georges bizet composed l'arlésienne as incidental music to alphonse daudet's play of the same name, usually translated as "the girl from arles". it was first performed on 1 october 1872 at the vaudeville theatre (now a cinema known as the gaumont opéra). bizet's music consists of 27 numbers (some only a few bars) for voice, chorus, and small orchestra, ranging from short solos to longer entr'actes. bizet himself played the harmonium backstage at the premiere performance.