The French composer Charles Camille Saint-Saëns was
born Oct. 9, 1835 in Paris, France and died Dec. 16,
1921 in Algiers. Astonishingly gifted from childhood,
with a phenomenal memory (at his debut piano recital at
age 11, he offered to play any Beethoven sonata without
music), he became a darling of the salons and a
celebrated improviser. To promote new music by French
composers, he founded the Socit Nationale de Musique in
1871. His compositions are often brilliant in their
effects but not al...(+)
The French composer Charles Camille Saint-Saëns was
born Oct. 9, 1835 in Paris, France and died Dec. 16,
1921 in Algiers. Astonishingly gifted from childhood,
with a phenomenal memory (at his debut piano recital at
age 11, he offered to play any Beethoven sonata without
music), he became a darling of the salons and a
celebrated improviser. To promote new music by French
composers, he founded the Socit Nationale de Musique in
1871. His compositions are often brilliant in their
effects but not always profound.
He soon came to the notice - and earned the admiration
of - such eminent composers as Charles Gounod,
Gioacchino Rossini, Hector Berlioz, and Franz Liszt. He
was appointed organist at the Madeleine (1857-1875),
and taught at the École Niedermeyer from 1861 to 1865,
Gabriel Fauré being one of his pupils.
Although this piece was originally composed for solo
Piano, I created this arrangement for concert harp solo
performance because of it's beautiful arpeggiated
passages.