It’s safe to say that Bizet’s aria from Carmen, “Habanera” has gone on to become not only an iconic aria in the opera world, but a quintessential piece of pop culture as well.

The aria, originally titled "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" ("Love is a rebellious bird"), is featured prominently in the first act of the opera as Carmen sings to the workers of a cigarette factory.

While originally written for a mezzo-soprano role, this aria has become a popular choice for all voice types due to its fame.

Before we jump into the music, check out this preview for mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke’s exclusive course on Habanera, available on tonebase Voice:

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Let’s jump into the music!

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How to approach singing Habanera from Carmen

The key focus when singing Habanera is to follow the score closely and do what is on the page.

(Click here to download a custom-engraved score of Habanera for free)

Something to always keep in mind is Accent d’insistance, a technique to help the text be heard more clearly. If we only bring out the accented syllable, it won’t be understood. We need more emphasis on the syllable before the accented syllable to provide clarity. Go through your score and circle syllables that precede stressed syllables.

Measures 4-6

M. 4: Avoid over rolling the “r” consonant. Singers avoid the spoken French uvular [ʁ] for clarity reasons, but a rolled [r] is too much. A single flipped [ɾ] is appropriate. An example of this would be in the word “l’amour.”

M. 5: Triplet figure on “est un oiseau” is evocative of the castanets. Don’t change this rhythm. Keep it clean and accurate.

M. 6: Bizet wrote clear directions in his score. If a schwa at the end of a word has a slur before it, he doesn’t want us to enunciate it.

Example: “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle.” Rebelle has the slur before the final schwa, which indicates it should not be voiced.

Égalité is a French repertoire technique that is similar to legato. Every syllable takes time, and there is fluidity in each phrase.

Glides can be modified for ease and clarity in French lyric diction. A [w] can be replaced with an [u], and a [j] may be replaced with an [i]. Example: in m. 5, oiseau can be modified from [wa zo] to [ua zo], and in m. 49 croyais [krwa jɛ] becomes [krwa iɛ].

Sung French is more open than spoken French, especially ending schwas, helping the sound carry into the house.

Later measures

M. 12: Bizet wrote a portamento. Be sure to execute the composer's request here and throughout the score.

M. 43: Lean into the unexpected augmented fourth on “je t’aime.” Remember to use an open schwa on the ending of “t’aime” as well.

M. 49: Generally, you can add a schwa between consonants when it is expressive. An example would be the word surprendre [sur pə rɑ̃ drə]. When there isn’t time to execute a schwa cleanly, leave it out. An example would be the word croyais [krwa iɛ].

A common mistake is to sing at an overly slow tempo. Bizet labeled the tempo as Allegretto quasi Andantino, be sure to choose a tempo your voice can sing easily and avoid allowing the tempo to drag.

M. 87: Hold the fermata and execute accurate rhythm in the triplet. Stay true to the score and deliver what Bizet intended.

Conclusion

As you can see, a flawless performance of Habanera involves excellent diction, great care in following the score to the composer’s intentions, and maintaining strong musicality throughout.

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