Born in Paris, Oct 9, 1835
Died in Algiers, Dec 16, 1921
- Saint-Saëns studied organ and composition at the Paris Conservatory. He also performed and toured as a concert pianist his nearly all his life.
- Saint-Saëns helped edit editions of many historical composers’ works, including Gluck, Beethoven and Mozart. His interest in historical music also extended to Bach, and to Handel, whose oratorios inspired Saint-Saëns’s own work in that genre.
- Saint-Saëns was organist at the Église de la Madeleine, which was (and remains) one of the most important organist positions in France.1
Sources
- Daniel M. Fallon, Sabina Teller Ratner, and James Harding, “Saint-Saëns, (Charles) Camille,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed February 13, 2020, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000024335.
Pieces
- Algerian Suite
- Allegro appassionato for Cello and Orchestra in b minor, Op. 43
- Ascanio
- Bassoon Sonata in G Major, Op. 168
- Carnival of the Animals
- Cello Concerto No. 1 in a minor, Op. 33
- Danse macabre, Op. 40
- Le rouet d’Omphale, Op. 31
- Odelette for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 162
- Piano Concerto No. 2 in g minor, Op. 22
- Romance for Cello and Orchestra in F Major, Op. 36
- Romance for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 37
- Samson and Delilah
- Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E-flat Major, Op. 167
- Symphony No. 2 in a minor, Op. 55
- Symphony No. 3 in c minor, Op.78, “Organ”
- Tarantelle for Flute, Clarinet and Orchestra Op. 6