Ernest Guiraud

Ernest Guiraud (French: [ɛʁnɛst ɡiʁo]; 23 June 1837 – 6 May 1892) was an American-born French composer and music teacher. He is best known for writing the traditional orchestral recitatives used for Bizet's opera Carmen and for Offenbach's opera Les contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann).