Camille Saint-Saens Free Sheet Music, Program Notes, Recordings and Biography

The French Phoenix of Music

In 1886, Camille Saint-Saëns took a brief break from composing his monumental "Organ" Symphony to write a piece for a private Mardi Gras concert. As a bit of fun for his friends, he dashed off a "Grand Zoological Fantasy" depicting a parade of animals, complete with musical jokes and parodies. He had a wonderful time conducting it, but afterwards, he forbade any future performances or publication, fearing such a frivolous piece would damage his reputation as a serious composer. He made only one exception: a single, elegant movement, "The Swan." It is one of music's greatest ironies that this private jest, The Carnival of the Animals, would become his most famous and beloved creation, a work whose charm has outshone nearly all the "serious" music he so carefully guarded. This story reveals the man in full: a composer of immense learning and formal perfection who also possessed a deep, if sometimes hidden, wellspring of wit and charm.

A Prodigy of Mozartian Proportions

Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was one of the most astonishing child prodigies in the history of music. Born in Paris in 1835, he was reading and writing by age two and composed his first piano piece at three. He possessed perfect pitch and an intellect that was as sharp scientifically as it was musically. He gave his official public debut as a pianist at age ten, performing concertos by Mozart and Beethoven. As an encore, he offered to play any of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas from memory, a feat that left the Parisian audience dumbfounded. His talent was so vast and so universal that it was frequently compared to Mozart's. He was a brilliant student at the Paris Conservatoire, where he excelled not only at piano but also at the organ, which would become his other primary instrument.

The Organist of La Madeleine and a Champion for France

In 1857, Saint-Saëns was appointed to one of the most prestigious musical posts in Paris: organist at the Église de la Madeleine. He was a legendary improviser, and his virtuosity on the instrument drew praise from across Europe, including from his friend Franz Liszt, who declared him the greatest organist in the world.

Following France's humiliating defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Saint-Saëns felt a patriotic duty to revive the nation's musical spirit. He believed French music had become dominated by trivial opera and needed to reclaim its tradition of serious instrumental music. To this end, in 1871, he co-founded the Société Nationale de Musique with the motto Ars Gallica (French Art). The society's mission was to promote the works of living French composers. It became a crucial platform for a new generation, providing premieres for the works of his student Gabriel Fauré, as well as César Franck, Édouard Lalo, and eventually, Claude Debussy. Saint-Saëns was a tireless advocate for French music, past and present, and he was instrumental in reviving the forgotten works of Baroque masters like Jean-Philippe Rameau.

Triumph, Tragedy, and a Famous Carnival

Saint-Saëns composed prolifically in every genre. His biblical opera Samson et Dalila struggled for years to be staged in Paris, but with the help of Franz Liszt, it was successfully premiered in Weimar, Germany, in 1877. It eventually entered the repertoire of every major opera house, celebrated for its exotic melodies and dramatic power. The same year marked the premiere of his Piano Concerto No. 2, which remains his most popular concerto.

This period of professional triumph was shattered by personal tragedy. In 1875, he entered into an unhappy marriage, and in 1878, his two young sons died within weeks of each other—one from an illness, the other from a fall from a window. Grief-stricken and blaming his wife, Saint-Saëns abandoned her and never saw her again. He poured his energy into composition, and it was in the midst of this difficult period that he composed his Symphony No. 3, the "Organ Symphony." Dedicated to the memory of Liszt, it is a magnificent work of immense power and grandeur, brilliantly integrating the organ into the symphonic orchestra.

The Grand Old Man of French Music

As he grew older, Saint-Saëns became a living monument in French culture. He was the first major composer to write a dedicated film score (for the 1908 film The Assassination of the Duke of Guise) and was a global traveler, making frequent trips to North Africa and the Americas. His music from this period often reflects his travels, incorporating exotic scales and rhythms.

However, the man who had once been a progressive champion of Liszt and Wagner became deeply conservative in his old age. He was openly hostile to the Impressionism of Debussy, whose music he considered formless and decadent. He famously walked out of the chaotic 1913 premiere of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. He saw himself as the last defender of clarity, logic, and form in French music against the onslaught of modernism. He continued to compose elegant, perfectly crafted music in the Romantic style he had mastered long after the world had moved on.

Legacy: A Master of Form and Elegance

Camille Saint-Saëns died in Algiers in 1921 at the age of 86, having composed music for nearly his entire life. His legacy is vast and sometimes contradictory. He was a composer of unquestionable genius, a master of every technical aspect of his craft. Some critics have found his music to be coolly elegant and lacking in deep emotion, the product of a brilliant intellect rather than a passionate heart. Yet works like the "Organ" Symphony, his Cello Concerto No. 1, and the poignant "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" from Samson et Dalila possess a profound emotional power. He was a pivotal figure who bridged the worlds of Romanticism and Modernism, a tireless champion for the music of his nation, and the creator of a menagerie of musical animals that has brought joy to generations of listeners.

Section 4: References and Further Reading

References and Further Reading

• Rees, Brian. Camille Saint-Saëns: A Life. Chatto & Windus, 1999.

• Studd, Stephen. Saint-Saëns: A Critical Biography. Cygnus Arts, 1999.

• Gallois, Jean. Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns. Mardaga, 2004 (French).

• Fallon, Daniel M. and Sabina Teller Ratner. "Saint-Saëns, Camille." In The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. Macmillan Publishers, 2001.