Sebastian Yradier: La Paloma Habanera

The classic La Paloma Habanera which was the source material for Bizet's Habanera from Carmen. Born on January 20, 1809 in Lanciego, in the province of Álava. His publisher in Paris urged him to universalize his name, from Iradier to Yradier. He is known primarily for his habaneras, especially the one titled La Paloma, written around 1860 after a visit to Cuba. La Paloma was extremely popular in both Spain and America (especially Mexico), where it was responsible for the great popularity achieved by the habanera. Another of Iradier's compositions is El Arreglito, an habanera used by Georges Bizet in his opera Carmen. Bizet, thinking it was a folk song, took the melody of El Arreglito and created what is known today as the Habanera from Carmen: the song L'amour est un oiseau rebelle