Download PDF by Brian Rees: Camille Saint-Saëns: A Life

Camille Saint-Sa�ns begun as a toddler prodigy and used to be acclaimed in his lifetime because the incarnation of French genius. His was once one of many longest careers in musical heritage, stretching from the traditions of Beethoven to the thoughts of the 20th century, together with one of many earliest movie ratings. As a virtuoso pianist he accomplished foreign reputation, whereas Liszt proclaimed him the world's maximum organist.

A prolific composer, there's even more to him than his best-known paintings, the witty Carnival of the Animals, of which he forbade performances in his lifetime. between his such a lot impressive achievements are the opera Samson et Delila and the Organ Symphony, whereas the Danse Macabre, moment piano concerto and primary cello concerto stay a lot loved.

As a tender guy, he supported the 'new song' of Liszt, Wagner and Berlioz and brought the symphonic poem into French song. He championed an up-and-coming new release of French composers, such a lot significantly Faur�, and performed a special half in remodeling French flavor from grand opera and operetta to the classical varieties of symphony and chamber song, even as reviving curiosity within the song of Bach and Rameau.

His own lifestyles was once combative, tragic and surrounded by way of hearsay: as a boy throughout the Revolution of 1848, serving as a countrywide protect within the warfare of 1870, and at last turning into whatever of an icon of the 3rd Republic, utilized in international relations as a logo of French culture.

This attention-grabbing publication (Chatto & Windus 1999) locations his lengthy and arguable profession in a turbulent interval whilst song, at the very least politics, used to be present process sensational and sometimes stormy change.