Camille Saint-Saens was born in Paris and brought up by
his mother. He began music lessons early and by the age
of three had already composed his first piano piece.
From the age of seven he took composition lessons and
soon gained a reputation in Paris as a child prodigy.
In 1846, aged 11, he gave a recital of Mozart and
Beethoven piano concertos; for an encore he offered to
play any one of the Beethoven piano sonatas from
memory.
He entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1848 and over the...(+)
Camille Saint-Saens was born in Paris and brought up by
his mother. He began music lessons early and by the age
of three had already composed his first piano piece.
From the age of seven he took composition lessons and
soon gained a reputation in Paris as a child prodigy.
In 1846, aged 11, he gave a recital of Mozart and
Beethoven piano concertos; for an encore he offered to
play any one of the Beethoven piano sonatas from
memory.
He entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1848 and over the
next five years his dazzling gifts won both the
friendship and patronage of composers such as Rossini,
Gounod, Liszt, and Berlioz. His mentors feared only
that his chameleon-like ability to absorb information
and musical styles, while in one sense an advantage,
might inhibit originality of expression in his own
compositions.
The 1860s were probably the most contented and stable
years of Saint-Saens's life. During this time he
quickly acquired a formidable reputation as a composer
and a virtuoso pianist. Saint-Saens spent his final
years travelling in Europe and the United States. On
his death in 1921 he left a body of music that revealed
a passion for order, clarity, and precision, as well as
an always attractive - and very French - melodic
charm.
Saint-Saëns knew how to write perfectly for harp and
wrote the solo Fantasy, Opus 95 as well as a concert
piece for harp and orchestra (Opus 154). The Fantasie
is full of harp harmonics and has a lovely harp
cadenza.
SHEET MUSIC