Born Charles-Camille Saint-Saens in 1835, while Chopin still lived, Saint-Saens shone in many aspects of his long life which ended in 1921. He excelled in the playing of the piano and organ, composition, teaching, philosophy, biology and astronomy. He is most known for the “joke music” Le Carnaval des Animaux (which Disney uses often), and the creepy ‘Danse Macabre.’
He was gifted in sight reading, which made Hans von Bulow proclaim him to be “the greatest musical mind” of the era. Considering Bulow was Liszt’s son-in-law, this was quite a statement. He was often characterized as being to “sanitary” in his music, refraining from pyrotechnics and heavy showmanship that the public liked during that time. If you listen to a decent sample of his works, you’ll probably get a sense of the elegance of his composition, rarely being excessive in any particular way. He did experiment, specially towards the end of his life, a trend that can be found in many composers.
He had the unique distinction of being the first renowned composer to score a (newly emerging medium) motion picture, a feat that highlights the life-span of this magnificent musical mind. During his life he inspired other titans like Sergei Rachmaninoff, and pianist Claudio Arrau.
Recommended listening:
-The Carnival of the Animals
- Piano Concerto No. 2
+Movement No. 1 A
+Movement No. 1 B
+Movement No. 2
+Movement No. 3
-Symphony No. 3 (“Organ”)
A Sigh from Liszt
Franz Liszt was a prolific writer of music for all types of performances. From the racy Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 that everyone seems to remember, to mournful and introspective works like his “Via Crucis.” I have read and studied Liszt’s life and constantly find gems of music that are not as popular as the limited warhorses he used to play in his youth. One of the recent encounters of this nature I had was with his concert etude in D flat major, ‘Un Sospiro.’
It’s a very flowing piece that deceives the ears into thinking it’s three hands playing the keyboard. Pianist Leslie Howard states that Liszt took a liking to use this etude in his later years, and encouraged his students to come up with their own cadenzas. It’s an excercise in crossing hands, keeping the hands fluid in how they recite the simple melody. Here I include an old but good video that shows the technical demands on the pianist.
Here you can find a good video by Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin. I’ve seen him perform live at the Lincoln center and have his book on pianist composers. Let the music flow.