French composer Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was born in Paris on October 9, 1835. His father
died while he was a tiny infant, leaving him to be raised by his mother and a
great-aunt. It was this aunt who introduced him to the piano when he was only
two. The little prodigy was reading and writing at age 3 and had a solid
grounding in Latin by age seven. He composed his first piece for the piano at
age four. His first public concert was at age seven. This was no little
music-class recital; he accompanied a Beethoven violin sonata! Saint-Saëns first solo recital at age ten was
at the mythic Salle Pleyel. The program featured a full Mozart Piano Concerto,
among other pieces. For his encore, he said he would play ANY of Beethoven’s
piano sonatas WITHOUT music! This feat made Saint-Saëns a sensation across
Europe and even in the United States.
Saint-Saëns studied
organ and composition at the Conservatoire de Paris. The symphonies he composed
while still a student were hailed by the music community. Hector Berlioz
wittily said, Il sait tout, mais il manque d'inexpérience (eel seh too,
meh eel mahnk din-ex-pear-e-anse),
which means "He knows everything, but lacks inexperience." To make a
living, he played the organ at various Paris churches, including many years at
the keyboard at la Madeleine where he IMPROVISED a new composition each week. In
addition to being a musical genius, he was also passionate about many branches
of science, philosophy, and the decoration of Roman theaters. He also wrote
plays and poetry.
The personal
life of Saint-Saëns was dramatic and tragic. He married a young woman who was
half his age and they had two sons together. The boys died within a few weeks
of each other: one of a childhood disease, the other due to a fall from a
window. Saint-Saëns saw the disaster unfold, but he was unable to save the
child. The composer blamed his wife; one day, he simply walked away. The couple
separated, but never divorced. He rambled from one exotic country to the next,
and wrote his travel memoirs under the penname “Sannois.” He eventually settled
in Algiers where he died of pneumonia on December 16, 1921. His body was
brought back to France where Saint-Saëns was honored with a state funeral at
the church where he played the organ for so many years. All told, he composed
over 300 pieces. Ironically, his greatest musical triumph, The Carnival of the Animals, was only published in full after
his death, because he thought it would undermine his reputation as a serious
composer.
Related articles
- "Opus 40, Danse Macabre" by Camille Saint-Saens (mstoberthebull.wordpress.com)
- About 'Carnival of the Animals' (ibooksmedia.wordpress.com)
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