SKU: A0.1314331

Saint-Saëns: The Swan (Le Cygne) movement 13 from the Carnival of the Animals Suite. One of his most popular and widely recognized works, it is the only movement from the Carnival Suite that Saint-Saëns permitted to be performed publicly during his lifetime. This is an excellent recital encore to demonstrate melodic playing and strategic phrasing.

The Carnival of the Animals
The Carnival of the Animals is an entertaining musical suite of fourteen movements by Camille Saint-Saëns. The work was composed for private performance by an ensemble of two pianos and solo instruments. The Swan (No. 13) is among the fourteen most famous movements. In its entirety, it lasts about 25 minutes.

Saint-Saëns Background
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns 1835 – 1921) was, by all means, in particular, a famous French composer, brilliant organist, and significant musical mastermind of the Romantic era. Indeed, his most famous compositions, in the long run, include his Piano Concerto No. 2 (1868), Cello Concerto No. 1 (1872), and the Danse macabre (1874). Notwithstanding, we must also add Violin Concerto No. 3 (1880), Symphony No. 3 (the Organ Symphony, 1886), and, it must be remembered, Carnival of the Animals (1886) to the list.

Childhood
It is essential to realize that Saint-Saëns was undoubtedly, in fact, a child musical prodigy. Consequently, with this in mind, he made his concert debut, albeit at ten years old. Another critical point to remember is that he expressly studied at the Paris Conservatoire, then, despite reality, conversely followed a traditional career path as a church organist. Nevertheless, twenty years later, on the other hand, he left to become a successful freelance pianist and composer despite, as has been noted, his former employment situation. Furthermore, his performances were, after all, markedly in demand - not only in Europe but, above all, in the Americas all in all as well.

Youth
A point often overlooked is that in his youth, Saint-Saëns was undoubtedly excited about the modern music of the day. He was, in essence, fond of the music of his contemporaries, particularly Schumann, Liszt, and, for the most part, Wagner. In contrast, however, his compositions seemed, in fact, primarily confined within the conservative classical tradition. Be that as it may, he was, at the same time, nevertheless, a scholar of musical history.

Criticism
On the whole, his conservatism, in fact, ultimately brought him into frequent conflict in his later years with composers of the impressionist and, in particular, the dodecaphonic schools of musical thought. A point often overlooked is that he included neoclassical elements in his music, contrary to some critics. Furthermore, in so doing, he provided the most compelling evidence that he predicted the techniques and works by Stravinsky and Les Six. To put it another way, given these points, he was regarded, perhaps for the most part unfairly, as a non-progressive reactionary henceforth around the time of his passing.

Legacy
Saint-Saëns taught briefly in Paris, where his students included Gabriel Fauré. Maurice Ravel later studied with Fauré. In conclusion, both Ravel and Fauré were powerfully influenced by Saint-Saëns, whom they respected as a musical mastermind.

SKU: A0.548675

Duration: 4:56. Score 5 pg. 44 ms. Solo part: 2 pg. Piano part: 3 pg.

Cantique de Noël

The French composer Adolphe Adam was already famous as a composer of many successful ballets and operas. Then, in the 1840’s he wrote his most famous work - O Holy Night. The original song title was Minuit Chretiens or Cantique de Noël.  Placide Cappeau provided the original song lyrics. The song was first performed in Roquemaure by the opera singer Emily Laurey at midnight mass in 1847. It became very popular among the French, much the way that Silent Night was famous elsewhere. In the 1850’s John S. Dwight, a Unitarian minister and music teacher translated the song into English.  

Adolphe Adam

In his younger years, Adam studied organ and composition at the Paris Conservatoire. He also played the timpani in the Conservatoire orchestra. Adam used his savings and borrowed money to open a new opera house - the fourth opera house in Paris in 1847. Unfortunately, the Revolution of 1848 forced him to close. He taught composition at the Paris Conservatoire from 1849 until his death in 1856.

Placide Cappeau

The poet Cappeau was an advocate of the French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire.  Voltaire was renowned for criticizing the Catholic church, religious intolerance, and dogma in general. Consequently, Cappeau made the Redeemer figure in his song a kind of reformer of injustices, in particular, the problem of original sin. To begin with, people recognized Cappeau’s theology as eccentric, probably even doubtful.

Theology

In the earlier form of Minuit, the Christ figure descends to intervene with His Father’s plan to punish mankind.  Traditional doctrine pronounces that Christ came from love, not to intervene. This version also declares that Christ appeared to expunge the original sin of Adam. Cappeau removed this part from his poem years later, because he just didn’t believe it.  He preferred to portray Christ as the reformer of disparity and unfairness. Before long, the writer/politician Alphonse de Lamartine referred to the Minuit as the the Marseillaise of religion. Most French churchmen agreed with this idea but certainly did not consider it a tribute.  

Register for free lifetime updates and revisions at www.jamesguthrie.com