her entry in search of José, is a conventional piece, though of deep feeling, preceded and concluded by horn calls. The middle part of the act is occupied by Escamillo and José, now acknowledged as rivals for Carmen's favour. The music reflects their contrasting attitudes: Escamillo remains, says Newman, "invincibly polite and ironic", while José is sullen and aggressive. When Micaëla pleads with José to go with her to his mother, the harshness of Carmen's music reveals her most unsympathetic side. As José departs, vowing to return, the fate theme is heard briefly in the woodwind. The confident, off-stage sound of the departing Escamillo singing the toreador's refrain provides a distinct contrast to José's increasing desperation. The final act is prefaced with a lively orchestral piece derived from Manuel García's short operetta El criado fingido. After the opening crowd scene, the bullfighters' march is led by the children's chorus; the crowd hails Escamillo before his short love scene with Carmen. The long finale, in which José makes his last pleas to Carmen and is decisively rejected, is punctuated at critical moments by enthusiastic off-stage shouts from the bullfighting arena. As José kills Carmen, the chorus sing the refrain of the Toreador Song off-stage; the fate motif, which has been suggestively present at various points during the act, is heard fortissimo, together with a brief reference to Carmen's card scene music. Jose's last words of love and despair are followed by a final long chord, on which the curtain falls without further musical or vocal comment. Musical numbers Numbers are from the vocal score (English version) printed by G. Schirmer Inc., New York, 1958 from Guiraud's 1875 arrangement. Act 1 Prelude (orchestra) Sur la place chacun passe (Chorus of soldiers, Moralès, Micaëla) Avec la garde montante (Chorus of urchins, Zuniga) La cloche a sonné (Chorus of citizens, soldiers, cigarette girls) Habanera: L'amour est un oiseau rebelle (Carmen, chorus as above) Carmen! Sur tes pas nous pressons! (Chorus of citizens and cigarette girls) Parle-moi de ma mère (José, Micaëla) Que se passe-t-il là-bas? Au secours! Au secours! (Chorus of cigarette girls, soldiers, Zuniga) Tra-la-la ... Coupe-moi, brûle-moi (Carmen, Zuniga, cigarette girls, José) Seguidilla: Près des remparts de Séville (Carmen, José) Finale: Voici l'ordre; partez (Zuniga, Carmen) Entr'acte (orchestra) Act 2 Entr'acte (orchestra) Act 3 Entr'acte (orchestra) Act 4 Recordings Carmen has been the subject of many recordings, beginning with early wax cylinder