Georges Bizet was born on 25 October 1838 in Paris. Though initially registered as Alexandre César Léopold, he was later baptized as "Georges" on 16 March 1840, and was known by this name for the rest of his life. He was the son of Adolphe Bizet, who was a hairdresser and wigmaker and later started teaching music despite of his lack of formal training. George’s father is also said to have composed a few works, including one published song. George’s mother, Aimée, was an accomplished pianist herself, and her brother François Delsarte was a renowned singer and teacher who performed at the courts of both Louis Philippe and Napoleon III. Georges, the only child of his parents received his first lessons in piano from his mother. He showed immense aptitude for music and quickly picked up the basics of musical notation from his mother. On 9 October 1848, a fortnight before his tenth birthday, Bizet was admitted to Paris Conservatory of Music. His teachers were Pierre Zimmermann (fugue and counterpoint; often assisted by his son-in-law Charles Gounod), Antoine François Marmontel (piano), François Benoist (organ) and, on Zimmermann's death, Fromental Halévy, whose daughter Bizet later married. He was awarded the first prizes for organ and fugue in 1855, and he completed his earliest compositions there.
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