frmusic1-3, Exercise 3: Testing the Bizet legend

Model answer:

Look for accounts written close to Bizet's death in 1875: reviews, letters and the opera house's records of how many performances Carmen had and how audiences reacted. Then read a modern biography or scholarly article that cites them. Compare what is documented (the mixed reception, the run of performances, the date of his death) with what is only claimed (what he believed in his last days). If the evidence is mixed, conclude that the reception was mixed and that what he thought cannot be known for certain; say so rather than choose the tidy version.