 Bizet was admitted to the Conservatoire on 9 October 1848 , two weeks before his 10th birthday . He made an early impression ; within six months he had won first prize in solfège , a feat that impressed Pierre @-@ Joseph @-@ Guillaume Zimmermann , the Conservatoire 's former professor of piano . Zimmermann gave Bizet private lessons in counterpoint and fugue , which continued until the old man 's death in 1853 . Through these classes Bizet met Zimmermann 's son @-@ in @-@ law , the composer Charles Gounod , who became a lasting influence on the young pupil 's musical style — although their relationship was often strained in later years . He also met another of Gounod 's young students , the 13 @-@ year @-@ old Camille Saint @-@ Saëns , who remained a firm friend of Bizet 's . Under the tuition of Antoine François Marmontel , the Conservatoire 's professor of piano , Bizet 's pianism developed rapidly ; he won the Conservatoire 's second prize for piano in 1851 , and first prize the following year . Bizet would later write to Marmontel : " In your class one learns something besides the piano ; one becomes a musician " . 
