„Imiter est d’un sot.” Simfoniile lui Bizet
"To imitate is to be a fool." The symphonies of Bizet

Summary/Abstract: After the first English biographer of the composer, D. C. Parker, found the Symphony in C major at the Conservatory library and after its world premiere in 1935, this youthful work also conquered the ballet stage, thanks to George Balanchine's choreography (1947). Since then, researchers have aimed to reveal its possible models. Generally, they link and compare Bizet's First Symphony with that of Gounod, both dating from 1855. The conductor, musicologist, and Bizet's biographer, born in Baia-Mare, Amadé Németh (1922-2001), strongly suggests Mozartian echoes. On the one hand, I follow this path. On the other hand, considering the analogies in Bizet's writings between composers and artists, I wonder if non-musical sources could have also served as models for his symphonies, especially the second one. In the 1860s, during his stay in Italy as a winner of the Rome Prize, Bizet had the idea of depicting four Italian cities through music: Venice, Rome, Florence, and Naples. Which music resembles and points to the so-called 'Rome' Symphony (1860-1868)? This study aims to commemorate 185 years since the birth of Georges Bizet by questioning his own words, quoted in the title: 'to imitate is to be a fool.

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