- Saint-Saëns wrote his second symphonic poem, Phaéton, in 1873.
- Saint-Saëns composed four symphonic poems in the 1870s, each on mythological or legendary subjects. The others are Le Rouet d’Omphale (1871), Danse macabre (1874), and La jeunesse d’Hercule (1877).
- At the time, the symphonic poem was a new and unusual form, primarily associated with Franz Liszt, who coined the term “symphonic poem.”1
- The subject matter for Phaéton draws on Greek mythology. The publishers of Saint-Saëns’ score included the following narrative summary:
- “Phaethon has obtained the permission of the Sun god, his father, to drive his chariot through the heavens. But his inexperienced hands are unable to control the fiery steeds. The flaming chariot is thrown off course. It comes so close to the earth that the whole world is in danger of being set ablaze, when Jupiter strikes down the reckless Phaethon with his thunderbolt.”2
Sources
- Daniel M. Fallon, Sabina Teller Ratner, and James Harding, “Saint-Saëns, (Charles) Camille,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed August 3, 2026, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000024335.
- “Phaéton, Op.39 (Saint-Saëns, Camille),” IMSLP, accessed August 3, 2026, https://imslp.org/wiki/Pha%C3%A9ton%2C_Op.39_(Saint-Sa%C3%ABns%2C_Camille).
Cut IDs
42834 18137