera, but is very one-dimensional.
Michala was not originally in the novel by Mrime. She exists to balance Carmens blatant
sexuality.
Carmens characteristics: as a social outsider (because of race/class), high sexualized.
She has to die at the end because she broke the social conventions.
She is assertive and aware of her sexuality.

Don Jos and Escamillo:

Don Joss characteristics: passionate, rash, controlled by desire.
He does not have his own musical theme, but is defined by upward gestures of longing.
To save face, Jos kills Carmen in an act of desperation.
 Escamillos characteristics: vivacious, confident, successful. R
Represents the masculine ideal.
He also has his own music motif.
Likely would not have acted out violently if Carmen had left him.

The Ideals of the sexes:

Michala and Escamillo are presented as the ideal versions of each gender, yet they never truly
meet in the opera.
19th-century conclusion: men and women should be aloof, not in passionate love or conflict.
What is the best way for men and women to interact?

Carmen and Escamillo:

Could Carmen and Escamillo be considered opposite-gender equivalents of each other?
Both have a cavalier approach to love.
Many people are interested in them.
The first major moment in the opera where Carmen is not the central attention is when Escamillo
returns triumphantly from the bullfight.
Charismatic attraction?
Similar personalities?
Do Carmen and Escamillo have the same level of agency?

Carmen and Don Giovanni: (Discussion from The Carmen Myth by James Conlon)
Carmen as a presence vs. Don Giovanni as an absence.
Carmen is complete and confident in and of herself, which is why people are drawn to her.
Don Giovanni is empty, which is why he has a constant need for others attention.
Don Giovannis chauvinism becomes less appealing as time goes on.
As attitudes towards female sexuality have relaxed, Carmen has become an emblem of
empowerment for women and marginalized groups.

Conclusion:
Bizets catchy, Spanish-infused music continues to capture the imagination of audiences today.
Carmen is both alluring and dreaded because she broke 19th-century conventions for female
behavior.
A woman breaking the rules still met with violent repercussions in the end.
Carmens complexity as a character and the social commentary that the opera invites contribute
to Carmens continued success.