Arts Studies and Criticism

Choral performance is one of the essential forms of expression in opera, using multi-voice polyphonic styles to lay the groundwork for the plot and enhance the emotional and dramatic expression. In the opera Carmen, Georges Bizet frequently employs choral passages to bridge scenes, integrating choral performances with the movements of actors on stage in a rare form of presentation. This fusion of choral art and character development vividly portrays the lifestyle of 19th-century society, endowing the opera with a strong character of emotions with affinity to the people and greater dramatic expressive tension. This paper explores the choral art in Georges Bizet's opera Carmen, focusing on its unique contributions to emotions with affinity to the people and the expressive tension. By analyzing the elements of affinity to the people embedded in the choral melodies, harmonies, and rhythms, the paper examines how the choral passages reflect the living conditions and emotional demands of the lower classes in 19th-century French society. Furthermore, it discusses how the chorus skillfully highlights and reveals the character traits and fates of the main characters, thereby enhancing the opera's artistic impact and social critique.