The Opera Carmen and Women's Rights

Amongst musical discussions, it's very popular to always say: "The reason this or that musical composition was a total failure when it first premiered was because the composer was too ahead of his time." Well, what if I said: "It was the female protagonist who was too ahead of her time"; Carmen would fit my quote/description perfectly.

Like many if not most 19th century operas (or most operas in general), the libretto was based on a work by a then well known writer: Prosper Merimee; Merimee himself was influenced by Pushkin. Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy were both influenced by Merimee's novella: "Carmen." The end result would have Meilhac and Halevy create their most famous libretto; if not the most famous libretto ever written.

Carmen makes connotations throughout the opera stating that she's not really interested in getting paid for sex; although Carmen is a prostitute, this is her ongoing theme throughout the opera. She's interested in making love, only for its sexual sake, and not for the sake of getting paid.

This topic of sex was still forbidden in many European countries. Even France which was always considered to be ahead of its day both culturally and socially; France had difficulty in processing the opera Carmen. The outcome to all of this would be Carmen's eminent failure when it first premiered in Paris in 1875.

In 1875, women's rights were at an all time low. The USA had relinquished slavery less than 10 years ago. Unless you were a white European male (British or Dutch since nothing else would do) in the USA, you had little if any rights! African Americans would still need to wait 100 years before attaining much of their civil rights, and women's rights were at an all time low then.

The European mentality in the 19th century was: a woman was either proper, a courtesan, or a prostitute. Carmen didn't fit any of these criteria's. She couldn't of been further from being a proper woman; she was too much of a low life to have been a courtesan, and she wasn't really a prostitute in the classic sense of the word. She only wanted to convey to society back then: I'm a women, and yes I enjoy sex as much as men do. And any woman who expressed this opinion back then, was considered a social outcast.

Shortly after, Bizet died. Many people perpetrated he died as a result of not being able to deal with Carmen's failure, but that's not true. Bizet was only in his thirties when he passed away. Little did he know Carmen would not only be his most famous work; but Carmen is the most famous opera ever written.