Carmen: L'amour est un oiseau rebelle "Habanera"

The song starts with a steady, rocking rhythm in the orchestra, a dance pattern called the habanera that came from Cuba. Over it, a descending line slides downward note by note, and Carmen's voice follows that same slide, which gives the tune its sultry, teasing feel.

Her words say love is like a wild bird that no one can call back if it refuses to come. Listen for how she sings the verses with a low, almost speaking quality and then lifts into a short, bright refrain that the chorus joins in the opera. In a concert version, the chorus may be dropped or sung by the orchestra's singers.

The rhythm never stops swaying, and the music repeats in a way that feels like a spell. It lasts only a few minutes, and the ending comes with a playful flourish.

Georges Bizet's opera Carmen opened at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1875. The habanera comes early in the first act, when Carmen first appears and catches the attention of the soldier Don José. Bizet based the tune on a song by the Spanish composer Sebastián Yradier, believing it to be a folk song. The opera had a modest first run but became one of the most performed in the world, and this aria is one of its most recognized moments.