Letra de La Habanera Carmen by Georges Bizet

Habanera (aria)
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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´s lyrics are well known by its first two lines, "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle / que nul ne peut apprivoiser".[2] 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.[3]
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!),[4] Carmen tosses a flower to Don José. Later on, in the celebrated Flower Song,[5] Don José tells how he treasured the flower while in prison.

Opening theme to the Habanera
Contents [hide]
1 Libretto
2 In Media
3 Notes
4 See also
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 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.
[edit]Notes

^ Yradier is better known for another famous habanera called "La Paloma".
^ Love is a rebellious bird that nothing can tame
^ Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed. 1954
^ Watch out!
^ La fleur que tu m'avais jetée (the flower which you had thrown me)