Biography of Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)

09.10.1835
Born in Paris
Most important French composer in the time between Berlioz and Debussy.
1841
First compositions (songs and pieces for piano)
1846
First public concert
1848
Studies at the Paris conservatory (organ with Benoist, piano with Stamaty and composition with Halevy, reber and Gounod)
1852
Organist at Ste. Marie, later at Madeleine, start of a close friendship with Liszt influencing him in his style.
1857
Premiere of the Tarentelle for flute, clarinet and piano,played by Dorus, the clarinetist Leroy and the composer in the house of Rossinis, who supported the young composer
1858
Organist at the Madeleine
1861
Four years teaching at the Ecole Niedermeyer, where amongst others Faure was his student.
1871
Foundation of the Societe Nationale de Musique, to which also César Franck, Ernest Amedee Chausson, Édouard Lalo, Vincent D´Indy and Gabriel Fauré belonged. Composition of Romance op. 37 for flute and orchestra.
06.04.1872
Taffanel gives the premiere of the Romance>, dedicated to Amedée de Vroye, on a concert of the Sociéte nationale with the composer at the piano.
1881
Member of the Académie des Beaux Arts
1885
"Harmonie et mélodie" is published
1886
Leaving the after conflicts. Abandonment of his Paris flat, from then on for eighteen years a volatile life without a place of residence (on concert tours and holidays).
1887
Concert cycle in Russia, financed by the French Red Cross. With his friend Taffanel, the oboist Georges Gillet and clarinetist Charles Turban they give the Caprice sur des airs danois et russes to honour the Empress Marie Feodorovna, born in Denmark.
12.09.1896
Festival for his honor as part of the National Exposition in Geneva and acquaintance with a href="person.php?id=1298&englisch=true">Barrere
1899
"Portraits et souvenirs" is published
03.11.1906
America debut as a soloist at Carnegie Hall
1920
Odelette op. 162 for flute and orchestra.
16.12.1921
Dies in Algier

Sheet music for flute:

2 Sätze aus dem Karneval der Tiere
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(flute, piano)
Zimmermann, ZM 30750
Rating: mid-grade
  1. La voliere
  2. Le cygne
Caprice on Danish and Russian Airs op. 79 (B-Dur)
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(flute, oboe, clarinet, piano)
International Music Company, No. 2647
Rating: mid-grade
  1. Poco Allegro - Andantino - Allegretto - Moderato - Allegro vivace
Composed for a concert trip os Saint-Saens in April 1887 to St. Petersburg with Taffanel, Gillet (oboe) und Turban (clarinet).
Der Schwan (F-Dur)
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(flute, english horn, bassoon)
Uetz, BU 5923
Rating: easy
  1. Adagio
Parts and score
Odelette op. 162 (D-Dur)
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(flute, piano)
Zimmermann, ZM 2942
Rating: difficult
  1. Andantino
Equally nice and difficult.
The word odelette means a joyeous form of an ode and is from the 16th century.
Written 1920 at first for flute and orchestra.
Romance op. 37
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(flute (violin), piano)
Durand S. A. Edition s Musicales, D & F 1953
Rating: mid-grade
  1. Moderato assai
Highly romantic. First five b, afterwards 4 sharps, then 2 sharps and again 5 b.
Written in 1871 in original for flute and orchestra.
Tarantelle opus 6 (C-Dur)
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(flute, clarinet in A, piano)
Durand S. A. Edition s Musicales, 3481
Rating: mid-grade
  1. Presto ma non troppo
Piano part includes the score, too. The parts for flute and clarinet are separate. Nearly impossible to turn pages for the piano player. The cue notes for the woodwinds give melodies which are not played by the piano because they are part of the orchestral score.
Dedicated to Dorus and Leroy
To support his younger colleague Rossini at first said it was written by him and corrected this statement only then the success of the piece was obvious.

CDs with/from Camille Saint-Saëns

Philippe Bernold, Phlippe Berrod, Jean-Louis Capezzali, Benoît de Barsony, Ariane Jacob, Laurent Lefèvre
Caprice (2 CD) (2008)
Taffanel, Saint-Saens, Fauré - Oeuvres pour flûte et piano
jpc
Saphr Productions
  1. Paul Taffanel: Andante pastoral (03:39:00)
  2. Paul Taffanel: Scherzettino (01:56:00)
  3. Camille Saint-Saëns: "Le Déluge" - Prélude pour flûte et piano op. 45 (03:40:00)
  4. Paul Taffanel: Fantaisie sur Le Freischütz de C. Maria von Weber (11:13:00)
  5. Paul Taffanel: Fantaisie-transcription sur "Les Indes Galantes" de J. P. Rameau (07:37:00)
  6. Peter I. Tschaikowsky: Arioso ext. de Eugen Onegin (03:10:00)
  7. Paul Taffanel: Grande Fantaisie sur "Francoise de Rimini" d´Ambroise Thomas (20:06:00)
  8. Camille Saint-Saëns: Tarantelle pour flûte, clarinette et piano op. 6 (06:44:00)
  9. Camille Saint-Saëns: Caprice sur des airs danois et russes op. 79 (10:26:00)
  10. Gabriel Fauré: "Les Joueuses de flûte" ext de "Pénélope" (03:49:00)
  11. Paul Taffanel: Sicilienne Etude op. 7 (03:55:00)
  12. Gabriel Fauré: Fantasie op. 79 (05:03:00)
  13. Paul Taffanel: Grande Fantaisie sur Mignon d´Ambroise Thomas (12:07:00)
  14. Paul Taffanel: Allegretto grazioso (01:09:00)
  15. Paul Taffanel: Allegretto scherzando (01:19:00)
  16. Paul Taffanel: Fantaisie sur Jean de Nvelle de Leo Delibes (08:12:00)
    17. Paul Taffanel: Quintette en sol mineur pour instruments à vent:
  17. Allegro (09:32:00)
  18. Andante (06:11:00)
  19. Vivace (06:09:00)
  20. Camille Saint-Saëns: Romance op. 37 (05:31:00)
Jane Dodd, Christopher Hyde-Smith
Flute Music of France (1989)
Claudio Rekords
  1. Gabriel Fauré: Fantaisie Op. 79 (05:03:00)
  2. Louis Aubert: Madrigal (04:20:00)
    3. Albert Roussel: Joueurs de Flute:
  3. Pan (03:07:00)
  4. Tityre (01:05:00)
  5. Krishna (03:10:00)
  6. Mr. de la Pejaudie (01:34:00)
  7. Gabriel Fauré: Morceau de Concours (02:49:00)
  8. Charles Koechlin: 14 Pieces pour Flute et piano Op. 157 (12:16:00)
  9. Jean-Michel Damase: Nocturne (02:14:00)
  10. Philippe Gaubert: Madrigal (03:48:00)
  11. Camille Saint-Saëns: Romance op. 37 (05:43:00)
    12. Francis Poulenc: Sonata:
  12. Allegro malinconico (04:15:00)
  13. Cantilena (04:14:00)
  14. Presto giocoso (03:28:00)
Michael Faust, Birgitta Wollenweber
La Flute Brillante (1997)
Französische Musik für Flöte und Klavier
TMK
  1. Cecil Chaminade: Concertino, Op. 107 (08:22:00)
  2. Camille Saint-Saëns: Romance op. 37 (06:25:00)
  3. Gabriel Fauré: Fantaisie op. 97 (05:14:00)
  4. Camille Saint-Saëns: Odelette (08:40:00)
  5. Georges Hüe: Fantaisie (08:00:00)
    6. Jules Mouquet: La flute de Pan:
  6. Pan et les bergers (04:05:00)
  7. Pan et les oiseaux (05:45:00)
  8. Pan et les nymphes (05:12:00)
  9. Francois Borne: Fantaisie brillante sur Carmen (11:33:00)
Madoka Inui, Peter Schmidl, Matthias Schulz, Wolfgang Schulz
The Art of the Flute (2007)
Mozart - Kuhlau - Francaix - Saint-Saens - Poulenc
jpc
Naxos
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata in D-Dur KV 448:
  1. Allegro con spirito (06:06:00)
  2. Andante (06:52:00)
  3. Molto allegro (06:37:00)
    4. Friedrich Kuhlau: Grand Trio in G-Dur Op. 119:
  4. Allegro moderato (06:10:00)
  5. Adagio patetico - Sostenuto assai (03:51:00)
  6. Rondo - Allegro (05:13:00)
    7. Jean Françaix: Le Colloque des deux perruches:
  7. Allegrissimo (01:40:00)
  8. Presto (01:36:00)
  9. Larghetto (02:31:00)
  10. Scherzando (03:53:00)
  11. Larghetto (04:00:00)
  12. Allegro (03:15:00)
  13. Camille Saint-Saëns: Tarentelle (06:18:00)
    14. Francis Poulenc: Sonata:
  14. Allegro malinconico (04:24:00)
  15. Cantilena - Assez lent (03:27:00)
  16. Presto giocoso (03:27:00)
Quintessenz
Tour de France (2007)
jpc
GM Recordings
  1. Claude Debussy: Prélude à l'apreès-midi d'un faune (09:52:00)
    2. Claude Debussy: Petite Suite:
  2. En bateau (03:40:00)
  3. Cortège (03:08:00)
  4. Menuet (02:49:00)
  5. Ballet (03:15:00)
    6. Georges Bizet: Jeux d'enfants:
  6. La toupie (00:56:00)
  7. La poupée (02:26:00)
  8. Trompette et tambour (02:21:00)
  9. Le bal galop (01:51:00)
    10. Camille Saint-Saëns: Le carnaval des animaux:
  10. Aquarium (02:29:00)
  11. L'Eléphant (01:23:00)
  12. Le cygne (02:35:00)
  13. Poules et coqs (00:48:00)
  14. Vlière (01:19:00)
  15. Maurice Ravel: Pièce en forme de Habanera (02:55:00)
  16. Maurice Ravel: Alborada del gracioso (07:23:00)
    17. Claude Debussy: Suite Bergamasque:
  17. Menuet (03:50:00)
  18. Clair de lune (05:06:00)
  19. Passepied (00:00:03)
  20. Francois Couperin: Le tic-toc-choc (00:00:02)
    21. Louis Ganne: Andante et Scherzo:
  21. Andante moderato (04:09:00)
  22. Allegro scherzando (02:28:00)
James Galway, London Symphony Orchestra, Klauspeter Seibel, Moray Welsh
Wings of Song (2004)
Deutsche Grammophon
  1. Maurice Ravel: Pavane pour une Infante défunte (06:11:00)
  2. Erik Satie: Gymnopédie No. 3 (02:47:00)
  3. Franz Schubert: Ave Maria (04:27:00)
  4. N. N.: The Dawning of the Day (04:35:00)
  5. Joaquín Rodrigo: En Aranuez con tu amor (07:29:00)
  6. Johann Christian Bach: Siciliano (02:53:00)
  7. Camille Saint-Saëns: Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix (06:16:00)
  8. Vincenzo Bellini: Casta diva (05:04:00)
  9. Gabriel Fauré: Pie Jesu (03:17:00)
  10. Jacques Offenbach: Barcarolle (02:43:00)
  11. Richard Wagner: Der Engel (02:47:00)
  12. Christoph Willibald Gluck: Che farò senza Euridice? (04:30:00)
  13. Antonin Dvořák: Lento (08:30:00)
  14. Johannes Brahms: Wiegenlied (02:20:00)
  15. Howard Shore: A Lord of the Rings Suite (06:45:00)
  16. John Denver: Annie"s Song (02:58:00)

Literature von/über Camille Saint-Saëns

Last edit 21.06.2020