Not to be confused with the habanero pepper.

The habanera (from the Cuban Capital "Havana", which in Spanish is La Habana), a most popular music genre at the end of the 19th century, originated in Cuba and spread all over the Spanish colonies and subsequently to Europe. Many French musicians composed beautiful habaneras, Saint-Saëns among them. The famous aria from the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet was adapted from the habanera El Arreglito," originally composed by the Spanish musician Sebastián Yradier.^[1] Bizet used the melody in the belief that it was a folk song. When he was made aware that it had been written by a composer who had died only ten years earlier, he added a note to the vocal score of Carmen, acknowledging its source.^[2]

It is based on a descending chromatic scale followed by variants of the same phrase in first the minor and then the major key, corresponding with the vicissitudes of love expressed in the lyrics. In live performances, after singing the concluding words of the song (prends garde à toi!),^[3] Carmen tosses a flower to Don José. Later on, in the celebrated Flower Song,^[4] Don José tells how he treasured the flower while in prison.

Contents 1 Libretto 2 In Media 3 See also 4 Notes 5 External links

[edit] Libretto

French

Translation in English

Quand je vous aimerai? Ma foi, je ne sais pas, Peut-être jamais, peut-être demain. Mais pas aujourd'hui, c'est certain L'amour est un oiseau rebelle que nul ne peut apprivoiser, et c'est bien en vain qu'on l'appelle, s'il lui convient de refuser. Rien n'y fait, menace ou prière, l'un parle bien, l'autre se tait: Et c'est l'autre que je préfère, Il n'a rien dit mais il me plaît. L'amour! L'amour! L'amour! L'amour! L'amour est enfant de Bohème, il n'a jamais, jamais connu de loi; si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime: si je t'aime, prends garde à toi! Si tu ne m’aimes pas, Si tu ne m’aimes pas, je t’aime! Mais, si je t’aime, Si je t’aime, prends garde à toi! Si tu ne m’aimes pas, Si tu ne m’aimes pas, je t’aime! Mais, si je t’aime, Si je t’aime, prends garde à toi! L'oiseau que tu croyais surprendre battit de l'aile et s'envola ... l'amour est loin, tu peux l'attendre; tu ne l'attends plus, il est là! Tout autour de toi, vite, vite, il vient, s'en va, puis il revient ... tu crois le tenir, il t'évite, tu crois l'éviter, il te tient. L'amour! L'amour! L'amour! L'amour! L'amour est enfant de Bohème, il n'a jamais, jamais connu de loi; si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime: si je t'aime, prends garde à toi! (x2)

When will I love you? Good Lord, I don't know, Maybe never, maybe tomorrow. But not today, that's for sure. Love is a rebellious bird that nobody can tame, and you call him quite in vain if it suits him not to come. Nothing helps, neither threat nor prayer. One man talks well, the other keeps silent; it's the other one that I prefer. He never said anything, but I like his looks. Love! Love! Love! Love! Love is a gypsy's child, it has never, ever, recognized the law; if you love me not, then I love you; if I love you, you'd best beware! if you love me not, if you love me not, then I love you; but if I love you, if I love you, you'd best beware! if you love me not, if you love me not, then I love you; but if I love you, if I love you, you'd best beware! The bird you thought you had caught beat its wings and flew away ... love stays away, you wait and wait; when least expected, there it is! All around you, swift, swift, it comes, goes, then it returns ... you think you hold it fast, it flees you think you're free, it holds you fast. Love! Love! Love! Love! Love is a gypsy child, it has never, ever, known law; if you love me not, then I love you; if I love you, you'd best beware!

[edit] In Media

• The habanera provides the melody for Gilligan's "I Ask To Be or not To Be" song in "The Producer" episode of "Gilligan's Island" in 1966.
• The song was performed by a stop-motion animated orange in an animated film on Sesame Street.
• Habanera can be heard playing in the 2006 film Superman Returns when Lois boards Lex Luthor's ship.
• Also heard in Season 1 Episode 4 ("Bad News Blair") of the TV Series Gossip Girl.
• The film Magnolia by Paul Thomas Anderson features the song.
• The song is partially sung on the TV show "Family Guy" in the episode Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows.
• In the 1994 film, Street Fighter, Vega uses the theme as an entrance song before entering the cage against Ryu.
• The song is featured in the 1996 film, Trainspotting, directed by Danny Boyle.
• In an episode of Hey Arnold! titled What's Opera, Arnold?, Arnold and friends visit a theater during a field trip to see Carmen and Helga dreams that her and the gang are characters from the opera and they sing in their own words Habanera, in their own words, along with the Toreador Song from Carmen, Vesti la Giubba from Pagliacci, and Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walkure.
• In an episode of That's So Raven titled A Fight at the Opera, Raven and Chelsea sing this song with their own lyrics. Chelsea's is about trees and Raven's is about malls. In the end, they sing it together.
• The song was the central focus of the 2004 film Brave New Girl, with the protagonist (played by Lindsey Haun) constantly struggling to sing it right. At the end of the film, she performs it correctly before a large audience, but appends her own words in English. The resulting song, Stronger than we know, was later sold as a single.
• The music of this song is heard in the Disney Pixar movie, Up (2009 film) when Carl who is now old gets out of bed in the morning and rides a chair downstairs.
• in the move Bad News Bears both versions it is heard as the Bears get creamed in the 1st game
• In an episode of Felicity titled "Back to the Future", Felicity is telling the story of her college years to Korsakoff. Habanera is heard when she flashes back to the first time Ben kissed her in "Felicity Was Here". The original composition in "Felicity Was Here" was Ravel's Boléro.
• On the popular reality show America's Next Top Model, During the airing of cycle 6, The Habanera from Carmen was used in comedic accompaniment for a particular girl named Jade, to convey her personality which was sometimes seen as over-luxurious, and pompous, during times when she would have moments typical of her character.

[edit] See also

• Habanera for a discussion of the history of the habanera.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Text and translation at Aria-Database.com. The translation is a metrical one that tries to preserve the rhythm and meter of the original over nuance of meaning. For instance, the phrase prends garde à toi! is translated there as keep guard of yourself, whereas a more direct translation might be simply watch out!.
• Habanera: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
• El Arreglito: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
• A piano solo version of the song "Habanera"