BY CORINNE FREEMAN

MUSIC 1010-044PROFESSOR CRAIG FERRIN

Charles Camille Saint-Saëns

The Life of Saint-Saëns

“In his works there breathes something of the grace, the

charm, the smiling beauty of our country. And thus by music,

which is an international language, Saint-Saëns was one of the great forces of light which

spread and made loved the French soul by the whole world.”

French Minister of Education and Fine Arts

The Early Years

Born October 9, 1835 in the Latin Quarter of ParisFather, Joseph: accounts clerk at the Ministry of

the Interior, died of consumption 3 months after Camille’s birth

Mother, Clémence: was raised by her aunt and uncle

Believed tubercular germs passed on to Camille as an infant, he was left in the country under care of nurse until 2 years of age

Returned to live with mother and Great-Aunt Charlotte Masson

A Child Prodigy

Began playing the piano at 2 ½, instructed by Charlotte Masson

Became obsessed with piano, no children to play with of his own age

Went through Le Carpentier’s “Method” piano instruction book in only a month

Discovered to have perfect pitchFirst composition just after 3rd birthdayStudied Mozart’s Don Giovanni at age 5Began lessons with professional teacher Stamaty at

age 7 who wanted to push Saint-Saëns’ career, mother refused

Debut of the Musician

At ten he made his debut at Salle Pleyel, played Beethoven’s concertos from memory

Hailed as “second Mozart”Continued studying music

until 1852, when he took his first professional position

First symphony, written in E Flat, produced in 1853 under anonymity

Began his career as a composer

Organist Extraordinaire

First professional position asorganist at the Church of St. Méry,

held for five years

Offered position at the Church of the Madeleine (La Madeleine) at age 22, held this “most illustrious” post for 19 years

Called “greatest organist in the world” by fellow composer Liszt

Saint-Saëns: The Man

Thin, pale, and shortOften looked sicklyPronounced lisphigh-pitched voiceHooked nosestaccato gesturesSat impassively

during performancesOutgoing personality, quick wit

Virtuoso Pianist

Took off following Symphony in E flat (1853)

Practiced two hours a daySilent piano to use while

travelingSaid he practiced on the

day of his deathDescribed as “the most

complete musician France had ever possessed” by Gabriel Fauré

Piano Teacher

Taught at the new Ecole de Musique Classique et Religieuse from 1861-5

Founded by Niedermeyer to remedy low standards in church music

Emphasis given to plainsong and polyphonic works

Following Niedermeyer’s death, Saint-Saëns took over piano class

Widened curriculum to include contemporary music

Samson et Dalila

Began working on the opera in 1867

Difficult to get biblical subject staged

First performance 1877Fifteen years later before it

was staged in Paris and gained popularity

By 1922, it had been performed more than 500 times

Most recent performances May of 2011, both in Paris and Berlin

War in France

Joined National Guard in 1870 at onset of Franco-Prussian War

Passed time by noting the key in which shells whined over his head

Lost several good friends, including artist Henri Regnault

Wrote Marche Heroique in honor of Regnault

The Controversy of Saint-Saëns’ Sexuality

Conflicting opinions: many believe he was homosexual (not openly)

Allegations of visiting homosexual soirées and bathing places

Reports he wore a pink dress in Algiers while visiting male youths

Several reasons to believe he was heterosexualFrequently ogled women, flirted, commented

on their physical qualities in lettersProposed to two women, married one

Family Life

Married to Marie Truffot in 1875 at age forty

Had two sons, André and Jean Older, André, died at age two,

fell out of fourth-story window Younger, Jean, aged seven

months, died six weeks later of pneumonia

Marriage lasted three more years, Saint-Saëns stayed away from home, did not reply to Marie’s letters

Abandoned her while on vacation in 1881, never saw her again

Marie continued to be supportive of him, died in 1950 at 95

Age 40

Traveling and Tragedy

Spent many years following the end of his marriage traveling the world

Voiced his opinions ruthlessly, persecuting fellow composers

Blackballed in Berlin as a result of comments about Wagner’s Capitulation, where he wrote Carnival of the Animals

Mother died in 1888, contemplated suicide, escaped to Algeria and then the Canary Islands

Returned to Africa in 1891, composed the Fantasie Africa

Statue in Las Palmas, Canary Islands

Tour of the United States

Toured the US in 1915

Played in and conducted symphonies in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Washington DC

Liked Central Park and Skyscrapers

Began the trip severely ill but recovered enough to perform

With John Philip Sousa

Death of a Legend

Toured through Algiers at age of 85, caught a chill

Died on December 4, 1921 Question about burial in

Cairo, decided to send him back to Paris

Service held at La Madeleine on Christmas Eve

Christian portion of service kept at minimum, he was atheist

All music played was his own

Tomb at Cimetière du Montparnasse

Post Mortem

Reputation soon debunked following his deathWork looked down upon because he favored

method over matterPartially offset by publication of The Carnival

of the Animals in 1922Believed to have foreshadowed much of the

20th century styleMany of his compositions are being brought

back for contemporary audiences to enjoy

[He] is not perhaps of all our musicians the one who has most loved music. He has not sought it out like

Rameau with the dogged persistence of the inventor. It has not snatched from him cries nor

inflicted tortures, as on Berlioz, nor ecstasies as on Gounod. Perhaps Debussy has tasted it with

keener refinement. But it is he who has lived it the most. The thought of Saint-Saëns propelled itself in

music as does that of ordinary folk in their native language—a tongue sometimes made for poetry, for drama, for speculation, for eloquence, but also made for the most ordinary discussions and does not demean itself in knowing and satisfying these

needs.Jean Chantavoine, biographer

COMPOSED BY CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS, PERFORMED BY ROYAL PHILHARMONIC

ORCHESTRA

Fantasie for pianoforte and orchestra, Op. 89: “Africa”

Composition History

Fell into deep depression following mother’s death in 1888

Left almost immediately to travel south, returned briefly to settle affairs and give away family heirlooms

Left again to travel under pseudonym of “Charles Sannois”

Began writing Africa while in Cadiz, continued working on it through travels including trip to Canary Islands

Manuscript led to his recognitionUpon return to Paris a year later, he stopped in Cairo

and completed the score for piano and orchestra

Description of the Composition

Full of mood and colorContains elements of

Orientalism, imitations of crickets and exotic bird calls

Sharp and insistent rhythms, syncopated

Written in compressed form

Proof his depression was leaving

Image from Silent Film made in 1815of the composer conducting a symphony

Performances

First performance given by Mme Roger Miclos, 1891

Quickly gained popularity in FrancePlayed in England for the first time in 1893 at

Cambridge, where Saint-Saëns was given an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music

Performed at the Queen’s Hall in London in 1914

Performed during 1915 tour of the US

Overview

Written in rhapsodic form, falling into two sections

Introduction in allegro, piano plays subordinate part

Principal task begins with cadenza

Moves from dance themes and an andantino

Culminates in Tunisian theme

Passages of repeated chords, requires great wrist dexterity

A section of the piano composition

Listening Guide-1

0:00 The piece opens with a steady rhythm from the string section in molto allegro six-eight time.

0:02 The oboes begin playing the main theme of the piece, heavily syncopated. Notes are short and somewhat sharp, accented on the first, third, and sixth beats.

0:06 Here the flutes join the oboes in unison with a repetition of the theme. 0:18 The solo instrument, the piano, picks up the main theme in double

octaves while the flutes and oboes play repeating tied notes held for two, four, and six counts, with brief rests between. The volume builds from piano to mezzo-forte.

0:38 A strongly accented dissonant chord, followed by a rolled chord, from the piano. At this point there are many fast-paced dissonant runs on the upper register of the piano, ending in a trill.

1:05 The piano once again picks up the main theme. 1:20 The orchestra joins the piano again, playing tied chords in the

background with the string section repeating its steady rhythm. The woodwinds transition to playing the main theme while the piano plays a counter melody leading up the keyboard.

Listening Guide-2

1:38 A strong and lengthy scale up the piano keyboard commences, followed by arpeggios played back down the keyboard. The tempo slows greatly in a ritardando as the pianist nears the end of the descending run.

1:56 The solo piano moves into an andante espressivo in three-four time. Here the composition becomes calm and soothing, succeeding the emotional stress of the main theme. Characterized by several rolled chords.

2:14 The clarinet joins the piano, picking up the main melody while the piano plays chords in accompaniment, then several runs.

2:28 The piano carries the main theme once more, string section playing pianissimo in the background.

2:45 Repeat of the clarinet and piano variation. 2:58 Piano, woodwinds and strings play various pieces of the theme

variations in a very jumbled and frenzied way. The three sections seem to be competing against each other. The sound is dissonant and somewhat disconcerting.

3:07 All three sections return once more to the main theme of the composition, piano once more in double octaves. Tempo rapidly increases in parallel to the volume, moving from the pianissimo of the end of the andante espressivo to a more fitting forte. The percussion section joins to accent with the chimes.

Listening Guide-3

3:07 All three sections return once more to the main theme of the composition, piano once more in double octaves. Tempo rapidly increases in parallel to the volume, moving from the pianissimo of the end of the andante espressivo to a more fitting forte. The percussion section joins to accent with the chimes.

3:17 Strings return once more to the rhythmic pace in the background. Piano plays several descending runs, followed by an intricate high register theme.

3:41 The oboe joins the piano in a counter melody characterized by several grace notes. The theme takes on a more minor sound, gradually returning to a major sound.

4:06 Rhythm from the strings increases in tempo. Woodwinds pick up the theme, chimes again accenting the chords in the background.

4:45 Piano gains solo again briefly, following the increased tempo and volume of the orchestra.

5:06 Orchestra and piano go back and forth carrying the melody in an imitative fashion.

Listening Guide-4

5:12 Oboes begin carrying a previous theme over the continued melody of the piano, creating a disharmony.

5:34 Pizzicato rhythm from the string section descends as there is an ascending run on the piano.

5:40 A new variation melody begins with the piano in staccato chords, syncopated once more.

6:15 Orchestra takes the lead, bringing out the most recent melody, once more going back and forth between the piano and orchestra.

6:46 Return to the main theme, carried mostly by the woodwinds. Volume increases to a fortissimo, sounding triumphant. The theme is repeated four times.

7:38 A new variation on the main theme begins, slower and smoother. Heavily accented on the second beat. There is a diminuendo taking the volume to piano.

8:19 Crescendo followed by an almost immediate diminuendo leads to a return to a minor key. Waves of volume in the melody create a smooth and atmospheric feel.

Listening Guide-5

8:55Return to a major key, Piano and woodwinds carry the melody, piano in short chords with the woodwinds in a legato theme.

9:26Forte once again with the orchestra and piano returning to the main theme, leading into a series of descending runs on the piano.

9:51Counter melodies once more between the piano and woodwinds recreate the dissonant and uncomfortable sound previously used at 2:58.

10:03 A third countermelody from the string section joins the confusion.

10:11 Triumphant resolution, where all parts of the orchestra play together, including the timpani from the percussion section.

10:39 Volume increases to fortissimo in a glorious end of accented chords with all parts of the orchestra with the piano playing in harmonic unison.

10:48 End

COMPOSED BY CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS, PERFORMED BY PHILHARMONIA

ORCHESTRA

Marche Héroïque, Op. 34, for orchestra

Composition History

At onset of Franco-Prussian war, joined the National Guard

Music used to boost morale and raise funds Organized concert in aid of Geneva Cross ambulances

in 1870Cantana called Chants de Guerre for benefit concert

was rejected, rewrote it as Marche HéroiqueFirst performed as composition for two pianos at a

charity concertDedicated to friend Henri Regnault who was killed in

action

Performances

First Orchestra performance December 1871

Composition for 8 hands performed in London April 1880, again in 1899

Played at service held in Algiers following Saint-Saëns’ death

Played again during official funeral during the procession from the church to the cemetery

Performing on the pianowith a symphony

Overview

Mainly vigorous and optimistic in mood

Except for intro and last section, not of the customary “marche militaire” type

Central andantino expressive of sorrow, written in three-four time for violins with solo for trombones, harmony for harp and woodwinds

Deemed to give too much emphasis to center section

Became very popular piece for years to come

Listening Guide-1

0:00 Rest 0:08 Marche Héroïque begins with the entrance of the entire orchestra in a

small, dramatic, and rather slow introduction led by the string section. A quick ascending run from the flute leads to the beginning of the main theme.

0:13 Snare drum enters with a roll, setting the mood for the march. 0:18 Woodwinds begin with the main theme of the march while the string

section plays pizzicato in the background. It is a lighthearted and fun melody in a quick duple time. The notes are heavily accented and played in a conjunct manner. The volume crescendos from pianissimo to mezzo-piano.

0:29 The string section enters and picks up the melody, with the woodwinds taking on the role of background harmony in short, staccato notes

0:42 The entire orchestra crescendos to a mezzo-forte, swelling together in the main theme of the march. The string section continues to carry the melody while the brass and woodwinds continue their harmony. This is repeated twice.

Listening Guide-2

1:02 The strings repeat the introduction in slower and longer notes with a diminuendo to pianissimo.

1:08 A lengthy scale from the string section leads to the pickup of the melody by the brass section. The strings play a quick rhythm in the background.

1:14 Crescendo to mezzo-forte over the length of several bars. 1:21 The flutes become more prominent as the play harmony in

conjunction to the brass melody. 1:34 The strings carry the melody of the main theme again in a legato

manner. 1:47 The brass joins with harmony to the strings. Volume swells to

forte. 1:56 The brass takes over the melody, with the percussion section

becoming louder and more prominent, especially the bass drum. Arpeggios are played up and down the scale by the brass and volume continues to crescendo.

Listening Guide-3

2:10 The strings take over in prominence while the trumpets play a bugle. 2:24 Strings repeat introduction again and tempo slows greatly, leading

into the center section of the composition. Snare roll and bass drum in the background.

2:42 Harp enters, playing background to brass and strings. 2:51 Trombones carry the andantino melody in a slow, regal manner.

Volume slowly crescendos. Woodwinds, harp and strings play a haunting background melody.

3:48 Tempo and volume increase. Woodwinds and brass carry the melody. 4:20 Strings carry the melody with the brass holding drawn out notes in

the background. 4:40 Rhythm tempo increases with cello and contrabass. Playing piano,

the woodwinds pick up the melody, becoming almost frenzied. 5:04 Volume crescendos greatly in anticipation, the melody gradually

builds on itself with the brass and woodwinds section. The music swells and wanes, moving up the scale

Listening Guide-4

5:32 Main theme recommences in full glory with the entire orchestra, strings and woodwinds together carrying the melody of the theme. The brass belts out a march rhythm in the background with the cymbals accenting the down beat.

5:54 Strings carry the slower section of the melody alone, followed by the woodwinds. Volume crescendos greatly to forte as the theme is repeated twice.

6:17 Brass carries the melody, cymbals still prominent in the background. Arpeggios up and down the scale. Volume continues to crescendo.

6:29 Strings carry the arpeggio back down the scale.6:31 Bugle from the trumpets once more, entire orchestra

swells and increases tempo in preparation for the finale.

Listening Guide-5

6:41 Cymbals add an accent, first with every other down beat and then each down beat as the woodwinds carry the melody, building and building, drums beating a tattoo in the background.

6:44 Notes become even shorter and faster, ending in fortissimo with a triumphant “dum, da dum da dum da dum, dum, dum” from the brass and percussion sections.

7:22 End

Bibliography

Michael Steen, The Lives & Times of The Great Composers (London: Icon Books Ltd., 2003)

Brian Rees, Camille Saint-Saëns: A Life (London: Chatto and Windus, 1999)

Watson Lyle, Camille Saint-Saëns: His Life and Art (London: Kegan Paul Trench Turner & Co. Ltd., 1923)

Stephen Studd, Saint-Saëns: A Critical Biography (London: Cygnus Arts, 1999)

James Harding, Saint-Saëns and His Circle (London: Chapman and Hall, 1965), p. 111

Photographs courtesy of Google