Tarantelle for Flute, Clarinet and Orchestra Op. 6

Composer: SAINT-SAËNS, Camille
  • One of Saint-Saëns’ earliest compositions, this work was written and published in 1857.1
  • Saint-Saëns dedicated this piece to French flutist Louis Dorus (1812-1896) and to clarinetist Adolphe-Marthe Leroy (1827-1880).2
    • Dorus was the person who first promoted and popularized the use of the Boehm transverse flute in French flute playing (in an altered model developed by himself and colleague Vincent Godfroy).3
    • Leroy was principal clarinet in the Société des Concerts for 10 years and was professor at the Paris Conservatory. Berlioz heard him play in 1857 and said he was “a virtuoso of the first order, but cold.”4
  • Rossini helped get some attention for the young composer Saint-Saëns by performing a little practical joke with this piece (Whole story here, p. 75, related by Saint-Saëns. Summary below.)5
    • Rossini felt that audiences were ignoring Saint-Saëns’ music because he was a young unknown composer. Rossini invited Saint-Saëns and the two musicians for whom he’d written this Tarantelle to his home to perform it in front of a select audience. Rossini told everyone that he, Rossini, had composed this piece, and the audience praised him exuberantly, saying it was wonderful music – then Rossini announced, “I entirely agree. But this Duo is not by me, it’s by this young gentleman here…” pointing to Saint-Saëns!

Sources

  1. Daniel M. Fallon, Sabina Teller Ratner, and James Harding, “Saint-Saëns, (Charles) Camille,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed January 16, 2020, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000024335.
  2. “Tarantelle, OP.6 (Saint-Saëns, Camille), IMSLP, accessed January 16, 2020, https://imslp.org/wiki/Tarantelle,_Op.6_(Saint-Sa%C3%ABns,_Camille). 
  3. Tula Giannini, “Godfroy family,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed January 16, 2020, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040796. 
  4.  Roger Nichols, ed., Saint-Saëns: On Music and Musicians (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 75.
  5. Nichols, ed., Saint-Saëns: On Music and Musicians, 75-76.

Cut IDs

22993