Camille Saint-Saens A Guide To Research (Routledge Musical Bibliographies)

CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS
ROUTLEDGE MUSIC BIBLIOGRAPHIES

Series Editor Brad Eden
Composers
Isaac Albéniz (1998)Walter A.Clark
C.P.E.Bach (2002)Doris Bosworth Powers
Samuel Barber (2001)Wayne C.Wentzel
Béla Bartók (1997)Second EditionElliott Antokoletz
Vincenzo Bellini (2002)Stephen A.Willier
Alban Berg (1996)Bryan R.Simms
Leonard Bernstein (2001)Paul F.Laird
Johannes Brahms (2003)Heather Platt
Benjamin Britten (1996)Peter J.Hodgson
Elliott Carter (2000)John L.Link
Carlos Chávez (1998)Robert Parker
Frédéric Chopin (1999)William Smialek
Aaron Copland (2001)Marta Robertson and Robin Armstrong
Josquin Des Prez (2003)Carlo Fiore
Gaetano Donizetti (2000)James P.Cassaro
Edward Elgar (1993)Christopher Kent
Gabriel Fauré (1999)Edward R.Phillips
Christoph Willibald Gluck (2003)Second EditionPatricia Howard
Charles Ives (2002)Gayle Sherwood
Scott Joplin (1998)Nancy R.Ping-Robbins
Zoltán Kodály (1998)Mícheál Houlahan and Philip Tacka
Franz Liszt (2003)Second EditionMichael Saffle
Guillaume de Machaut (1995)Lawrence Earp
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (2001)John Michael Cooper
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (2001)Clara Marvin
Giacomo Puccini (1999)Linda B.Fairtile
iii
Maurice Ravel (2003)Stephen Zank

Gioachino Rossini (2002)Denise P.Gallo
Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti (1993)Carole F.Vidali
Camille Saint-Saëns (2003)Timothy S.Flynn
Heinrich Schenker (2003)Benjamin Ayotte
Jean Sibelius (1998)Glenda D.Goss
Richard Strauss (2003)Scott Warfield
Giuseppe Verdi (1998)Gregory Harwood
Tomás Luis de Victoria (1998)Eugene Casjen Cramer
Richard Wagner (2002)Michael Saffle
Adrian Willaert (2003)David Michael Kidger
Genres
Central European Folk Music (1996)Philip V.Bohlman
Chamber Music (2002)Second EditionJohn H.Baron
Choral Music (2001)Avery T.Sharp and James Michael Floyd
Ethnomusicology (2003)Jennifer Post
Jazz Research and Performance Materials (1995)Second EditionEddie
S.Meadows
Music in Canada (1997)Carl Morey
North American Indian Music (1997)Richard Keeling
Opera (2001)Second EditionGuy Marco
The Recorder (2003)Second EditionRichard Griscom and David Lasocki
Serial Music and Serialism (2001)John D.Vander Weg
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS
A GUIDE TO RESEARCH
TIMOTHY S.FLYNN
ROUTLEDGE MUSIC BIBLIOGRAPHIES
ROUTLEDGE
NEW YORK AND LONDON
Published in 2003 by
Routledge
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Published in Great Britain by
Routledge
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www.routledge.co.uk
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group.
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of
thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
Copyright © 2003 by Timothy S.Flynn
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system
without permission in writing from the author.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Flynn, Timothy.
Camille Saint-Saëns: a guide to research/Timothy S.Flynn.
p. cm. — (Routledge music bibliographies)
Includes discography (p.) and indexes.
ISBN 0-8153-3619-5 (Print Edition) (hardback: acid-free paper)
1. Saint-Saëns, Camille, 1835–1921—Bibliography. I. Title.
II. Series: Routledge musical bibliographies.
ML 134.S15F55 2003
016.78′092–dc21 2003002700
ISBN 0-203-49491-1 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-58495-3 (Adobe eReader Format)

Contents
Preface viii
Introduction: The Enigma of Camille Saint-Saëns 1

Biographical Sketch 1
Musical Style and Influence 6
The Present State of Saint-Saëns Research 12
1. Selected General Sources 17
2. Biographical Studies: Primary Sources 34
3. Biographical Studies: Secondary Sources 43
4. Other Primary Sources Prior to 1921 62
5. Specialized Studies: Primary and Secondary Sources 67
Vocal Music: Operas, Dramatic Music, Sacred Music, Songs 67
Symphonic Music 78
Keyboard Music: Organ and Piano 80
Chamber Music 85
The Concerti 86
Vocal Music: Mélodies and Choral Compositions 88
6. Correspondence 90
7. Saint-Saëns as a Writer 96
Appendix 1. Manuscript Sources for Selected Compositions 115

Appendix 2. Manuscript Sources for Selected Correspondence 131
Appendix 3. The Saint-Saëns Museum at the Château-Musée in 134
Dieppe
Appendix 4. Selected Discography (Arranged by Genre) 148
vii
Index of Authors and Editors 161

Index of Composers 164
Index of Compositions 167
Preface
The materials included in this monograph represent an overview of writings

about Camille Saint-Saëns, his music, and the general period in which he lived
and worked. This book is not meant to be exhaustive in its scope. Items were
chosen for their importance, uniqueness, interest, and value in advancing the
study of the life and music of Saint-Saëns.
Every effort has been made to include works which offer differing opinions on
the composer and his music. Although he was recognized as an important
musical figure, he was not equally liked by other musicians and critics, nor was
his music appreciated by everyone.
It has also been my aim to call the reader’s attention both to the lesser-known
writings on Saint-Saëns and his music, and to the most recent examples of
scholarship produced in the last decades of the twentieth century.
It is my hope that this brief volume may contribute to further research and
investigation of the life and works of this fascinating and gifted composer, who
was hailed by such luminaries as Berlioz, Gounod, Liszt, and Wagner as among
the greatest musicians of his time.
In any undertaking such as this there are many people whose contributions
have been extremely valuable. It is my sincere pleasure to thank the following:
Mrs. Barbara Shipman, for being a truly patient and persistent Inter-Library Loan
librarian; Mr. Don Roberts, Head Librarian of Northwestern University Music
Library, for his many kindnesses regarding the collection of Saint-Saëns letters
at Northwestern; Ms. Margie Wood, Library Acquisitions, Northwestern
University Music Library, for helping me obtain and examine many important
sources housed in the Northwestern Libraries; and to my life partner, Dr.
Michael A.Nealon, without whose support and encouragement this project would
never have happened.
Finally, I would like to thank my mother, Amy Eldridge, for her love and
support. From her I have learned to work hard and believe in myself. Her
strength and courage are an inspiration to me, and to her this book is dedicated with
gratitude and love.
Introduction
The Enigma of Camille Saint-Saëns
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Camille Saint-Saëns (b. Paris, October 9, 1835; d. Algiers, December 16, 1921),
like Claudio Monteverdi, George Frederic Handel, Ludwig van Beethoven, and
Richard Strauss, is a composer whose music and career stand in two different
historical periods. While each was a master of the period of his birth, each also
introduced new and imaginative ideas, techniques, and sounds to the established
musical vocabulary of his time. As important as each of these composers is in the
chain of European art music, Saint-Saëns often appears to be standing in the
shadows. Beginning only eight years after the death of Beethoven and ending
after World War I, his life spanned a period of extreme social, industrial, and
musical change. Although perhaps not a great innovator as were these other
composers, Saint-Saëns nevertheless was fundamental in establishing an
identifiable French musical style in the nineteenth century based upon clarity,
concision, balance, and order. He, like Stravinsky, was admittedly an eclectic
creator who could synthesize various musical styles into his own without
creating slavish imitations. Examples of this are found in the symphonic poems,
operas such as Samson et Dalila and Henry VIII, and in his ability to incorporate
authentic Middle Eastern musical elements in works such as Samson and the
Suite algérienne.
A grandchild of the ancien regime, Saint-Saëns cut his teeth on the music of
Mozart and Bach, as well as the piano sonatas of Beethoven. As a friend of
Berlioz, Gounod, and Victor Hugo, he was intimately connected with the heralds
of French Romanticism. During his tenure as professor at the École Niedermeyer,
he introduced young students, among them Gabriel Fauré, to the mysteries of
Schumann, Liszt, and Wagner, whose orchestral scores of Tristan und Isolde and
Parsifal he could play from memory. A celebrated virtuoso pianist and organist,
Saint-Saëns appeared in concerts featuring his own music as well as that of
others, both traditional and contemporary. Unlike many composers, Saint-Saëns
was a true Renaissance man. He was an avid reader, amateur scientist,
astronomer, traveler, musicologist, ethnomusicologist, and author of poetry and
prose. This aspect of his personality perhaps best shows the complex and
2 CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS
multifaceted nature of this grand homme of French music. He was described by

virtually everyone who knew him as a man of culture with a quick and
inquisitive mind, not content to remain idle. This was a man and artist who
possessed layers of fascinating variety which, when examined, unravel the enigma
of Saint-Saëns.
As a child Saint-Saëns was heralded as the second Mozart, a comparison
which would remain with him for the rest of his life. His prodigious gifts at the
piano and his early attempts at composition were quickly recognized by his
mother and great-aunt, who immediately saw to the young Camille’s formal
musical education. Before attending the Conservatoire, about which he speaks
fondly in his École buissonnière, Saint-Saëns first studied piano with Camille
Stamaty, a pupil of Friedrich Kalkbrenner, and organ with Alexandre Boëly,
organist at St. Germain l’Auxerrois. A technician of the highest order, Boëly was
a professor at the Conservatoire and an intense champion of the organ music of
J.S.Bach. Saint-Saëns’s education during these early years also consisted of
Latin, geometry, and the natural sciences, especially astronomy, which became a
lifelong hobby for him.1 He began his studies at the Conservatoire in 1848,
coincidentally the same year Louis Napoleon was elected president of France.
Saint-Saëns would live through the president’s coup d’état in December 1851,
when he proclaimed himself emperor Napoleon III, and the event which
ultimately devastated the country: the Franco-Prussian War. During his time at
the Conservatoire, Saint-Saëns won second prize in organ in 1849 and then first
prize in 1851, before studying composition with Fromental Halévy. Though
Saint-Saëns did not win in his attempt for the Prix de Rome in 1852, he was
extremely active as a concert performer, playing such works as Beethoven’s Triple
Concerto and the Choral Fantasy, as well as accompanying Pauline Viardot,
who became an intimate and lifelong friend.2 Saint-Saëns was also beginning to
make a name for himself as a composer during the 1850s. His now lost Ode a
Sainte Cécile of 1852 won first place and consequently a premiere by the Société
Sainte Cécile, as did his Symphony in E-flat major a year later.3
Like many of his contemporaries, including Gounod and Franck, Saint-Saëns
began his working career as a church organist. From 1853 until 1858 he served
as organist at St. Merry, during which time he composed a great deal of sacred
music, including a Mass (op. 4), the Meditation, prière et barcarolle, a Tantum
ergo (op. 5), an Elevation ou Communion for organ, and six motets published in
1857.4 Some of his early important instrumental works were composed and
performed during this period as well, such as the Tarantelle for flute, clarinet,
and orchestra (op. 6) and Six bagatelles for piano (op. 3). Another important
work, his Symphony in F major, the so-called Urbs Roma, was composed during
this time for a competition in Bordeaux.5 Upon Lefébure-Wely’s departure from
La Madeleine at the end of 1857, Saint-Saëns was appointed organist in that
prestigious and fashionable parish. Among the first compositions he wrote during
his tenure there was the popular Oratorio de Noël (op. 12), which was premiered
on Christmas Day 1858.6
INTRODUCTION 3
While serving at La Madeleine, Saint-Saëns held the only teaching position of

his lengthy career. In 1861 he began teaching piano at the École Niedermeyer,
where he made an impression upon Gabriel Fauré, Eugène Gigout, and André
Messager, among others. There he introduced little-known works of Chopin,
Schumann, Liszt, and Wagner into the more traditional piano repertory.7 As a
teacher, Saint-Saëns enjoyed warm, friendly relationships with his students, who
later in life spoke fondly of their time in his class. He was encouraging and took
much interest in their compositions as well. Among the important and popular
pieces composed during his time at La Madeleine and the École Niedermeyer are
the first Piano Trio in F major (op. 18), the Piano Concerto no. 2 in G minor (op.
22), the Introduction et rondo capriccioso (op. 28) written for Sarasate, and his
first attempt at opera, La princesse jaune (op. 30). In addition to his church
position and his various compositional projects, Saint-Saëns also continued to be
an extremely busy concert artist and, in order to pursue his career as a performer,
he resigned from the École Niedermeyer in 1865.8 This, however, did not
prevent him from maintaining his friendship with his former pupils, especially
Fauré; but it marked a turn from traditional classroom teaching to a concentration
upon a concert career. As a pianist, Saint-Saëns offered the public Mozart
concerti, in addition to works by Schumann, Liszt, Bach, Rameau, and Couperin,
and in 1865 he gave the Parisian premiere of Schumann’s A minor concerto.9 He
eschewed an overtly emotional and sentimental style in performance; he rather
“approached his playing with the primary objective of being as faithful as
possible to the composer’s intentions.”10 According to the first-hand evidence of
Isidore Philipp, “his technique proceeded from the great classical tradition.
Despite his admiration for Liszt, Saint-Saëns did not imitate him... he never
departed from his principles of clarity and precision without ever falling into
exaggeration.”11 Philipp further noticed that his articulation was simple, that his
fingers worked, not his arms, and that Saint-Saëns “produced a beautiful legato
which is neglected by the majority of virtuosos today.”12 His composure and
deportment gave the audience a sense of coldness and aloofness for which he
was often criticized.
The time immediately preceding the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 found the
composer occupied with negotiations for a performance of his most recent
theatrical work, Le timbre d’argent (which was not ultimately to occur until
1877), and the composition of several songs. However, in 1867, the seduction
scene from Samson et Dalila was performed privately at the composer’s home
before a group of stupefied guests.13 Thus, despite his current problems with
management of the opera, the seed for his most famous and popular operatic
work was not only planted but beginning to bear fruit. His performing continued
unabated. During the siege of Paris, Saint-Saëns was a member of the National
Guard and often gave benefit concerts to raise funds for those wounded in the
struggle. And, according to Georges Servières, this began the period where Saint-
Saëns “produced some of his most personal and remarkable works.”14 It was also
at this time that the composer, along with Romain Bussine, founded the Société
Nationale de Musique to further the cause of modern French music after the
Franco-Prussian War. Often criticized for reverse discrimination of sorts and
extreme nationalism, the Société Nationale nevertheless rendered a great service
to contemporary French composers by giving the public an opportunity to hear
new works. Its foundation was in part reactionary, but it did premiere such works
as Debussy’s Prelude de l’après-midi d’un faune. After the fall of Paris, many in
French musical circles were anxious to demonstrate their own artistic excellence,
and for a while, the French musical scene was heavily nationalistic. When
foreign compositions began to figure more prominently in their concert
programs, the original co-founders, Saint-Saëns and Bussine, resigned.
Saint-Saëns’s career nearing the end of the nineteenth century can arguably be
said to betray the influence of Franz Liszt. Although the composers had met each
other years earlier, and Saint-Saëns had introduced Liszt’s music to his students
at the École Niedermeyer as well as to concert audiences, in the late 1860s and
the 1870s their friendship grew. Saint-Saëns’s loyalty to the music of Liszt never
wavered, and he was often solely responsible for securing performances of
Liszt’s music in Paris at a time when this music was not accepted. Saint-Saëns
recalled dealing with much opposition from performers, theater management,
and the public alike, but he wanted to “lay a foundation” for the future of Liszt’s
music.15 The favor was returned. Not only did Liszt premiere Samson et Dalila
in Weimar in 1877, but he remained constantly interested in Saint-Saëns’s
compositional activity in general.16 Saint-Saëns not only dedicated a setting of the
Veni Creator to Liszt, but he also dedicated the “Organ” Symphony to the
memory of the master as well. The composers were in correspondence only
months before Liszt’s death. Saint-Saëns found Liszt to possess a unique honesty,
forthrightness, generosity, and “greatness of spirit,” while the latter believed
Saint-Saëns to be the greatest organist of his day. Liszt was also fond of Saint-
Saëns’s transcription for the organ of his St. François d’Assise, La prédiction aux
oiseaux.17
It was during the 1870s that Saint-Saëns composed his symphonic poems Le
rouet d’Omphale (op. 31), Phaéton (op. 39), Danse macabre (op. 40), and La
jeunesse d’Hércule (op. 50). Some writers have naturally compared these works
to the tone poems of Liszt, and while they indeed owe something to Liszt’s
models, Saint-Saëns “tends to base his symphonic poems on a literal, physical
detail…which he then works out abstractly.”18 This approach would suggest that
Saint-Saëns was thinking more symphonically and less programmatically. The
younger composer also more often turned to antiquity for his inspiration than did
Liszt. This period of creativity also included several religious compositions, such
as the Requiem, some chamber music and songs, as well as many concert
performances as organist and pianist.19
Personal tragedy plagued the composer during the end of the century. He
married Marie Laure Emilie Truffot only to abandon her not long after the
premature and horrific deaths of both his sons: one fell from a fourth-floor
window, and the other died of a childhood disease. In the 1870s and 1880s,
INTRODUCTION 5
Saint-Saëns also lost the other two people most dear to him, his great-aunt
(1872) and his mother (1888). With a profound sense of depression, and on the
verge of suicide, Saint-Saëns took refuge in his beloved Egypt and Algeria.
Because of delicate health, which stemmed from his childhood, the composer
always escaped the cold, dreary Parisian winters for the exotic climes of Africa
and the Middle East. These mystic and extraordinary countries, where he
mingled with street musicians, foreign tourists, and political dignitaries, provided
Saint-Saëns with depths of inspiration for his compositions. These “working
holidays” resulted in such pieces as the Suite algérienne (op. 60), Africa, for
piano and orchestra (op. 89), and the Piano Concerto no. 5 (op. 103), not to
mention the works which he merely took with him on vacation to complete.
Always anxious for success in the theater, Saint-Saëns continued to compose
operas, some of which were commissions from Monte Carlo. He also composed
theatrical spectacles such as Déjanire (1892), written especially for the outdoor
festival in Béziers. The ancient Colosseum-like atmosphere appealed to his
classical aesthetic. However, his love of historical subjects is also present in
other works, including the operas Étienne Marcel (1879) and Henry VIII (1883),
which borrows an early musical theme he found in the Buckingham Palace
library. Despite his reasonable successes on the lyric stage and his more than
twenty operas and stage works, Saint-Saëns never really became known as a
theater composer, but rather as an instrumental composer and performer.
However, this is unfair and rather limiting. In actuality, there was almost no
genre at which Saint-Saëns did not try his hand. He was an avid composer of
chamber and orchestral music, but he also contributed an extensive song
repertory, much choral music (sacred and secular), piano and organ works, band
music, and oratorios, as well as incidental and ballet music. He was even the first
to compose a film score.20 Like Hindemith after him, Saint-Saëns was attentive
to instruments which were neglected in the solo or chamber repertory,
composing various chamber pieces featuring trumpet, harp, trombone, horn,
clarinet, and bassoon.
The majority of Saint-Saëns’s famous and most powerful compositions date
from the end of the nineteenth century: the “Organ” Symphony (1886), the last
two piano concerti (1875 and 1896), the third violin concerto (1880), and various
piano works (opp. 106 and 111). By the turn of the century, much of his music
displayed a rather academic and neoclassical character, notably the preludes and
fugues for organ (op. 109) from 1898, the first string quartet from 1899, the
string quartet no. 2 (1918), the six fugues for piano (op. 161) of 1920, and the
three sonatas from 1921 for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon respectively. Even the
larger dramatic works often possessed a more antique flavor in theme and music.
It is especially worth noting that in the pre-war years of the twentieth century, Saint-
Saëns concentrated a great deal upon chamber music and choral works rather
than symphonic music and concerti.
Although some consider him to have been reactionary during this time, in
light of Wagner’s popularity in France and the resurgence of French nationalism
in the post-World War I era, that would merely ignore the innovations and
novelties which Saint-Saëns effected in some of his music. His career offered
many unique contributions to the art of music: the first attempt at film music; the
revival of outdoor spectacles in the spirit of ancient Greece; the use of authentic
Middle Eastern musical elements in his scores; the variety of musical genres in
which he composed; his creative use of the orchestra and instruments; his work as
a musicologist in editing the music of Rameau and Gluck; his own writings on
music and art; and his tireless schedule as a concert performer. In the final years
of his life, Saint-Saëns was viewed as either a bitter old conservative who lacked
genius and depended upon tradition rather than innovation, or as the patriarch of
French music whose grace and refined taste in form and character were
hallmarks of his style and noble paradigms for future generations. Perhaps only
the possessor of a discerning ear and a historical sense will be able to decide.
MUSICAL STYLE AND INFLUENCE

It is perhaps easier to identify those who influenced Saint-Saëns than those whom
he influenced. His music bears the precision of Mozart and Mendelssohn, the
contrapuntal artifice of J.S.Bach, the romanticism of Beethoven, and elements of
Franz Liszt; one can even make associations with Wagner. However, what was
Saint-Saëns’s legacy? To whom did he pass the torch? What impact did his
musical style have upon succeeding generations?
Saint-Saëns’s music is known for its concision, its neatness of form, its
directness, and its brilliant virtuosity, but this is not new. He was simultaneously
praised and criticized for these characteristics in his own lifetime. Busoni
considered the composer to be the “last in the line of the Mozart school,” which
he felt included Rossini, Cherubini, Mendelssohn, Gounod, and Bizet.21 Romain
Rolland compared the composer to Voltaire because of his clarity of thought,
elegance, and precision of expression, while in purely musical terms, he
compared him to Mendelssohn. Rolland went further to mention Haydn, Mozart,
Wagner, and Liszt as being influential as well, although he gives no specific
evidence.22 Such is the eclectic style of Saint-Saëns.
His piano music perhaps best demonstrates the duality of his style and his
eclecticism as a composer. His solo piano repertory can be divided into two
categories, as Isidore Philipp has mentioned: traditional forms (variations, études,
dance forms, etc.), and character pieces, or intentions pittoresque (Rhapsodie
d’Auvergne, the Chanson napolitaine, and the like).23 These divisions are
not arbitrary; rather, they imply certain style characteristics. The Six études pour
le piano, op. 52 (1877), contain two preludes and fugues (F minor and A major),
the first of which is dedicated to Anton Rubinstein and the second to Nicholas
Rubinstein in the edition published by Dover. While the F minor prelude and
fugue may initially invite comparison with the style of pieces found in Bach’s
Well-Tempered Clavier, the listener soon realizes that this is no pseudo-Baroque
composition. The bravura style and subtle harmonic twists of the prelude as well
INTRODUCTION 7
as the character of the animated fugue breathe new life into traditional forms.
Likewise, while the A major prelude rivals Chopin’s E major Étude of the op. 10
collection, the introspective and graceful fugue possesses the refined musical
qualities characteristic of the composer. Although they are traditional forms and
contain traditional elements, these two études are clearly not mere imitations of
another period or style. To demonstrate another side of Saint-Saëns’s
personality, the Allegro appassionato, op. 70, is clearly Lisztian, as is the
Rhapsodie d’Auvergne, op. 73, both composed in 1884. These multi-sectional
works contain extremely virtuoso elements including octave scales at fast tempi,
filigree runs and arpeggios, challenging gestures, and extremes in register.
However, this virtuoso style is common in much of the piano repertory of the time,
and while Saint-Saëns could be accused of catering to the dilettante tastes of the
salon and the general public, these compositions are among his more
contemporary works. So is Les cloches de Las Palmas from the Six études, op.
111, of 1899. In addition to being virtuoso in character, this piece finds a parallel
not in Liszt’s Les cloches de Genève, as one might expect, but more in Les jeux
d’eaux a Villa d’Este, written between 1867 and 1877 and published in 1883.
Just as modern and innovative are the second and fourth piano concerti, where
the composer’s unique approach to the genre is apparent. Writers including Paul
Pollei, Sabina Teller Ratner, and Charles David Lehrer have examined the
virtuoso elements and qualities of these two works. They identify their Lisztian
style characteristics, the use of Baroque toccata and passacaglia forms, and the
distinct bravura style of these pieces.24 Also apparent is Saint-Saëns’s penchant
for multi-sectional single movement forms. Not content completely to follow the
classical formal designs, he often divides a movement into several subsections
which do not always correspond to the traditional formal structures of the
concerto. For example, the first movement of the second piano concerto consists
of no fewer than five subsections denoted by change in tempo, while the first
movement of the fourth concerto (according to the Durand edition) is in two
sections, and the second movement is in three distinct sections.25
The Cello Concerto no. 1 in A minor (1872) contains one of the most
fascinating formal designs in all of Saint-Saëns’s oeuvre. It is actually in one
large movement; the composer creates a sonata form with two additional forms
tucked inside. The concerto opens with the exposition which, in addition to a
primary and secondary theme, also contains a new theme in F major prior to the
development. The brief development section is followed not by the recapitulation
as expected, but rather by a charming and elegant minuet, itself in an ABA′
form. Seamlessly, the minuet dissolves into the recapitulation of the primary
theme. This leads into another section marked “un peu moins vite,” where a
passionate melody in A minor is introduced with a contrasting section in F major
(unrelated, however, to the F major of the exposition). This section builds to a
rousing coda which reintroduces material from the beginning of the concerto.
Here Saint-Saëns adroitly re-creates a large-scale sonata form with thematic
unity.
Formal innovation is not the only interesting aspect of Saint-Saëns’s music.

The violin sonata, op. 102 of 1896, and the second piano trio in E minor, op. 92
of 1892, contain some colorful harmonic language and key relationships as well
as other unique, creative elements. In this sonata Saint-Saëns uses Greek poetic
meter to govern the accents of the second theme of the first movement. He told
his publisher Durand the work was “not a concert sonata as the first one [violin
sonata, op. 75], it is definitely a chamber sonata, very serious. It will be
understood only on the eighth hearing.”26 In another letter to Durand, Saint-
Saëns explains more fully the mysteries of the sonata’s rhythm and indicates the
long and short durations with respect to poetic meter.27 This work also contains
some interesting harmonic relationships. The second movement, Scherzo, is in
the key of E-flat major, with the Trio section in the closely related key of A-flat
major. The Scherzo returns in E-flat major to conclude the movement. However,
the third movement, Andante, is in the key of B major, or the raised dominant of
the previous movement. This Andante is a delicate arabesque with dreamlike
qualities emphasized by the occasional use of whole-tone scales. After a
contrasting Allegretto scherzando section, the primary theme returns, first in the
key of D major before resuming the original B major.
The second piano trio, op. 92 from 1892, is also an unqualified masterpiece.
From the beginning, its five movement formal design is unique in Saint-Saëns’s
oeuvre, with only the op. 16 cello suite and Le carnaval des animaux being the
other chamber works with more than four movements.28 It would almost seem as
though the number five held some significance for the composer, for not only is
the trio in five movements, but the second movement is in five-eight and five-
four meter throughout. The use of less traditional meters is unusual for Saint-
Saëns, but not unique. For example, the “Carillon” from the op. 72 Album pour
piano is in seven-four, and in the ballet music Javotte the composer also employs
five-four. Harmonically, this trio presents some colorful twists. The key
relationship between the second movement in E major, and the third movement,
Andante con moto in A-flat major, is striking. Saint-Saëns’s internal modulations
are rather traditional, consisting primarily of third and dominant relationships,
modal interchange (E major to E minor), and other closely related keys. Within
the Andante, Saint-Saëns travels from A-flat major and F minor to F-sharp minor
(with help of the common tone A-flat/G-sharp), and then back to A-flat major at
the conclusion. The composer shifts from A-flat of the third movement to G
major of the fourth movement by giving the cello and violin octave E-flats (flat
VI in G major) which act as the dominant of A-flat. They move from the E-flat
down a half-step to a D, which in effect becomes the dominant of the key of the
new movement, G major. Saint-Saëns’s friend Charles Lecocq described this
“delicious” movement as an “intruder” (no doubt due to the slightly abrupt
transition), but, he continued, it is “so pleasing” that it cannot be dismissed.29
Lecocq also commented upon the powerful finale, which combines the qualities
of an intense and unrestrained improvisation, which (by admission) Saint-Saëns
was trying to achieve, with the more academic structure of a fugue.30
INTRODUCTION 9
This finale, like so many other compositions of Saint-Saëns, demonstrates the

ease with which the composer incorporates a diversity of style, texture, and color.
Admittedly eclectic, Saint-Saëns was really not bound by convention and
conservatism; rather, he maintained a healthy respect for tradition “without
which art is like a tree that has no roots,” and it is not possible “to keep a tree
alive by hacking away at its roots.”31 From this analogy it is obvious that Saint-
Saëns viewed music as a natural, living, growing organism; however, he warned
against “straining after originality.” In an address to the students at the French-
American conservatory at Fontainebleau just months before his death in 1921, he
said:
Above all, let the young avoid all straining after originality. Allow your
personal contribution to music to express itself naturally. By eagerly
desiring to be original, the result is very likely to be a blend of folly and
bizarrerie…. At this very moment the entire world of music is suffering
from a like disease: a craving for novelty at any cost.32
It was this conservatory, emerging after World War I, which trained so many
gifted American composers and instrumentalists and with which Nadia
Boulanger was associated. While there was documented animosity between her
and Saint-Saëns, they nevertheless shared this unique aesthetic.33 “Although
Nadia never claimed that order alone made a work of art great, she told Strachan
that, in great works, order is supreme.”34 Boulanger also believed that
throughout music history it was form that changed the least.
During his long and illustrious life, Saint-Saëns found formal design to be of
primary importance in art: “To me art is form above all else.”35 This quote may
have served as his motto, for he did not agree with those who believed that art
was only “expression and passion.” While music “lends itself wonderfully well
to expression, and that is what the amateur would expect,” Saint-Saëns felt that “it
is quite different for the artist.” The composer responds to a higher calling and
cannot merely be satisfied with the emotional and passionate effects of art. “The
artist who does not feel thoroughly satisfied with elegant lines, harmonious
colors, or a fine series of chords does not understand art. When beautiful forms
accompany powerful expression, we are filled with admiration, and rightly so.”36
It was this insistence upon the importance of musical form that lead Charles
Koechlin to view Saint-Saëns as a “sort of precursor” to Stravinsky. Koechlin
indicates, “Pour Strawinski la musique ne saurait rien exprimer. Et voici: nous
avons la surprise assez joyeuse de voir en feu Camille Saint-Saëns une sorte de
précurseur de l’actuel Strawinski, dans sa recherche de la perfection abstraite de
la Form.”37 Undoubtedly Saint-Saëns played a very important role in the French
classical renaissance during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He
has been credited as being the first major French composer to “utilize the dance
idioms of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.”38 However, this is not
surprising given Saint-Saëns’s more than passing interest in the music of Bach,
Handel, Rameau, Lully, Gluck, and Mozart, not to mention his intense
commitment to musical form. Specific examples of this are found in his Suite
pour orchestre (1877), the Septet for trumpet, strings and piano (1882),
Sarabande et rigaudon (1892), the “Bourée” and “Gigue” from the Six études,
op. 135 (1912), as well as the many preludes and fugues, including those from
the Six études, op. 52 and op. 111 (1877 and 1899) and the organ preludes and
fugues, opp. 99 and 109 (1894 and 1898), among other works. Saint-Saëns used
classical models throughout his career without being self-conscious, much like
Manet’s Olympia (1863) is related to Titian’s Venus of Urbino, or as Renoir’s
Bathers (1884–87) cannot avoid being compared to classical representations of
the three Graces. These earlier forms and genres were merely expressive means
for Saint-Saëns’s creativity. However, his interest in the French classical
tradition, which began during his association with the Société Nationale after the
Franco-Prussian War, sparked other French composers to investigate not only
their national musical heritage but also to stretch the limits of their contemporary
musical world.
In this aspect Saint-Saëns affected, to varying degrees, the music of both his
contemporaries and of succeeding generations of French composers, not only
Ravel but also Ernest Chausson, Albert Roussel, Claude Debussy, Francis
Poulenc, and the Swiss composer Arthur Honegger, among others. Perhaps it
was Maurice Ravel who understood and appreciated Saint-Saëns’s aesthetic and
style the best. Hélène Jourdan-Morhange indicated that “Ravel always defended
Saint-Saëns’ music against his detractors.” She has quoted Ravel as saying that
Saint-Saëns’s music is “finely put together, which is not negligible. Nothing is
better written than his piano concertos and young composers will always have a
lot to learn from his orchestration…. He composes within an architectural
order.”39 Alfred Casella remembered Ravel’s “inclination to start from some
musical model—to place himself in front of a Mozart sonata or a Saint-Saëns
concerto as a painter in front of a landscape or a sitter.”40 Ravel’s praise of
Phaëton and La jeunesse d’Hercule is also documented, as is the influence of
Saint-Saëns’s music upon his own Piano Trio in A major (1914), Le Tombeau de
Couperin (1917), and the G major piano concerto (1931).41
Saint-Saëns’s Septet, op. 65, with its classically styled movements of “Prelude,”
“Menuet,” “Intermède,” “Gavotte,” and “Final,” may have been the stimulus for
Chausson’s Concert en ré (1891) and Roussel’s Suite pour piano (1910), which
also contain Baroque dance movements, according to Scott Messing.42 But there
are more striking similarities between the “Menuet” of Debussy’s Petite suite
(1888–89) and Saint-Saëns’s “Menuet” from the Menuet et valse, op. 56 (1878)
which betray the younger composer’s familiarity with his senior’s music
composed just ten years before. This homage to the past was not an isolated
instance for Debussy. His Suite bergamasque (1890–1905), with its “Prelude,”
“Menuet,” and “Passepied,” and the suite Pour le piano (1894–1901) with its
“Prelude,” “Sarabande ,” and “Toccata,” also attest to his interest in earlier forms
and styles. Both Debussy and Ravel also composed works in homage to Joseph
INTRODUCTION 11
Haydn, a composer admired by Saint-Saëns, and one whose works he often

played.43 Like Saint-Saëns, Debussy had a fondness for the music of Rameau,
and despite their mutual animosity, in addition to Saint-Saëns’s position as
general editor of the Rameau Complete Works, Debussy was given the job of
editing Rameau’s opera Les fêtes de Polymnie.
Later composers to be touched by the musical aesthetic and style of Saint-
Saëns include Francis Poulenc (1899–1963) and Arthur Honegger (1892–1955).
The Swiss composer Honegger echoed Saint-Saëns’s devotion to musical form,
when he stated that “I attach great importance to musical architecture.”44
Whereas Honegger had his own ideas about musical form which may not have
always been in agreement with Saint-Saëns, he nevertheless believed form to be
of primary importance in composition. His Cello Concerto of 1929, with its large
multi-sectional one-movement design, is formally and stylistically similar to
Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto no. l.45 However, the Frenchman Francis Poulenc
admitted to the direct influence of Saint-Saëns upon his Trio for Oboe, Bassoon,
and Piano from 1926. He stated:
For those who accuse me of being careless with form, I will not hesitate to
divulge my secrets: the first movement is based on the structure of a Haydn
allegro, and the Rondo finale derives from the scherzo movement of Saint-
Saëns’ second concerto for piano and orchestra. Ravel always counseled me
to use this method which he often followed himself.46
In this quote not only does Poulenc support the fact that Ravel used this same
“method” in his compositional process already mentioned by Alfred Casella
above, but that Poulenc found Saint-Saëns’s formal designs to be conducive to
his own compositions as well. Poulenc also indicates by this quote that in
general the formal organization of a composition was important to him too.
Poulenc’s musical structures, according to Keith Daniel, are “quite conservative,
reflecting the neoclassical tendency to hark back to the conventions of the early
eighteenth century.” Daniel also notes that the more popular instrumental forms
for Poulenc are rondos and ternary (ABA′) forms.47 The latter is common to
Baroque dance forms as well as Romantic songs. Poulenc’s melodic lyricism is
also a characteristic of Saint-Saëns’s musical style. Therefore, despite the obvious
differences in the general styles of Poulenc and Saint-Saëns, there are
nevertheless characteristics which they hold in common.
Saint-Saëns and Igor Stravinsky represent two stylistically diverse trends in
twentieth-century music; but one element which forms a link between them is
their mutual interest in classicism. Like so many others, Stravinsky also
composed many works in the neoclassical style during the early to mid-twentieth
century. Not only are compositions such as Oedipus Rex, Apollon Musagète, and
Perséphone characteristic of this sty le in various way s, but they also take as
their subjects stories and elements from classical antiquity. Throughout his long
career Saint-Saëns also demonstrated his penchant for classical subjects. This is
found as early as the 1850s with his music for Antigone, and in the 1860s with
his duet Scène d’Horace and the “Spartacus” Overture. This fondness for
subjects modeled from classical antiquity continued through the nineteenth
century and into the twentieth century, beginning with his symphonic poems Le
rouet d’Omphale (1872), Phaéton (1873), and La jeunesse d’Hercule (1877), and
his operas, including Proserpine (1887), Phryné (1893), Hélène (1903), and
Déjanire (1892/1911). Several other works throughout his career also attest to
his interest in antiquity.
Saint-Saëns’s eclectic style, encompassing the Romantic avant-garde of Liszt
and Wagner, the refined and elegant styles of the Baroque and Classical periods,
and the exotic spices of non-Western musical cultures, spoke to audiences and
musicians during his lifetime and continues to move us in the present day. His
fondness for clarity, the importance of formal organization, and his desire to create
well-crafted music are elements that continue to be of great importance to many
composers of the present day, even though they speak a different language. Saint-
Saëns’s contribution to music history cannot be minimized. His audience
continues to grow, as witnessed by the increasing amount of serious inquiry into
his music and life, as well as the growing catalog of recent high-quality
recordings which show that Saint-Saëns remains a popular and important
composer.
THE PRESENT STATE OF SAINT-SAËNS RESEARCH

During the composer’s life there were several substantial biographical studies
available. Some of these date from the nineteenth century, such as Camille
Bellaigue’s M.Camille Saint-Saëns (1889), and Georges Servières’s Musique
française moderne (1897) [#47] with its lengthy chapter on the composer. There
are several from the early twentieth century as well, including Émile Baumann’s
Les grandes formes de la musique: L’oeuvre de Camille Saint-Saëns (1905)
[#53], Jean Bonnerot’s Camille Saint-Saëns: Sa vie et son oeuvre (1914) [#55],
and Jean Montargis’s Camille Saint-Saëns: L’oeuvre, l’artiste (1919) [#74]. The
composer’s death in 1921 inspired several posthumous monographs, including
Bonnerot’s Saint-Saëns, 1835–1921: Sa vie et son oeuvre (1922), and an early
English-language monograph by Watson Lyle, Camille Saint-Saëns, His Life and
his Art (1923) [#129]. Immediately following the composer’s death there were
also numerous articles, studies, and special issues of journals which celebrated
his life and work. Notable among these is the 1922 issue of Le guide du concert
[#63], which contains 29 articles on the composer and his music.
During his lifetime Saint-Saëns and his music were frequently the topic of
articles in the French press and occasionally throughout Europe. There exist
studies of specific works, including Edmond Hippeau’s series of articles on
Henry VIII [#204], which was published as a separate monograph in 1883.
Writings of this type are primarily examinations of the dramatic music and
include two works by Étienne Destranges, Étude sur “Samson et Dalila” (1893)
INTRODUCTION 13
[#197], and Un partition méconnue: “Proserpine” de Camille Saint-Saëns (1895)

[#198]; Jules Combarieu’s article “Musique contemporaine: Les Barbares,
tragédie lyrique en trois actes et un prologue…” (1901) [#189 and #190]; and
Jean Chantovoine’s monograph L’oeuvre dramatique de Camille Saint-Saëns
(1921) [#186]. Immediately following the composer’s death, studies of Saint-
Saëns’s music, such as Collet’s “Samson et Dalila” de Camille Saint-Saëns
(1922) [#188], continued to appear, though less frequently.
After his death it seems as if Saint-Saëns became a peripheral figure in music
history. From the 1930s through the 1960s only sporadic studies appeared, and
more often any discussion of the composer and his music was relegated to
chapters dedicated to nineteenth-century French music. In the case of René
Dumesnil’s La musique en France entre les deux guerres (1946) [#14 and #15],
Saint-Saëns is only mentioned in passing and his final years are dismissed as
being relatively unimportant. In Coeuroy’s monograph La musique française
moderne (1922), [#6] the composer receives no mention while Fauré, d’Indy, and
other contemporaries do. Writing one year after Saint-Saëns’s death, it is obvious
that the author did not view him as “modern.” On occasion Saint-Saëns was
included in monographs, such as Donald Brook’s Five Great French Composers
(1946) [#5] and Pierre Lalo’s De Rameau a Ravel (1947) [#33]. He was also the
subject of articles in the periodic press, including those by fellow composer
Charles Koechlin [#124], and Léon Vallas’s examination of letters between the
composer and Vincent d’Indy [#276]. There appeared other studies of Saint-
Saëns’s letters by Jean Bonnerot [#262] and Adolphe Boschot [#263] in the
1950s.
In 1965, on the one hundred thirtieth anniversary of the birth of the composer,
James Harding wrote the second major, and first modern English language
biography on Saint-Saëns and “his circle” [#122]. However, according to
Michael Stegemann [#251], it is not without error. Despite its shortcomings, this
monograph arguably may have helped ignite a Saint-Saëns revival in America,
which was more fully realized in the 1970s with a series of very fine
dissertations. These studies provide much insight into the piano works [#237],
the symphonies and symphonic poems [#223], the piano concerti [#247], the
chamber music [#243], and the organ music [#240]. In addition to these
noteworthy examples of critical and historical inquiry there were other valuable
contributions to Saint-Saëns research during this time in the U.S. and Europe.
Beginning in 1971, they include Marcel Nussy Saint-Saëns’s address on the
composer and the Béziers festival [#211]; Daniel Paquette’s 1972 re-examination
of Saint-Saëns’s place in the late twentieth century [#131]; Michael Stegemann’s
article on Saint-Saëns and Germany in 1978 [#146]; and a series of articles on
Samson et Dalila in L’avant-scène opéra of the same year [#182, #183, #199,
and #201].
The succeeding decades of the 1980s and 1990s were just as productive.
Scholars of the highest quality have contributed specialized articles on the
operas, symphonies, concerti, and keyboard music. Important recent monographs
have broken ground on Saint-Saëns’s concerti [#251], brought previous

unpublished letters before the public [#275 and #272], and given all those
interested in Saint-Saëns and his period two English-language biographies. The
last twenty years have happily seen a steady increase in scholarly inquiry into the
music, career, and person of Camille Saint-Saëns, and on the eve of the twenty-
first century that research came to a climax with two English-language
biographies by Stephen Studd [#152] and Brian Rees [#139]. In March 2000 the
eminent French scholar Yves Gérard shared with the present writer some recent
exciting developments in Saint-Saëns research. He and Sabina Ratner are busily
at work on a complete thematic index of the music of Saint-Saëns. The first
volume, dedicated to orchestral and instrumental music and edited by Dr. Ratner,
has been published by Oxford University Press. The second volume which will
contain the operatic and dramatic music, and the third containing the melodies,
religious works, and cantatas are both forthcoming. Another much awaited and
welcomed addition to Saint-Saëns scholarship, which M.Gérard mentioned, will
be the first catalog of approximately 500 letters and notes addressed to the Saint-
Saëns from other famous composers. In addition to this, he is also writing a major
French-language biography of the composer to be published by Fayard. At the
present time there are many important and inspiring new sources on the horizon
which will contribute greatly to Saint-Saëns research.
In addition to these invaluable scholarly contributions, there has been new
interest in recording Saint-Saëns’s music in the last decade. The 1990s witnessed
a dramatic increase in the variety of compositions by Saint-Saëns which were
recorded. These include the Six études, opp. 111 and 135 for left hand; the
Mélodies persanes, op. 26; dozens of songs without opus numbers; preludes and
fugues for organ, opp. 99 and 109; the ballet music to Javotte; and the earlier
symphonies. All of these are welcomed additions to the body of works so often
recorded. In light of the advancements in Saint-Saëns research, there is still more
to be done. It would be most valuable to have a comprehensive study of the
operas and dramatic music of Saint-Saëns. Like Steven Huebner’s monograph on
Gounod’s operas, such a study should examine the libretti, sources, manuscripts,
and compositional history of each work. While dissertations have been written
on the piano concerti of Saint-Saëns, it would be valuable to have an in-depth
study on the violin concerti, and the other concerted works as well. There is
currently no research on the composer’s solo songs, of which there are many.
According to the preliminary work done on this repertory by Frits Noske [#255]
and Kathleen Randles [#257], not to mention the resurgence in recording so
many of them in the recent decades, they are certainly worthy of further
investigation. Likewise, the composer’s sacred choral music is ripe for study, as
are Saint-Saëns’s views on religious music. Despite the emergence of two very
recent biographies, there is always more to be done in this area, and Yves Gérard’s
forthcoming monograph will be most welcomed, as will be his organization of the
Saint-Saëns’s letters in Dieppe. Currently the present author is examining the
correspondence of Saint-Saëns housed in the music library at Northwestern
INTRODUCTION 15
University. This collection contains over 200 items and offers insights into Saint-
Saëns’s views on other composers and their works, performers, religious music,
and the like, while simultaneously confirming his locations while traveling
during the last decades of his life.
The life and music of Saint-Saëns are at once simple and complex. His life
was long and productive, spanning a period of history which witnessed great
artistic and social change throughout the world. He saw railroads and steamships
replaced by automobiles and great ocean liners. He learned to read by
candlelight, and by the end of his life electricity was taken for granted by much
of Western civilization. In the musical world of his youth he knew such diverse
composers as Berlioz, Rossini, Gounod, Bizet, Wagner, and Liszt. And while he
championed the avant-garde of the latter, he could not bring himself to accept the
new avant-garde of Debussy, Strauss, and Stravinsky. The great strides in
scholarly activity which have shed new light on the career and music of Saint-
Saëns have led the way to further inquiry and have set high standards which will
challenge all of us who follow.
Notes
1. #152, p. 11.
2. #139, p. 60–61
3. #47, p. 287–88.
4. Ibid., p. 288–89,
5. For a detailed description see #222 p. 309–25.
6. #47, p. 289–90,
7. #152, p. 49.
8. Ibid., p. 59.
9. Ibid., p. 61–62
10. Ibid., p. 59–61
11. #235, p. 40.
12. Ibid., p. 40–41
13. #152, p. 68.
14. #47, p. 301.
15. #286 p. 123–24.
16. For more detailed information on the relationship between Liszt and Saint-Saëns
see also #269 and #143.
17. Edward N.Waters, ed., trans. by William Tyler, The Letters of Franz Liszt to Olga
von Meyendorff 1871–1886, p. 300.
18. #223, p. 226–27.
19. #47, p. 306–26.
20. For more information on this see #147.
21. #156, p. 170–73.
22. #140, p. 368.
23. #235, p. 40.
24. See #248, #237, and #37.
25. In #37, Lehrer arguably identifies the second subsection of the first movement of
concerto no. 4 as a distinct second movement.
26. This letter is quoted in #243. Elizabeth Harkins also gives a fuller description of the
composer’s application of this technique. See p. 34–39.
27. Ibid., p. 35.
28. Ibid., p. 64.
29. #243, p. 63. Harkins quotes at length a letter from Lecocq dated January 9, 1893 in
which he more fully describes his thoughts on this trio.
30. Ibid., p. 57–58.
31. #288, p. 20 and 180.
32. #288, p. 177.
33. In Léonie Rosenstiel’s monograph, Nadia Boulanger: A Life in Music (Norton,
1982), Saint-Saëns’s open animosity toward Boulanger during the Prix de Rome
competition and at other times is well documented.
34. Rosenstiel, ibid., p. 333.
35. #288, p. 4–5.
36. #288, p. 5.
37. #124, p. 30. Given Saint-Saëns’s distaste for the music of Stravinsky this
comparison may be difficult for some; however, Koechlin was not speaking in terms
of musical style. He said, “For Stravinsky, music is not to be used to express
things. And indeed, it is with a certain joyful surprise that we see in the late
[deceased, not later period of] Camille Saint-Saëns a kind of precursor to the
present Stravinsky, in his seeking an abstract perfection of Form.”
38. For more details see Scott Messing’s Neoclassicism in Music from the Genesis of
that Concept through the Schoenberg/Stravinsky Polemic, 1996.
39. Ravel Remembered, ed. Roger Nichols, p. 103.
40. Ibid., p. 105–6.
41. Messing, op. cit., p. 182; Maurice Ravel by Roland-Manuel, p. 81; and Music of the
Twentieth Century: Style and Structure by Bryan Simms, p. 203.
42. Messing, op. cit., p. 31.
43. See Debussy’s Hommage a Haydn (1910) in the tempo of a “slow waltz” and
Ravel’s Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn (1909).
44. This quote originally from Paul Landormy’s “Arthur Honegger” in Musical Times,
Sept. 1929, p. 789, is reproduced in Geoffrey Spatt’s The Music of Arthur Honegger,
1987, p. 265.
45. Spatt, op. cit., p. 192. The author also offers a detailed diagram of the concerto.
46. Quoted in Keith Daniel’s Francis Poulenc: His Artistic Development and Musical
Style, 1980, p. 111.
47. Ibid., p. 58.
1
Selected General Sources
1. 150 ans de musique française: 1789–1939. Lyon, 1991. (Actes Sud Biennale de la
Musique Française.) 222 p. ML 270.1.A15.This is a collection of essays resulting
from a conference held in Lyon to explore and analyze French contributions to music
from the Revolution up to the decades following World War I. While essays are
written by French, British, American, and German scholars, they appear only in
French. The colloquium was originally organized into four sections: Le temps des
revolutions; La renaissance de l’école française; Autour de 1900; and Aspects du
XXe siècle. From these categories the following articles emerged: “Aux sources de
XIXe siècle,” “Grétry et l’opéra-comique,” “A la redécouverte de l’opéra de D.F.E.
Auber,” “Boëly, Onslow, Alkan et la musique instrumentale française du Premier au
Second Empire,” “Berlioz retrouvé,” “Gounod, Bizet et quelques autres,” “L’oeuvre
de Saint-Saëns, éclats et ombres de la célébrité,” “Franck et l’école franckiste,”
“L’orgue symphonique,” “Chabrier,” “Rodrigue et Chimène, et le patrimoine musical
français des années 1890 a 1920,” “La musique française au début du XXe siècle,”
“Notes sur les spectacles musicaux aux arènes de Béziers, 1890–1910,” “La mélodie
avec accompagnement d’orchestre en France,” “Compositeurs de l’entre-deux-
guerres,” “Souvenirs et reflexions sur la mélodie française avec instruments,” “Opéra
bouffe et opérette,” and “Le patrimoine discographique.”
2. Bailbé, Joseph-Marc. “Le sacré dans l’art lyrique (autour de l’opéra français du XIXe
siècle). In Littérature et opéra, ed. Philippe Berthier and Kurt Ringger, pp. 117–27.
Grenoble: Presses Universitaires de Grenoble, 1987. ISBN 2706102772. ML
1700.The author identifies three main points which he uses to evaluate operas
composed on a sacred subject: the choice of subject and its originality; the nature of
the society and the public during that time in history; and the positive or negative
conceptions of the composer and librettist. Bailbé proceeds briefly to examine various
operas including Méhul’s Joseph, Rossini’s Moïse, and Meyerbeer’s Robert le diable
and Les huguenots. At the conclusion of the article he turns his attentions to
Berlioz’s Damnation de Faust and Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila. Remarking that
from Méhul to Saint-Saëns the “distance is great” and that “the reflection on opera
and its problems progressed a great deal,” the author recounts Saint-Saëns’s struggle
to move from oratorio to opera, and says that in Samson he actually mixes the two
genres somewhat with varying degrees of success.
3. Barzun, Jacques. Berlioz and the Romantic Century. New York: Columbia University
Press, 1969. 2 v. 458 p. ISBN 23103135. ML 410.B5B2.Arguably the first modern,
ground-breaking study on Berlioz and his period of activity, this important

contribution to nineteenth-century studies proceeds chronologically through the
composer’s career but with the twist of grouping discussions of works and biography
by a type of national association. For instance, the first section, labeled “France,”
addresses his early biography, and the Symphonie fantastique; the second section,
“Italy,” includes a discussion of Harold in Italy, and Benvenuto Cellini; the third
section, “Germany,” investigates the form and philosophy of The Damnation of
Faust; and a final grouping, in volume 2, entitled “England, Germany and Russia,”
examines The Enfant Christ and The Trojans, among other things. Between these
larger divisions, the author includes what he labels “inter chapters” which consist of
valuable discussions pertaining to program music, the Romantic century, and Berlioz’s
memoirs. Supplements in volume 2 include examinations of the then present state of
Berlioz research, problems in Boschot’s biography of the composer, and Berlioz’s
“after fame.” In addition to the standard bibliography and index of names and
subjects, the author includes a listing of Berlioz’s domiciles, and addresses errors in
the complete edition of his scores.
4. Brody, Elaine. Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope 1870–1925. New York: George
Braziller, 1987. 359 p. ISBN 080761176X. ML 270.8 P2 B93.This is a collection of
essays ranging in topic from the death of Berlioz and the birth of the Société
Nationale, through Stravinsky and the Russians in Paris. The author offers a wide
variety of essays. There is one on popular culture, “Café-Concerts, Cabarets, and
Music Hall,” one on “Art and Music,” featuring discussions of Fantin-Latour,
Manet, and Picasso, while others address the Wagner craze in France, and the
invasion of Orientalism. There is also a chapter entitled “Music and Literature”
which examines Baudelaire on Wagner, and references Saint-Saëns and Fauré, Lalo,
and Chabrier. The discussion ranges from Massenet to Poulenc and includes
Symbolist poets, along with André Gide and Proust. The final chapter is entitled
“Masterpieces of French Music 1870–1925 “and is an annotated list of composers
and their representative works. Although not musically sophisticated, this is a
monograph which would be of interest to the musician and amateur alike.
5. Brook, Donald. Five Great French Composers. London: Rockliff, 1946. 216 p. ML780.
9 B871F.This book is a basic introduction to the music and biographies of Berlioz,
César Franck, Debussy, Ravel, and Saint-Saëns. By the author’s own admission the
purpose of the book is to “provide a set of compact biographies of the five greatest
figures in French music.” He blames the brevity on the shortage of paper following
the war. Nevertheless, the chapter on Saint-Saëns depends upon previous monographs
including the Musical Memories, Harmonie et Mélodies, and earlier biographic
accounts. After a discussion of the composer’s career and biography the author
examines various compositions. These are Samson et Dalila, Le timbre d’argent,
Étienne Marcel, Henri VII, Proserpine, Ascanio, Phryné, Les barbares, Hélène,
L’ancêtre, Le rouet d’Omphale, Phaëton, Danse macabre, La jeunesse d’Hercule,
the Symphony in C minor, the piano concertos 2, 4, and 5, the Violin Concerto no. 3,
and the Cello Concerto in A minor. These analyses are superficial. The discussions
of the operas really are nothing more than the retelling of the plot, the symphonic
poems are examined no further than their stories, and the discussions of the
instrumental music are confined only to general statements without any real analysis.
6. Coeuroy, A. La musique française moderne. Paris: Delagrave, 1922. 154 p. ML
390.C67.This monograph is divided into sections according to composer. They
SELECTED GENERAL SOURCES 19
include Fauré, Ravel, Dukas, Florent Schmitt, Albert Roussel, d’Indy, Duparc, Guy
Ropartz, Paul Le Flem, Paul Dupin, Henri Rabaud, Honegger, Milhaud, and Satie. In
a book written a year after his death, Saint-Saëns receives no mention; however, it is
strange that composers who are totally forgotten today are given prominence. It
shows that by the time of his death Saint-Saëns was not viewed as “modern.”
7. Cohen, H.Robert, ed. Les gravures musicale dans “L’Illustration” 1843– 1899.
Quebec: Presses de l’Université Laval, 1982.1162 p. ISBN 276376833 4. ML 270.
4.G7.The first two volumes of this three-volume set contain engravings pertaining to
a wide variety of musical subjects (composers, mise en scène, instruments, costumes,
theaters, etc.) found in the journal L’Illustration. The third volume is the index of the
first two, arranged alphabetically, with a detailed subdivision of these general
entries. For example, of the several entries for Saint-Saëns, there are two portraits,
and mise en scène for many of his stage works including Étienne Marcel, Henry
VIII, Samson, and Timbre d’argent. For Déjanire there is an engraving of the décors,
the opera house where it played, and a mise en scène. The introductory notes which
explain the organization and arrangement of the three volumes are in both French
and English.
8. Cooper, Jeffrey Hawley. “A Renaissance in the Nineteenth Century: The Rise of
French Instrumental Music and Parisian Concert Societies, 1828–1871.” Ph.D.
dissertation, Cornell University, 1981. 566 p. ML 270.4.See #9 below for a
discussion of his monograph on the same subject, a revised version of this
dissertation.
9. Cooper, Jeffrey Hawley. The Rise of Instrumental Music and Concert Series in Paris,
1828–1871. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1983. 387 p. ISBN 0835714039. ML
497.8 PCC6.This is a revised version of the dissertation mentioned above (#8). The
most notable alterations include changes in arrangement of material, and how
various chapters have been reorganized to reflect a chronological approach to the
subject. The author indicates that this monograph is only a survey because of the
large period of time it spans, and the amount of music-making it covers. This book
addresses musical life in Paris, the concert series, the halls, the seasons, and the
various performing societies. In addition, Cooper discusses the specific repertory,
and includes chapters on instrumental music in general during the period. Details
regarding Parisian concert series and provincial concerts comprise the two
appendices. It is a very welcome addition to the study of nineteenth-century French
instrumental music during a century dominated by opera.
10. Cooper, Martin. French Music from the Death of Berlioz to the Death of Fauré.
Revised edition. London: Oxford University Press, 1969. 239 p. ISBN 0193162024.
ML 270.4.C7.The early chapters document the interconnectedness of Gounod,
Franck, and Saint-Saëns, and place them in relationship to other popular (if lesser-
known) composers of the time. This monograph also attests to their importance as
musical luminaries during the twilight of the Romantic period, and points to their
many contributions and influence upon succeeding generations of French composers.
Concentrating a great deal upon Fauré and Debussy, with excursions into the music
of Ravel, Satie, Les Six, and Roussel, this book chronicles the great variety of French
composers and movements, including the Schola Cantorum of Charles Bordes. A
“Table of Events” is found at the conclusion of the study with important dates for
births, deaths, musical events, and landmarks in the sister arts of literature and
painting.
11. Dandelot, Arthur. La Société des Concerts du Conservatoire de 1828 a 1897: Les
grands concerts symphoniques de Paris. Paris: G.Havard fils, 1898.221 p. ML 270.
8.P2.D18.This valuable work is divided into three main sections: concerts prior to
1828, including the foundation of the Société des Concerts, along with biography of
Habeneck; a second section on the predecessors of Habeneck including Girard,
Tilmant, Hainl, Deldevez, Garcin, and Taffanel; and the third section which
mentions symphonic concerts from 1828 up to 1897. For the pre-1828 concerts
Dandelot organizes the material chronologically, and indicates what was played in
each concert up to 1828. He also offers the articles of organization for the Société
des Concerts. In the second and third chapters he continues his chronological
arrangement of concerts, and offers biographical information on the successors of
Habeneck, as well as the committee members of the society, photographs of these
men, and the various concert halls where the society performed. Important
appendices include the names and roles of the committee members, and the names of
the orchestra and chorus members. There is also an index of names cited throughout
the work at the conclusion.
12. De Van, Gilles. “Fin de Siècle Exoticism and the Meaning of the Far Away.” Trans.
William Ashbrook. Opera Quarterly 11 (1995): 77–94.This article was presented at
the Second International Congress, Letteratura, musica e teatro al tempo di Ruggero
Leoncavallo in 1993. The author identifies and defines what creates “exoticism” in
nineteenth-century opera, and explores the “function of exoticism on the lyric stage
by drawing evidence chiefly from opera librettos written between 1860 and 1920.” He
discusses the public’s demand for visual verisimilitude, and how the more
metaphoric texts would often lead to various clichés. Themes of sexual tensions and
escapism are also addressed. The problems of exoticism are threefold: it requires a
strong emphasis on spectacle, the moving of the action to a distant period or place,
and the wish on the part of the composer to “move their audiences by subjects which
involve the public and its sentimental views.” De Van also mentions three phenomena
which raised critical questions concerning historical realism and exoticism in opera at
the end of the nineteenth century; namely, Wagner’s attacks against historical
subjects, the rise of the Symbolist, and the Naturalist movement. The author
mentions several works of Saint-Saëns, including La princesse jaune, Samson et
Dalila, Henry VIII, Déjanire, Étienne Marcel, and Les barbares. In closing, De Van
indicates that “exoticism cannot be assimilated into one simple, self-contained
category.”
13. Dietrich, Charles. “Les operas parfumés: Aspects of Orientalism in Nineteenth-
Century French Opera.” Theatre Research International 22 (1997): 111–19.The
author examines the “Oriental” elements of eight French operas: Les Troyens
(Berlioz), Les pêcheurs de perles (Bizet), L’Africaine (Meyerbeer), Carmen (Bizet),
Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns), Lakmé (Delibes), Esclarmonde and Thaïs (both by
Massenet). His examination of these works is unfortunately superficial and he relies
upon the writings of Edward Said and Elaine Brody. Interestingly some of his ideas
may remind the reader of Ralph Locke’s writing on the Oriental “other” in opera
(1991), although Dietrich does not mention this work. He discusses the Oriental
associations of time and place of the opera, the libretti (briefly), and the role of
woman as a symbol of the Orient and sexual freedom. His discussion of the music is
very limited and misleading. He fails to notice and identify the actual Eastern rhythms
and melodic fragments found in Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila which have been
well documented by Myriam Ladjili (#32) mentioned below.
14. Dumesnil, René. La musique en France entres les deux guerres 1919–1939. Paris:
Éditions du Milieu du Monde, 1946. 304 p. ML 270.5.D83.This monograph
concentrates upon the music of composers such as Ravel, Stravinsky, Les Six, and
other prominent composers of the period between the world wars. Chapters are also
devoted to the general musical life, and the schools of Wagner and Franck. Saint-
Saëns is relegated to only four pages scattered throughout the monograph, and his
death is not even mentioned in the concluding chronological table. The author dwells
upon the more avantgarde styles of the early twentieth century and dismisses the final
years of Saint-Saëns’s life as being relatively unimportant. The author’s account of
the “new generation,” including Les Six, Georges Auric, and female composers such
as Marguerite Canal and Jeanne Leleu, is quite helpful, although he basically ignores
Lili and Nadia Boulanger. While this monograph is an uneven account of music
during the period in question, it nevertheless remains a useful contribution.
15. Dumesnil, René. La musique contemporaine en France. 2 v. Paris: A.Colin, 1949.
205, 216 p. ML 270.5.D619. The first volume of this study is devoted entirely to the
Renouveau symphonique, which includes not only symphonic music per se, but
discussions of organ music and the renewal of sacred music; foreign influences on
French music, especially Wagner, exoticism, and jazz; the Impressionist, Realist, and
Neoclassical movements; and the contributions of the Schola Cantorum. The second
volume completes the survey of the symphonic renewal, then is given over to a
discussion of dramatic music from Carmen to Mélisande, and Ariane et Barbe-Bleue
to Penelope. Dumesnil includes in this volume a series of brief biographies and
contributions of early twentieth-century composers including Ravel, Roussel,
Milhaud, Auric, Poulenc, Ibert, and others. Saint-Saëns is discussed in the first
volume in regard to the Société Nationale and his symphonic works as well as his
contribution to sacred music. In the second volume Dumesnil mentions Saint-Saëns’s
operatic oeuvre (along with Massenet’s) as being traditional, and believes that some
of his greatest strengths are also some of his greatest weaknesses.
16. Eigeldinger, Jean-Jacques, et al. La musique en France a l’époque romantique (1830–
1870). Paris: Flammarion, 1991. 348 p. ISBN 208066305. ML 270.4.M87.This
collection of essays examines the most important elements and trends in French
music during the nineteenth century. Nicole Wilde offers a chapter on spectacle in
grand opera, Malou Haine writes on instrument makers during this time, and Paul
Gerbod contributes an essay on the orphéonistes. There are articles on the piano and
its literature during this time along with a discussion of famous pianists (Anne
Rousselin-Lacombe), an investigation of chamber music societies and their repertoire
(Joël-Marie Fauquet), and an offering on violin technique, methods, and repertory
(Anne Penesco). The important role of the periodic press is addressed and examined
in two articles, one by H. Robert Cohen and another by Joseph-Marc Bailbé. All
articles are in French, each with its own valuable bibliography. Two indices follow:
one of names cited throughout the essays, and another of specific compositions
mentioned.
17. Ellis, Katherine. Music Criticism in Nineteenth-Century France: “La Revue et Gazette
Musicale de Paris” 1834–80. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. 301 p.
ISBN 021454433. ML 270.4.E55M8.According to the author herself, “This book is a
history of musical culture in nineteenth-century Paris as revealed by some of its most
prominent music critics.” She continues to say that the study has three interrelated
aspects: “a study of music criticism, a reception history of more regularly performed
composers, and a study of the philosophical ideas which permeated
musical thought.” Pertinent topics which receive treatment are specialty periodicals;
early music (along with performance practices and editions); Austro-German music
and its reception; and various genres of contemporary music (opera, piano music,
chamber and symphonic music, and the music of the future). Berlioz receives a
chapter himself. Helpful appendices include a list of various contributors to the journal,
an identification of pseudonyms, and brief biographies of various people (who
throughout the text appear in bold print). Especially useful is not only the index of
names cited in the text, but particularly the list of works cited and mentioned in
reviews in the text. This monograph is a most welcomed and extremely valuable
contribution to the study of the role and importance of the French periodic press.
18. Fauquet, Joël-Marie. Les sociétés de musique de chambre a Paris de la restauration a
1870. Paris: Aux Amateurs de Livres, 1986. 484 p. ISBN 2905053259. ML
1127.F38.This monograph is a well-documented chronicle of the chamber music
traditions in France prior to the Franco-Prussian War. The author discusses the
various performing organizations, individual players, repertory, and other details of
the chamber music scene. During a time dominated by the operatic stage, the genre
of chamber music in all its diverse forms was growing and flourishing, and this book
capably fills a lacuna to offer a more complete and accurate understanding of French
musical styles, forms, and practices in the nineteenth century. Approximately one-
half of the book consists of appendices which list the members of various performing
groups throughout their years of existence; the programs of the Baillot quartet and
quintet (from 1814 to 1836); statistics of pieces played by Baillot’s groups; and
various programs for other chamber music ensembles discussed in the study.
19. Fauquet, Jöel-Marie. “Chamber Music in France from Luigi Cherubini to Claude
Debussy.” Trans. Stephen E. Hefling and Patricia Marley. In Nineteenth-Century
Chamber Music, ed. by Stephen E.Hefling, p. 287–314. New York: Schirmer Books,
1998. 389 p. ISBN 0028710347. ML 1104.N56.Chapter 7 offers a succinct glimpse
into the performers, the style characteristics, and the various permutations of chamber
music in France during the nineteenth century. The author proceeds with his
investigation by genre, discussing piano trios, string quartets (composed by both
string players and pianists), piano quintets, violin sonatas, and piano quintets and
quartets after 1870. Fauquet identifies operatic influences in the early French string
quartet, and he observes that prior to 1870 chamber compositions were primarily
driven by either melody, or polyphony. The author gives special attention to the
works of Cherubini and Onslow. He mentions many lesser-known composers from
the period and highlights many of their unique contributions to chamber music, such
as Reber’s two-movement op. 5 string quartet (the Andante of which is based upon a
popular song, Vergiss mein nicht), and d’Ortigue’s sixth quartet (which in a collage
procedure introduces a tune from Arbeau’s Orchésographie and a popular French
song). The post-1870 period was strongly influenced by Franck’s chamber music.
Various works by Fauré, Lalo, Chausson, and Saint-Saëns are discussed with
concentration upon formal techniques, and unique aspects of each. The chapter is
well documented with footnotes, and includes a somewhat limited biography.
20. Fauré, Michel. Musique et société du Second Empire aux années vingt autour de
Saint-Saëns, Fauré, Debussy et Ravel. Paris: Flammarion, 1985. 424 p. ISBN
2080646508. ML 270.1.F380.The author examines the music and world surrounding

Saint-Saëns, Fauré, Ravel, and Debussy. He considers the pressure of society on the
personality of the creators, on their works, and on their language, noting that Saint-
Saëns, Fauré, Debussy, and Ravel “would not have become the artists that we know
without the intervention, at the dawn of their career and before, of the ambition of
their ancestors, taking the place of their own desire of social promotion.”
Furthermore, Fauré believes that “the homosexuality of Saint-Saëns, or the
impotence of Ravel, the donjuanism of Fauré, and the nervous mystico-sociale of
Debussy are tributaries of the social air that they breathed.” Their music, therefore,
reflects the mentality of their company, and are the products of their ideologies: their
“secret agents” according to the author. Fauré asserts that Saint-Saëns may never
have composed Henry VIII if the “bourgeoisie did not need to reduce the strength of
the church, to ruin the sexual morale of yesteryear.” The author divides his
monograph into three books. The first is entitled “La société et les compositeurs,”
which addresses artistic careers, the interior personalities of the composers in
question and their aesthetics and ideologies. It is in this section that the author asserts
that both Saint-Saëns and Ravel were homosexual, with no real irrefutable evidence.
The second book is “La société et les oeuvres musicales” which is tied strongly to
the bourgeoisie and its tastes. Here Fauré examines various specific compositions,
including Saint-Saëns’s Henry VIII, Le feu céleste, Samson, and Les barbares,
among others. The final book is entitled “La société et le language musical.” Here
the author discusses the influence of non-Western music (Islamic and Oriental
music) upon the Western art form. He also examines the impact of the music of Bach,
Mozart, Rameau, and Couperin upon these four composers, as well as dance
music and musical forms of the eighteenth century. This monograph is an extremely
important contribution to the field of nineteenth-century French music history, and
represents a valuable approach to the study of musicology in general.
21. Favre, Georges. “Camille Saint-Saëns et la principauté de Monaco.” In Études
musicales monégasques. Paris: Éditions A. et J.Picard, 1976. 186 p. ISBN
2708400134. ML 325.M6.This lengthy chapter addresses the renaissance of artistic
activity in Monaco following the Franco-Prussian War and Saint-Saëns’s important
role in it. It is subdivided into sections which present various correspondence
between the composer and Prince Albert I from 1900 until Saint-Saëns’s death in
1921. These letters, written in a cordial and warm style, pertain to the premiere of
Hélène (1903), L’ancêtre and performances of Déjanire and La foi. The letters to
Prince Albert I from 1912 until 1921 do not concern premieres, or commissions, but
are rather more general and discuss topics such as Fauré’s Penelope, Samson et
Dalila, and the organ of the new cathedral of Monaco. It is clear that Saint-Saëns
was a favorite of the prince, and that his music was well received by the public.
Many of these letters were published in the Journal de Monaco which, according to
the citations of this chapter, also quite often contained reviews of Saint-Saëns’s
music. The chapter concludes with a lengthy quote from an article in the Journal de
Monaco written not long after the composer’s death which praises simultaneously his
music and his “immense artistry.”
22. Finscher, Ludwig. “The Old in the New.” In Canto d’amore, trans. Christopher
Hailey, p. 63–73. Basel: Paul Sacher Stiftung, 1996. ISBN 1858940354. NX454.
5M63.The author discusses the revival of the classical style in music at the beginning
of the twentieth century, including the neoclassical style associated with the German
school, and the nouveau classique style of French composers such as Saint-Saëns.
According to Finscher this nouveau classicisme was developed in conjunction with
the rediscovery of the French Baroque period facilitated by Saint-Saëns’s critical
edition of the works of Jean-Philippe Rameau. To support this opinion the author
offers Saint-Saëns’s sonatas for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon composed at the end of his
life as evidence. He also points to early works of other French composers including
Debussy, Ravel, and Fauré as examples of this trend. This was not an isolated
movement in musical style, but rather all points to what Finscher believes is the
“emergence of genuine neoclassicism with Stravinsky as a prime example of the
interaction between collective tendencies and fashions and the decisions of a single
composer.” It was this “collective” trend for which Stravinsky became the
spokesman, being influenced not only by the French harbingers, but by Germans and
Russians as well.
23. Flynn, Timothy Scott. “A Study in Criticism and Historiography: Sacred Music
Journals in France 1848 to 1870.” Ph.D. dissertation, Northwestern University, 1997.
535 p.A critical study of the five sacred music journals which appeared during the
Second Republic and Empire, this dissertation investigates the various aesthetics of
sacred music as defined by and promoted in these periodicals. Emphasis is also given
to the emergence of the French interest in, and contribution to the discipline of
musicology. Important articles and essays are examined and discussed in detail.
24. Fulcher, Jane Fair. French Cultural Politics and Music from the Dreyfus Affair to the
First World War. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. 285 p. ISBN 0195120213.
ML 270.5.F85.In many ways a ground-breaking study, this monograph examines the
ways in which politics “invaded” the arts, specifically music, and how various
composers reacted. Divided into two large sections, the first investigates how music
was “pulled into the cultural war” begun by various nationalist leagues. The author
specifically examines d’Indy and his Schola Cantorum as well as Bruneau and
Charpentier. The second section “concerns the escalation and further ramifications”
prior to World War I. Here the author shows both Debussy and Satie as central
figures who, though politically active, sought to “confound” those who would
“impute a factional position” on them on the basis of their musical style. Other
important and fascinating elements of this monograph include the misinterpretation
of Charpentier’s Louise and how, according to Fulcher, “we must attempt to excavate
the systems of meaning in which specific works were both conceived by composer
and then understood by audiences of that time.”
25. Gérard, Yves. “Saint-Saëns et l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo.” In L’Opéra de Monte-Carlo
au temps du Prince Albert ler de Monaco. Paris: Dossiers du Musée d’Orsay, 1990.
72 p. ISBN 2711823210. ML 141.P18.This article examines Saint-Saëns’s
connection with the musical scene in Monte Carlo, which began in 1881 when he
conducted La jeunesse d’Hercule and played his Piano Concerto no. 4 accompanied
by the Orchestre du Casino. Gérard quotes from many letters to Raoul Gunsbourg,
Charles Lecocq, and Durand which document important performances of operas
premiered in Monte Carlo, including Hélène, L’ancêtre, and Déjanire as well as the
play La foi which contains music by Saint-Saëns. Many of the letters quoted offer
interesting and revealing insights into the history surrounding the rehearsals and
premieres of these works. The author also documents Saint-Saëns’s relationship with
the royal family which lasted until his death in 1921.
26. Goubault, Christian. La critique musicale dans la presse française de 1870 a 1914.
Geneva and Paris: Éditions Slatkine, 1984. 535 p. ISBN 2051005427. ML
3880.G68.This monograph was originally the author’s dissertation for the Doctor of
Letters from the Sorbonne in 1982, written under the guidance of such distinguished
scholars as Joseph-Marc Bailbé, Danièle Pistone, and Serge Gut. It is divided into
two main sections. The first section deals with musical criticism and individual
critics (Debussy, Dukas, Rolland, etc.), as well as a general description of the
periodic press during the time in question. In the third chapter, the author
investigates the responsibility of the critic and looks for individual criteria and
methodology. The second section of this monograph is dedicated to the music itself
and presents a reception history of various composers such as Wagner, Franck,
Debussy, Fauré, Ravel, and foreign schools (including Russia, England, and Italy).
Portions of chapter 6—”Aspects du renouveau de la musique française”—contain a
limited discussion of the music of Saint-Saëns, while concentrating upon the larger
picture of music criticism during the fin de siècle.
27. Gut, Serge, and Daniele Pistone. La musique de chambre en France de 1870 à 1918.
Paris: Honoré Campion, 1985. 239 p. ISBN 852030489. ML 1127.G87.The first
portion of this study is a discussion of the general background of the social and
political life in France during the period in question. Included in this section is
important information pertaining to the role of chamber music in the musical scene,
concert life, and perhaps most insightful, the musical currents and styles of the
period. Here the authors assert that the two main forces of musical style were
represented by Franck and his followers (such as d’Indy and Chausson), and Saint-
Saëns and his followers (such as Fauré and Ravel). The only musical figure who
stood alone as independent was Debussy. The second part of this monograph
examines individual composers and their chamber music. For each composer a brief
biography is offered (especially helpful for those lesser-known figures such as
Castillon, Ropartz, and Koechlin), a description of their musical characteristics, and
finally a discussion of selected compositions.
28. Hervey, Arthur. French Music in the XlXth Century. London: Grand Richards, 1903.
270 p. ML 270.4. This monograph is an examination of the best-known French
composers of the nineteenth century beginning with Méhul and the “last of the
classics “and including Rossini, Meyerbeer, Auber, Berlioz, Gounod, Offenbach,
Bizet, Saint-Saëns, Massenet, Franck, and Alfred Bruneau. The author also offers
discussions of Wagner’s influence in France, modern French opera, and music at the
end of the century. It shows the rich tapestry of French music in this diverse century.
Hervey offers some insights into the music of Saint-Saëns, and while admittedly not
a biography the author rather “merely endeavors to give an idea of Saint-Saëns’s
position in connection with the music of his country.” To this end, Hervey
concentrates primarily upon his orchestral music (the symphonies and symphonic
music) and the operas. The author praises Saint-Saëns for his eclecticism and
versatility, and while not possessing the “rugged power” of Berlioz, the “emotional
feeling” of Gounod, the mystic fervor of Franck, or the charm of Massenet, he does
possess an “extraordinary faculty for assimilation.” Hervey believes that Saint-
Saëns’s music demonstrates that “alien influences are beneficial to a composer and
do not prevent him from remaining essentially national in his style.” This he proves
by noting Saint-Saëns’s affinity with Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven while still being
French, owing in part to his musical wit and the quality which “has enabled him to
attack the driest forms of the art and render them bearable.” Hervey asserts that the
composer’s admiration for Liszt inspired him to write symphonic poems, and that
Saint-Saëns “did not follow recognized models” of formal design. Passing lightly
over chamber music, Hervey next concentrates upon the dramatic works, citing
Samson et Dalila as his most enduring and famous example. He attributes the
composer’s “spirit of eclecticism” as being responsible for “certain weaknesses in
the composer’s dramatic methods.” Hervey concludes his discussion of Saint-Saëns
by mentioning selected literary collections of the composer. He then moves on to a
brief discussion of the music of Lalo, Fauré, Dubois, and Godard.
29. Holoman, D.Kern, ed. The Nineteenth-Century Symphony. New York: Schirmer, 1997.
451 p. ISBN 002871105X. ML 1255.N5.This book is a collection of essays by
various contributors on the symphonic music and musical styles of selected
composers including Schubert, Weber, Spohr, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Berlioz,
Liszt, Bruckner, Brahms, Dvorák, Tchaikovsky, Elgar, Richard Strauss, Mahler, and
Sibelius. The French symphonic tradition of the era is treated in one chapter and
includes an examination of the music of David, Gounod, Bizet, Saint-Saëns, Franck,
and other composers such as Lalo and Dukas. In this chapter the author, Ralph
Locke, discusses the re-establishment of the symphony in France, the “descriptive”
symphony of David, and the examples of Gounod, Bizet, and Saint-Saëns. Locke
identifies various characteristics of what he describes as the “Parisian manner” of
symphonies composed at mid-century. These include works that are “engaging,
colorful, characterful, though the question of national style is greatly complicated”
because these works are modeled upon non-French examples. In general a fine
appreciation of Saint-Saëns’s symphonies, the author, however, does not discuss the
symphonic poems. While offering analyses of various works (especially Saint-
Saëns’s “Organ” Symphony, and Frank’s D minor Symphony, and d’Indy’s
“Mountain” Symphony), the author also discusses important organizations such as the
Société Nationale which provided an impetus for symphonic composition. Locke
also includes in his discussion an examination of the various performance
opportunities and concert venues for the French symphonic repertory during this era.
30. Huebner, Steven. French Opera at the Fin de Siècle. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1999. 526 p. ISBN 0188162804. ML 1727.4.H84F4.This is an examination of
French opera during the late nineteenth century when Wagner’s musical influence
was at its height. The author investigates specific composers and selected works in
relation to what he calls the spectre wagnérien. The first part of this study is devoted
entirely to Jules Massenet and his more famous operas, while the second part
includes discussions of the “ambivalent Wagnerians” and conservatives Reyer, Saint-
Saëns, Gounod, and Lalo. The third section of the study addresses the Wagnerian
renewal as identified in the music of Chabrier, d’Indy, and Chausson, while the
fourth and shortest section is devoted to the Realist operas of Alfred Bruneau and
Charpentier. A helpful appendix contains plot summaries of the major works
discussed and is arranged in alphabetical order. Scrupulously documented, this
monograph not only investigates the variety of ways the music of Wagner touched
each of these composers, but also examines and reassesses them and their music with
keen insight and great authority.
31. d’Indy, Vincent. Richard Wagner et son influence sur l’art musical français. Paris:
Delagrave, 1930. 90 p. ML 410.W12F695.In nine chapters, the author not only
praises the music of Richard Wagner, but also credits him with being the “savior” of
nineteenth-century music in general. This monograph examines the beneficial

influences of Wagner’s music and cites César Franck’s approach to composition vis-
à-vis the Wagnerian style as being exemplary. In general, this monograph is
disturbing in its anti-Semitic bent regarding various aspects of nineteenth-century
French opera composition as found in chapters such as “Les origines de l’art musical
français,” and the final chapter, “Modernisme.” Not surprisingly, d’Indy misses no
opportunity to extol the music of his teacher and friend César Franck, especially in
the chapter dedicated to Franck and the foundation of the Société Nationale du
Musique. Particularly interesting are the chapters dedicated to the “L’opéra français
contemporain de l’éclosion wagnérienne,” and “Les innovations wagnériennes dans
la langage musical, la technique, et l’écriture.”
32. Ladjili, Myriam. “La musique arabe chez les compositeurs français du XIXe siècle
saisis d’exotisme (1844–1914).” International Review of the Aesthetics and
Sociology of Music 26 (1995): 3–33.This article identifies and examines the various
elements which constitute the Orientalist movement in French music at the end of the
nineteenth century, with emphasis upon the works of David, Bizet, Franck, and Saint-
Saëns. The author takes into account the role of colonial expansion and the gradual
opening of the East to Westerners. In addition, Ladjili identifies specific rhythmic
motives which are found in authentic Eastern music, such as the dawr, or cyclic
rhythm, and its use in Western music which evokes an Oriental flavor. Other
elements include melodic ornaments, and particular musical intervals associated with
Eastern music. The final section of the article centers upon the music of Saint-Saëns,
including Samson et Dalila, where the author points to the use of the îstîftah, an
instrumental prelude of flexible rhythm in Arabian music, and the use of the ramal
mode transposed to A. This, and similar examples, lead the author to believe that
Saint-Saëns was attempting to be extremely authentic in his use of non-Western
musical elements. The author also examines the Suite algérienne, Africa, and the
Mélodies persanes.
33. Lalo, Pierre. De Rameau a Ravel. Paris: Albin Michel, 1947. 422 p. ML 3.
85.L35.This monograph, subtitled “Portraits et Souvenirs,” was written by the son of
composer Edouard Lalo. In the first section of this book are insightful essays on
composers such as Rameau, Berlioz, and Gounod as well as more contemporary
ones, Debussy, Méssager, Ravel, and Chausson. Lalo offers a discussion of his
father, Saint-Saëns, Franck, Bizet, Dukas, and others. In addition to these essays Lalo
includes a section entitled “Chroniques et souvenirs” which addresses historical
aspects of music such as “Louis XIV et la musique,” “Rousseau et la musique,” and
“Racine et musique,” as well as discussions on Wagner’s Parsifal, Fauré’s operas,
opinions of Adolphe Adam on music, and opera in France during the nineteenth
century. Lalo’s writing is often marked by an independence and objectivity generally
characteristic of the writings of Saint-Saëns.
34. Landormy, Paul. La musique française de la Marseillaise a la mort de Berlioz. 4th ed.
Paris: Gallimard, 1944. 302 p. ML 270.4.L267 v. 1.This study begins with brief
discussions of French musical style during the Revolution and the Napoleonic
Empire, but the main thrust is the period 1830 to 1850. While concentrating
primarily upon dramatic works, Landormy also dedicates a chapter to the Symphonie
fantastique (which includes an analysis of the work movement by movement), one to
Liszt and Marie d’Agoult, and another to Wagner’s time in Paris 1859–61. The study
is arranged chronologically according to the dates of the compositions discussed, and
in addition to the examination of works from the canon, Landormy deals with
repertory that no longer enjoys regular performance, such as Le pardon de Ploërmel,
Massé’s Les noces de Jeannette, Zampa, and Le chalet. The author at times quotes
freely from other sources, some of which appear to be primary, but unfortunately he
never offers any citations.
35. Landormy, Paul. La musique française de Franck a Debussy. 17th ed. Paris:
Gallimard, 1943. 241 p. ML 270.5.L32M8 v. 2.This volume is divided into seven
chapters. The first examines the founding of the Société Nationale by Saint-Saëns
and Bussine, and briefly examines selected music of Saint-Saëns and Lalo, whom the
author believes to be quintessentially French composers. The second chapter is a
discussion of various individual composers who were popular during this time, such
as Franck, Duparc, Chabrier, d’Indy, Chausson, Bordes, and Dukas, in addition to
several lesser-known composers (Castillon, Bréville, Ropartz, Serres, Rousseau, and
Magnard). The third chapter is on Charles Bordes’s Schola Cantorum, and the fourth
chapter deals with theatrical music after Gounod. Again, Landormy organizes his
discussion by composer, including Gounod, Reyer, Delibes, Bizet, Guiraud,
Massenet, Paladilhe, Godard, Charpentier, and Bruneau among others. The fifth
chapter is devoted to Charles-Marie Widor, Dubois and organists, while Fauré and
Debussy receive individual chapters. Landormy, a friend of Saint-Saëns since 1892,
speaks highly of the composer and acknowledges his influential role in the creation of
modern French music. However, his discussion of the composer is limited to his
association with the Société Nationale, and an analysis of what Landormy believes to
be “his most significant work,” the Third Symphony. The author describes Saint-
Saëns as a “musician, painter, poet, philosopher, encyclopedic genius a little like
Voltaire, writing music a little like Descartes, clearly pleasing, logically organized,
strongly conceived, functionally classic.”
36. Landormy, Paul. La musique française après Debussy. 20th ed. Paris: Gallimard,
1948. 299 p. ML 270.5.L32M8 v. 3. This monograph is primarily a study of French
music from the death of Debussy and the final years of Fauré, d’Indy, and Dukas.
Landormy examines Jean Cocteau and the music of Les Six, noting the influence of
composers such as Satie, Stravinsky, Roussel, and Ravel upon them. At the
conclusion of the volume the author includes a double chapter entitled “Regards en
arrière” in which he “looks backward” to the music of Saint-Saëns and others. These
composers he believes without a doubt laid the foundation for the jeune école. His
discussion of Saint-Saëns is brief, including selected elements of his biography, the
composer’s views on Wagner, and a description of Saint-Saëns’s style. Landormy
praises La lyre et la harpe, Henry VIII, Ascanio, the Fifth Piano Concerto, and the F
major Piano Trio as works full of “charm,” “great seduction,” and musically
satisfying. The author also notes Saint-Saëns’s influence upon Ravel.
37. Lehrer, Charles David. “The Nineteenth-Century Parisian Concerto.” Ph.D.
dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 1990. 634 p.An extremely
detailed analysis of approximately 90 concerti for various instruments from the
period spanning 1799 through 1900, this dissertation offers unique insights into the
variety of musical forms used by composers for the solo concerto. The author has
devised some new terminology to facilitate his analysis of the various trends in
formal design, such as the scena style, which obviously borrows from the dramatic,
operatic style of the period. Lehrer also employs his own version of Jan La Rue’s
analytical system as found in Guidelines for Style Analysis (1970). The copious
charts and diagrams are of monumental help to the reader who does not have access
to the scores of the many lesser-known composers whose music is discussed. Saint-
Saëns’s concerti are examined in the sixth chapter, “The Parisian Concerto during
the Early Years of the Third Republic: 1870–1900.” This time frame is somewhat
misleading, for the author discusses op. 58, violin concerto of 1858, and the second
piano concerto of 1858, before examining the works of the period in question. This
dissertation is a most admirable synthesis and scrupulous survey of a great amount of
material, shedding light on a heretofore unexplored area of research.
38. Lindenberger, Herbert. “Opera/Orientalism/Otherness.” In Opera History from
Monteverdi to Cage, p. 160–90. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1998. ISBN
0804731047. ML 1700.L54.In this chapter, the author deals primarily with aspects of
Verdi’s Aïda and Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila, along with “Orientalist” operas by
Gluck, Mozart, Bizet, Délibes, and Glass. The author examines the basic musical
elements of these works which lend an Oriental or exotic character to the libretto,
plot, and music, citing contemporary views, opinions, and developments, such as
Napoleon’s conquest of Egypt and the subsequent Western understanding of Eastern
elements. Lindenberger relies upon some of the pioneering work done by Edward
Said and Hans Busch in presenting this interesting and insightful appreciation of the
Western European interpretation of non-Western culture and art in opera of the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
39. Locke, Ralph. “Reflections on Orientalism in Opera and Musical Theatre.” Opera
Quarterly 10 (1993–94): 49–64.Locke discusses how composers portray Oriental
scenes in opera, and what ideological messages such portrayals convey to the
audience. He examines basic plot archetypes which use Oriental subjects and shows
how they are developed. The author concentrates his attention upon Aïda, Turandot,
and The King and I. In this article Locke also discusses the role of plot, archetypal
female portrayals, religious ritual, war, and details of musical style in creating
dramatic tension. Simultaneously he examines a given work’s “Westernness” in
contrast to the attempt at reflecting (and perhaps shaping) Western thought toward
the non-Western world.
40. Myers, Rollo. Modern French Music: Its Evolution and Cultural Background from
1900 to the Present Day. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1971. 210 p. ISBN 0631130209.
ML 270.5.M9M6.In his discussion of twentieth-century French music, Myers
identifies two “major breakthroughs” after the death of Beethoven which contributed
to trends in modern music: one was brought about by Berlioz and the other by
Wagner. A subscriber to the idea of musical “evolution,” the author believes that an
examination of how the “resistance to new ideas and new techniques was gradually
overcome” defines the “story of the evolution of music during the first six decades of
the twentieth century.” This monograph is in general a“sketch” of music and musical
life in France during the last half-century, which demonstrates that “France, more
than any other country, represented all that was best and most vital in twentieth-
century music” during that era. Meyer’s discussion of Saint-Saëns and his music
during the early twentieth century is only in relation to the music of Fauré, whom he
deems a “new old master.”
41. Noske, Frits. La mélodie française de Berlioz a Duparc; essai de critique historique.
Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1954. 356 p. ML 2827.N6.The author
investigates the songs of 18 composers including Gounod, Franck, and Saint-Saëns.
He examines the musical characteristics of their melodies, formal designs, and details
of text setting. Gounod, Noske believes, laid the foundation for the mélodie tradition
and established a truly French genre, while Saint-Saëns and Franck raised the form
from salon music to chamber music. Important chapters include a discussion on the
origins of the mélodie, an examination of the theory of prosody, and the relationship
of poets such as Gautier, Hugo, and Lamartine to music. This monograph likewise
contains some valuable appendices: Orientalism in the mélodie; the music to an
unknown mélodie of Franz Liszt; and a song catalog for each of the composers
discussed.
42. Noske, Frits. French Song from Berlioz to Duparc. Trans. Rita Benton. New York:
Dover Publications, 1970. 454 p. ISBN 486221040. ML 2827.N613.An English
translation of the abovementioned citation (#41), this edition includes some new
sections. These are a preface and a postscript, an English “Prose Rendering of the
Poetic Quotations”; “Remarks for the Second Edition” of the song catalog (Appendix
VI); and various illustrations. (See also #255.)
43. Pistone, Danièle. “L’oratorio a Paris de 1870 a 1900.” In Massenkeil Festschrift, ed.
Gunther Massenkeil, p. 345–56. Bonn: Voggenreiter, 1986. 595 p. ISBN
3802401468. ML 55.The author asserts that renewed interest in the oratorio during
the nineteenth century in France was sparked by choral society performances and a
general resurgence of choral music. The revival of interest in sacred music
propagated by schools such as Niedermeyer’s École de Musique Classique et
Religieuse, and the Institute Royale de Musique Religieuse, not to mention the
countless contests where composers were required to set an oratorio text, were also
helpful in renewing interest in the genre. Many of the French oratorios are associated
with liturgical feasts. Other examples eschew the title of oratorio altogether and are
labeled by their composers scène biblique or drame sacré; however, they are
nevertheless oratorios. He speaks about general style characteristics, orchestrations
of the works, and the use of Latin texts which gave way to vernacular libretti. The
essay is divided into three sections: “Les promoteurs du genre,” “Les oratorios
modernes,” and “Les lieux et les interprètes.”
44. Prod’homme, J.G. “Music and Musicians in Paris during the First Two Seasons of the
War.” Musical Quarterly 3 (1917): 135–60.This interesting article chronicles the
various concert organizations in Paris in 1914 and 1915. These groups include the
Matinée Nationales, the Concerts Colonne-Lamoureux (a merger of two famous
nineteenth-century groups), the Grands Concerts, the Matinées Françaises, smaller
organizations such as the Association Chorale Professional and the Concerts
Populaires, in addition to the Opéra and the Opéra-Comique. The author discusses
the changes in the repertoire of these groups which excluded all German music
except Beethoven, and some Bach and Mozart. He also investigates the general
musical public in France during this era. Saint-Saëns’s music enjoyed popularity
during this time, as did that of Fauré, Berlioz, Chabrier, Dubois, Lalo, and Russians
such as Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov. It is interesting to note that more avant-
garde music was not supported, but works such as Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka, as well
as music by Debussy, Lili Boulanger, and Darius Milhaud were heard at this time.
The merger of Colonne and Lamoureux was especially interesting in that the
followers of the former preferred Berlioz and the supporters of the latter preferred
Wagner. Another interesting trend during this period was that the concerts at the
Salle Gaveau were theme-oriented: “Classics and the First French Symphonies”
(works by Gossec, Beethoven and Méhul); “Musicians and the Orient” (works of
David, Borodin, Saint-Saëns, and Debussy); “The French Symphonists” and “Spain
and the Musicians” (with music of Ravel, Saint-Saëns, Franck, Debussy, and
Duparc). While in many ways this was a fertile time for French art music, the author
reminds us that not all compositions written and performed especially for these
concerts were worthy examples of Gallican art. This is an early article and indicates
that other research needs to be done in this area.
45. Rohozinsky, L., ed. Cinquante ans de musique française 1874–1925. Paris: Libraire
de France, 1925. 2 v. ML270.R74.This study treats the material chronologically and,
in respect to opera, the chronology is defined by the tenure of specific directors of
the opera house under discussion. Operatic repertory is given much more attention than
symphonic, and often the individual authors provide detailed information such as
receipts of individual operas and season schedules. The examination of symphonic
music is chronological by composer. In his discussion of the music of Saint-Saëns
the author of this portion of the study (Émile Vuillermoz) quotes from Émile
Baumann’s Les grandes formes de la musique, and unidentified writings of Georges
Servières on the composer, among others. The author does not examine the
symphonic poem repertory or ballet music, but rather limits himself to more
conservative examples of the traditional symphony with no in-depth analysis of the
music.
46. Rosen, Charles. The Romantic Generation. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University
Press, 1995. 723 p. ISBN 0674779339. ML 196.R67. Based upon the Norton lectures
Rosen gave at Harvard, this volume examines the diversity of musical style,
language, and forms manifest in the Romantic period. Literally hundreds of musical
examples are offered to support the many original and insightful observations of the
author. A brief CD is included which gives life to several of the musical examples
from the text. This monograph has been hailed as the nineteenth-century equivalent
to Rosen’s monograph The Classical Style.
47. Servières, Georges. La musique française moderne. Paris: G.Havard fils, 1897. 404 p.
ML 390.S49.This monograph contains chapters on César Franck, Edouard Lalo,
Jules Massenet, Ernest Reyer, and Saint-Saëns. The essays on each composer present
a discussion of their works and career in a chronological fashion, but offer no
analysis of compositions, or comparison of composers’ styles and biography. At the
conclusion of each chapter Servières gives a list of each composer’s published works
to date by genre.
48. Smith, Rollin. “The Organ of the Trocadéro and Its Players.” In French Organ Music
from the Revolution to Franck and Widor, ed. Lawrence Archbold and William
J.Peterson, p. 275–309. Rochester, N.Y.: University of Rochester Press, 1995. ISBN
1580460712. ML 624.In this chapter the author offers a brief history of the building
of the Palais du Trocadéro, its use, and the acquisition of the instrument built by
Cavaillé-Coll. According to the author’s research, Saint-Saëns is closely associated
with it from the very early stages in 1877 when he was appointed to the Exposition
Music Committee. Saint-Saëns also knew the priest, abbé Lamazou, who originally
secured the instrument for his parish, but after falling into financial difficulties gave
it up to the Trocadéro; perhaps through the intervention of Saint-Saëns? (The author
does not go this far.) There is a detailed description of the specifications of the
instrument as well as several pictures of the instrument with such illustrious
musicians as Widor, Dupré, and Guilmant. Smith also gives the various programs of
the inaugural celebrations from June 1878 to October 8, 1878. The opening concert
featured Saint-Saëns’s cantata Les noces de Prométhée, and he was a featured

recitalist on September 28, playing his own Trois rhapsodies sur des cantiques
bretons, the Prelude to Le deluge, Bach’s Prelude and Fugue, BWV 552, Liszt’s
“Saint Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds,” and the “Fantasia and Fugue on Ad
Nos.” Smith also offers the critical reception of his recital, as well as that of all
concerts given in the 1878 series. The Trocadéro was destroyed in 1935 to make way
for the Palais de Chaillot built for the 1937 Exposition, and the instrument was
salvaged and moved to the Amphitheater Maurice Ravel in Lyons.
49. Striffling, Louis. Musique et musiciens de France. Paris: Librairie Fischbacher, 1921.
132 p. ML 60.This volume includes essays on Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jules
Massenet, and “La chanson populaire en France.” The chapter on Saint-Saëns was
originally delivered at a conference to foreign students at the University of Dijon in
August 1912. The author offers an examination of the music and the artistic career of
the composer. He judges Saint-Saëns to be—as Berlioz said—one of the greatest
composers of our time. Striffling mentions the composer’s writings (in general
terms), and quotes from several of his monographs, but does not always give a
specific citation. Often he draws comparisons with Massenet, no doubt because this
monograph contains a chapter on him too. The author states that while Massenet
achieved fame in one genre, Saint-Saëns achieved fame in many. Striffling briefly
mentions representative works from a variety of genres but offers no musical
analysis; rather, he praises the composer for his “universality” and “eclecticism.”
While recognizing that Saint-Saëns is a composer who is “not devoted to a single
god,” the author arguably asserts that Saint-Saëns has no personal or original style.
However, he challenges comments that his music is dry and without emotion,
correctly noting that for Saint-Saëns musical beauty did not consist of “tumultuous”
expression; rather, it was found in the “realization of an ideal…and consequently a
form that represents the spirit.” The goal of his art was the realization of the
beautiful.
50. Tiersot, Julien. Une demi-siècle de musique française: Entre les deux guerres 1870–
1917. Paris: Felix Alcan, 1918. 248 p. ML 270.4.T43.According to the author the
goal of this book is to “frankly declare, to put into light, the qualities of French
music: their diversity will be precisely a proof of their excellence.” In examining the
various qualities of French music, it is not the author’s intent to “blame one” and
“praise another.” The strength of this period is in its diversity. This time between the
Franco-Prussian War and World War I was chosen by the author because it was an
important period of “musical evolution” totally different than anything prior. He
divides the volume between a discussion of the old school of Rossini, Meyerbeer,
and Halévy, to the founding of the Société Nationale which promoted the Ars Gallica
and the music of Bizet, Saint-Saëns, Franck, Lalo, Massenet, Dubois, Castillon, and
others. He follows the growth and development of the Société Nationale, which gave
over 400 concerts by 1914, and mentions the repertoire played and the use of the
Société as a venue for new works. Tiersot also discusses the role of the Opéra in helping
to advance the works of new French composers, as well as the various instrumental
organizations including the Concerts Populaires, Concert National, and the Société
des Concerts du Conservatoire. Other general chapters include one on the school of
the Conservatoire and a discussion of the generation of 1871, and the final chapter
examines the “young” generation after 1900. Here the author discusses the influence
of Debussy and Ravel, as well as the music and style of the Schola Cantorum
students, Prix de Rome winners, and the Société Musicale Indépendante. In addition
to these chapters there are others which deal more specifically with individual
composers and their followers. These include one on Bizet, one on César Franck and
Vincent d’Indy, Gabriel Fauré, Alfred Bruneau, Gustave Charpentier, and Debussy.
Of particular interest for the present study is the chapter dedicated to Saint-Saëns.
Here Tiersot offers a brief biography including a mention of specific compositions
where they fall within the chronology. Following this, the author discusses Saint-
Saëns’s musical style, which he considers “a rare perfection,” possessing “neat and
precise” formal organization, “never heavy,” and containing polyphony which is “of
a perfect equilibrium.” While the composer is at home with “picturesque” music of
the East, such as La princesse jaune, Samson et Dalila, Mélodies persanes, and the
Suite algérienne, he is also at home with French subjects such as the Rhapsodie sur
des cantiques brétons, and the Rhapsodie d’Auvergne. Without being specific,
Tiersot points to Saint-Saëns as being a totally French composer. He states that
“Italian bel canto never produced the most perfect and long vocal phrases...and
marvelous forms” of “Printemps qui commence” and “Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix.”
The author likewise avoids any comparison with the music of Wagner and Liszt,
preferring to compare Saint-Saëns’s symphonic poems not with Liszt’s, but with
Couperin’s titled clavecin pieces.
51. Walsh, T.J. Second Empire Opera: The Théâtre Lyrique, Paris 1851-1870. London:
John Calder, 1981. 384 p. ISBN 0714536598. ML 1727.8.W34.This monograph
published in the series The History of Opera chronicles the history of the Théâtre
Lyrique. It is divided into chapters according to the tenure of specific directors and
examines the the financial, political, and artistic decisions and events in the life of
the opera house during the reign of Napoleon III. Especially valuable are the
appendices, which include a list of operas performed at the theater complete with
cast and total number of performances, a list by composers of operas performed at
the Théâtre Lyrique, and glossaries of lesser-known composers, librettists, and
translators. The final appendix is a brief list of the annual receipts from 1851 to
1870.
2
Biographical Studies: Primary Sources
52. Augé de Lassus, Lucien. Saint-Saëns. Paris: Delagrave, 1914. 271 p. ML

410.S15.A9.Each of the nine chapters is given a musical term for a title, such as
“Prelude” “Scherzo,” “Andante,” etc., in which the author discusses the early life and
career of the composer. The author admits that the monograph is “less of a history
than a promenade Augé de Lassus was a collaborator with Saint-Saëns on two
operas, Phryné (1893) and L’ancêtre (1905). His work with the composer enables
him to speak with insight and authority, although his views and opinions may be
biased. The author finds Saint-Saëns to be “absolutely faithful to himself,” and that
the composer does not “lie to anyone,” not even himself. In writing this monograph
the author indicates that he decided not to offer any technical analyses nor give a
litany of the composer’s works.
53. Baumann, Émile. Les grandes formes de la musique: L’oeuvre de Camille Saint-
Saëns. Paris: Ollendorff, 1905. 475 p. ML 410.S15.B2.The author begins with a brief
and not too detailed description of the “musical development of lyricism between
Beethoven and Wagner” which touches upon the styles of Mendelssohn, Schumann,
Chopin, Franck, and Berlioz. There is a chapter on the “L’oeuvre interieur,” in which
Baumann offers some biographical information on Saint-Saëns, as well as a
discussion of those composers who influenced him, especially Mozart, Gluck,
Berlioz, and Gounod. In these pages the author speaks of Saint-Saëns’s personality,
agreeing with other contemporary observations, and of his general musical style,
which in Baumann’s view relies heavily upon formal organization and clarity rather
than sentiment and effect. He calls Saint-Saëns a “great poet,” and indicates that for
the composer “form is the apex of being.” The author devotes the remaining chapters
to the composer’s large-scale forms including chamber music, concerti, symphonies,
symphonic poems, songs, sacred music, and the operas and other “scenic” works.
Within these chapters Baumann discusses individual compositions and offers brief,
but often insightful comments. There is no attempt at any complete musical analysis
of specific works. Interestingly enough Baumann states that like Wagner, who was
considered a revolutionary, Saint-Saëns was a man of the “counter-revolution,”
relying upon clarity and purity, while “obeying an instinctive method.” This
monograph was reissued in 1923 with a brief appendix which only mentions (and not
completely at that) Saint-Saëns’s last works, in no depth.
54. Blondel, C. Saint-Saëns et son cinquantenaire artistique. Paris: Durand, [1896].
23 p.This pamphlet was originally published in Le Monde Artiste Illustré of June 21,
BIOGRAPHICAL STUDIES: PRIMARY SOURCES 35
1896, and includes a copy of the program for the celebrated concert as well as
Gustave Lyon’s salutary remarks. The article itself is made up primarily of a series
of excerpts from reviews of the concert which appeared in other journals, such as Le
Figaro, Le Temps, Gaulois, Liberté, Le Petit Journal, and Paul Dukas’s favorable
critique in the Revue Hebdomadaire. Blondel makes an interesting observation that
he found it “curious” that the music periodicals were more “discreet” and more
“reserved” in their appreciations of the concert than the political journals.
55. Bonnerot, Jean. Camille Saint-Saëns: Sa vie et son oeuvre. Paris: Durand, 1914.
179 p. ML 410.S15.B6.In this monograph Jean Bonnerot, the trusted friend and
secretary of the composer, “only wanted to tell, day by day, the life and works of the
master as faithfully as possible.” Therefore the book is a chronological account of
Saint- Saëns’s life with a discussion of the important compositions which he
produced along the way. It is not divided into chapters, nor is it organized by genre.
Bonnerot’s is not an analytical study of the composer’s music or musical style. The
author refrains from judgments and a psychological study, for which he feels the
time has not come. He offers some important biographical information which has
become the foundation for virtually all other dependable, scholarly biographies of the
composer. Some of the interesting material includes excerpts from letters such as one
from Liszt (1869), which praises Saint-Saëns’s Mass of 1856 as a work marked by an
“elevation of sentiment” written by a “consummate master.” Sources of the
comments like these and the many observations from the periodic press which are
included throughout the monograph are unfortunately not identified in footnotes.
56. Bonnerot, Jean. Saint-Saëns. Paris: Vie des Peuples, 1922. p. 53–62. ML
410.S15.Beginning with a descriptive account of the evening of Saint-Saëns’s death,
the author quotes several poems from the composer’s Rîmes familières pertaining to
death. “Why fear death…death is a natural thing.” In the poem “Éternité,” the
composer reminds us that we are here to accomplish our work. This becomes the
point of departure for Bonnerot’s discussion of the stamina and fortitude of Saint-
Saëns. He recounts that even at eighty and eighty five, the composer continued to be
an “impeccable virtuoso,” practicing his scales daily and practicing passages of
Liszt’s “Jeux d’eau de la Villa d’Este” five or ten times until he could play them
perfectly. The author describes Saint-Saëns’s music as containing “perfect
technique,” “purity,” and an “elegant syntax,” but “exempt from rhetoric and facile
sentimentality.” He quotes Vuillermoz: “A little musical knowledge can lead you
astray, a great deal can bring you back.” A secretary and intimate friend of the
composer, Bonnerot always offers keen and touching insights into Saint-Saëns’s life
and personality, and continues to present the reader with a better picture of the man
and musician.
57. Combarieu, Jules. “Saint-Saëns et l’opinion musicale a l’étranger.” Revue d’histoire et
de critique 1 and 2 (1901): 355–63 and 390–92.This two-part article is a collection
of several letters from well-known musical personalities, including Max Bruch,
Siegfried Wagner, and Alexander Glazounov, as well as lesser-known musicians
(Leonhard Wolff, Émile Sjögren, W. S. B.Matthews, and others) in support of Saint-
Saëns. Combarieu solicited these responses by sending a questionnaire to various
famous musicians. Unable to publish them all, he selected only fifteen to print. These
musicians compliment Saint-Saëns primarily on his concerti and symphonic poems,
but also extol the merits of Samson et Dalila and Henri VIII. In the opinion of some
of the Italian musicians, as a French composer, Saint-Saëns is second only to
Berlioz. Comparisons between Saint-Saëns and Mozart are drawn by Glazounov, and
Wagner makes the logical parallel between his grandfather’s, Liszt’s, and Saint-
Saëns’s tone poems. The final letter to the editor is from Saint-Saëns himself, who
confirms the generous aid of Liszt and his encouragement in the completion and
premiere of Samson et Dalila.
58. Combarieu, Jules. “Saint-Saëns, l’homme et le musicien.” La revue musicale 3
(1903): 590–96. ISSN 0035–3736.The author begins by attempting to make
generalities about the composer’s personality; however, he realizes that it is difficult
to do. The personalities and “psychology” of Mozart, Beethoven, and Wagner are
easier to grasp, but Saint-Saëns is more elusive. The author shares two stories of
meeting Saint-Saëns. During the second time (in 1902 at the Béziers festival) the
author commented to the composer that he was “full of surprises,” to which Saint-
Saëns retorted, “You don’t know me!” It was then that Combarieu was struck with
the idea of asking other great composers and musicians what they thought of the
composer. While the results were interesting, they were not “decisive.” The second
portion of the article deals with Saint-Saëns’s music. Classification of the works is
simple. The author puts them in the following order: first is the symphonic music,
which he believes is “of the highest inspiration”; then the symphonic poems, which
display an “originality”; third are the operas with Samson at “the head”; followed by
Étienne Marcel, Henry VIII, Proserpine, Ascanio, etc.; fourth are the 40 songs,
including the Mélodies persanes; and the fifth and final category includes the piano
concerti. Combarieu believes that Saint-Saëns’s music possesses “human
sentiments” such as “melancholy” and dreaminess, but not in the style of Tristan.
Saint-Saëns he believes is a “natural” composer. Despite his intellect, cultivation,
and technical prowess he has a childlike simplicity. He can assimilate styles and
schools, but not slavishly be a part of them.
59. Durand. Discours prononcés aux funérailles de C.Saint-Saëns. Paris: Durand, 1921.
18 p. CAD 8629.See citation #61 below.
60. Fourcaud, Louis de. Le Jubilé de Camille Saint-Saëns. Paris, [1896]. ML
410.S15.J8.This was written to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the composer’s
debut as a pianist. The first section is a brief biography which praises Saint-Saëns’s
contributions and musical style, concentrating upon his symphonic works and
operas. A copy of the evening’s program is given with a general review of the
pieces. Beginning with the overture to The Marriage of Figaro, the centerpiece was a
series of five compositions of Saint-Saëns including the premiere of the Fifth Piano
Concerto, with the composer as soloist. Following that there was the orchestral
introduction to the second act of Phryné, a “Romance” for flute (op. 37) played by
Paul Taffanel (with Saint-Saëns conducting the orchestra), the premiere of the
Second Violin Sonata with Sarasate accompanied by the composer, and a
transcription of Massenet’s La mort de Thaïs with Saint-Saëns at the piano. The
concert concluded with Mozart’s Concerto in B-flat, which Saint-Saëns played at his
first concert in 1846. The orchestra was made up of artists from the Société des
Concerts du Conservatoire conducted by Taffanel. Following the reproduction of the
program is a review of the evening naming some of the musical luminaries in
attendance, and the witty yet touching poem written by the composer which he read
to the audience. This keepsake concludes with the brief address given by Gustave
Lyon, the director of the Maison Playel.
61. Funérailles de Saint-Saëns: Discours prononcés le 24 octobre 1921 au cimetière du

Montparnasse. Paris: Durand, 1922. 18 p. CAD 8629.This pamphlet contains remarks
delivered at the composer’s funeral by Alfred Bruneau, E.Gigout, Carol Berard,
C.Joubert, Edmond Haraucourt, Charles Widor, and Léon Berard. Note the incorrect
month of October. It should be December.
62. Gallet, Louis. “Camille Saint-Saëns.” Revue de l’art ancien et moderne 4 (1898):
385–96.Published the year of the author’s death, the article was written by Saint-
Saëns’s friend and collaborator. Gallet discusses Saint-Saëns the man with much
valuable and reliable insight. He examines both the public side of the composer,
which is dignified and often viewed as cold, and the personal, friendly side, which is
full of goodness, simplicity, and childlike humor. Gallet confirms the composer’s
prodigious memory, his precision, and “noble egotism” which he claims was more
for the composer’s own satisfaction. He identifies the monograph Harmonie et
mélodie as a “precious document of the composer’s aesthetic,” and mentions his
letters with fondness. Gallet praises Saint-Saëns the composer for his individuality,
and acknowledges the composer’s respect for Wagner’s music, which Saint-Saëns
was able to admire without becoming a “blind disciple of his doctrine.” Gallet
believed that Saint-Saëns’s style was the result of his intense study and profound
knowledge of all music. He especially praises Samson et Dalila and Proserpine as
being of “capital interest.” Samson he believed was successful because of its variety
of style and musical diversity, and Proserpine because it contains a perfect
individualism which makes it modern. Finally Gallet admonishes those who believe
that the composer was cold and without passion, recalling that as a man he had
suffered greatly, but as an artist he was able to remain serene. The Symphony in E-
flat and the one in C minor (the “Organ”) Gallet considers to be exemplary essays in
the genre; Saint-Saëns’s impeccable musical form and high thoughts make him a
“classic” in contemporary music.
63. Guide du concert, special Saint-Saëns issue, January, 1922.This is a special collection
of 30 articles on the music and person of Saint-Saëns organized immediately after his
death as a tribute to him. Contributions range from simple personal appreciations
such as that by Fernand Le Borne (#99), to discussions of specific genres of his
music, such as Vierne’s article on Saint-Saëns’s religious music (#215), and Gabriel
Bender’s on the symphonic music (#218). Aspects of the composer’s personality and
style are examined in Bonnerot’s “Saint-Saëns voyageur” (#98) and Paul Viardot’s
“Saint-Saëns gai” (#155). At the conclusion of the collection is a piano transcription
of the “Marche du Synode” from his opera Henry VIII. Each of these articles is
examined separately in the body of this monograph.
64. Hervey, Arthur. Saint-Saëns. London: John Lane, 1921. 159 p. ML 410.S15. H3.This
monograph is divided into seven sections. This includes an examination of Saint-
Saëns’s biography as well as his artistic and aesthetic principles. Hervey then
devotes chapters to the composer’s operas, orchestral music, chamber music, piano
works, oratorios, masses, and cantatas, and finally Saint-Saëns’s literary works,
which includes a discussion of his essays, poetry, and other literary endeavors. This
is the first English-language monograph dedicated entirely to the life and works of the
composer, and by the author’s own admission, he relies upon Jean Bonnerot’s
monograph of 1914, as well as some of the composer’s own journal articles. Hervey
does not indulge in hero-worship; however, he acknowledges that the musical style
and aesthetic of Saint-Saëns would serve well as a model for contemporary art,
which at the time he believed was at risk of being corrupted and destroyed by the
Cubists and others in the visual arts. In the individual chapters on specific genres, the
author’s discussion is incomplete. He mentions only selected compositions, and
examines them in a cursory fashion. There is no in-depth analysis. However,
Hervey’s monograph offers the modern reader a fine sense of an early twentieth
century appreciation of Saint-Saëns’s music and musical aesthetic. It also offers
some insightful observations on specific compositions as well as the composer’s
musical style.
65. Hervey, Arthur. “Camille Saint-Saëns.” In Masters of French Music: A Series of
Biographical and Critical Sketches, p. 107–44. New York: Scribner and Sons, 1894.
ML 390.H57.The author gives only a fleeting mention of Saint-Saëns’s early
biography, but rather concentrates upon his career and music from the early 1870s
on. Hervey also shares with the reader the opinions of von Bulow, Auber, Berlioz,
Liszt, Gounod, and Wagner on Saint-Saëns. The author deals primarily with the
composer’s symphonic poems, piano concertos, and dramatic works, giving only
superficial descriptions of various compositions. He considers Saint-Saëns to be a
pianist of the first rank, perhaps at his best when interpreting the work of Bach. In
this essay the author praises the composer for his complete gift of musical
organization and his eclecticism, and for being a perfect master of his craft. Those
who consider Saint-Saëns dry and unemotional should listen to Samson et Dalila,
according to Hervey. A sizable amount of time is spent upon the dramatic works,
which the author finds to be influenced by Gounod, and which he reports are said to
contain some affinities with Auber (although Hervey does not hear this). He praises
Le timbre d’argent for the superior manner in which Saint-Saëns treats the orchestra,
but melodically he feels that it is rather common. Samson is, according to him, the
composer’s best work, and he makes a plea in the text for a London performance.
Hervey quotes Gauthier Villars, who remarked that there exists in Saint-Saëns three
men with three temperaments: the absolute musician, the dramatic musician, and the
critic who is always erudite and often bitter. Hervey believes that the symphonic
poems may not contain the “powerful grandeur” of Liszt’s, but they are a “clearer,
more compact method of expression.” Other works only mentioned by Hervey
include the Christmas Oratorio, Le deluge, the Requiem, the Mélodies persanes, some
piano pieces, the three violin concertos, and the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso.
He also gives special mention to the works composed for England: the “Organ”
Symphony, and Lyre et harpe. In closing, Hervey recognizes Saint-Saëns’s
contributions as a writer, and explains the composer’s seeming change of heart
toward Wagner in Saint-Saëns’s own words (from Harmonie et Mélodie, #284): “I
admire the works of Richard Wagner profoundly…they are superior and powerful,
which suffices for me…but I shall never belong to the Wagnerian religion!”
66. Hippeau, Edmond. “Camille Saint-Saëns.” Renaissance musicale (March 4, 1883):
65–66.Hippeau offers a brief appreciation of the composer, whom he describes as
short and nervous with gray eyes and a pale complexion. Hippeau also believes the
composer to be a man with a sympathetic nature, and alludes to his great sufferings
(no doubt the deaths of his two sons). The author limits his comments primarily to
Saint-Saëns’s dramatic works to date, praising Samson et Dalila and Henry VIII and
mentioning La princesse jaune, Le timbre d’argent, and Étienne Marcel. He believes
Saint-Saëns to be a composer who could take a text and capture the poetry, the
drama, and the human passion in his setting. Even though the composer was an
admirer of Bach, Beethoven, Berlioz, Gounod, and Wagner, he did not imitate them.
He also includes the composer’s famous quote that art has no country, only the artist
does. Hippeau believes that “in front of music paper [lined paper] you are neither
Belgian, neither French, neither German, neither Russian, neither Italian.” While
Saint-Saëns may have been influenced by Gounod and Wagner, “he marches in front
of them without following blindly.”
67. Lalo, Pierre. “A propos d’un anniversaire de M. Saint-Saëns.” Le Temps (May 29,
1906).This is a fine but brief appraisal of the musical style of Saint-Saëns in honor of
the composer’s sixtieth anniversary of his debut. Lalo recognizes the contradictory
elements of the composer’s music. It has extraordinary qualities and defects. The
author believes that Saint-Saëns’s style is clear, precise, and well organized, but
often feeling and emotion are lacking. Judging the composer’s overall contributions
to music, Lalo feels that his chamber music, known for its elegance and purity, is of
the same caliber as that of Mozart and Haydn; and that his Symphony in C minor
(the “Organ”), is “one of those rare pieces which one is able to point out after the
symphonies of Beethoven.” Lalo however laments Saint-Saëns’s “injustices” and
“excesses” in his “opposition to Richard Wagner.”
68. Laloy, Louis. “C. Saint-Saëns et les italiens.” Le Ménestrel 7 (1905): 180–81.This
article attests to Saint-Saëns’s dislike of the Italian verismo opera style. The author
reprints a letter the journal received from the composer on June 14, 1905 in which
Laloy accuses Saint-Saëns of “belittling” the modern Italian style. He also reminds
the reader of Saint-Saëns’s “artistic aversions” to Wagner, d’Indy, Franck, and
Debussy. Though brief, this is one of the few instances which deals with the
composer’s opinion of modern Italian music.
69. Lara, René. “Le cinquantenaire du premier concert de M. Saint-Saëns.” Le Figaro
(June 2, 1896): 3–4.This is a brief article which celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of
Saint-Saëns’s debut concert in 1846. Lara offers an excerpt from Henri Blanchard’s
favorable review in the Gazette musicale of the debut. Even as a child Saint-Saëns’s
playing was judged “neat, elegant,” and expressive. The author also mentions a few
anecdotes about the composer, including the time Auber (acting as a contest judge)
commented that it was too bad the winning work, Les noces de Prométhée, was not
written by a Frenchman, only to have the author be revealed as Saint-Saëns! Lara
also mentions Saint-Saëns’s collaboration with Pauline Viardot, his masterpiece
Samson et Dalila, and praises the “strength of inspiration and science of execution”
of his keyboard performances and abilities as a composer. Lara likewise announces
the re-creation of Saint-Saëns’s first concert.
70. Lefevre, Maurice. “Camille Saint-Saëns jugé par ses pairs.” Musica no. 57 (1907): 82.
The author’s statement that Saint-Saëns is considered the quintessential and greatest
French musician is supported by the many quotes of other great contemporary
musicians he has gathered. After a generalized litany of the composer’s
accomplishments, Lefevre gives complimentary quotes from various musicians (and
non-musicians) who admired the composer. These include Berlioz, Gounod, Verdi,
Wagner, Liszt, Bizet, and Hans von Bülow.
71. Lindenlaub. Le jubilé de Saint-Saëns. Paris: Quantin, [1896].See the citation for #60
above.
72. Malherbe, Charles. “Saint-Saëns jugé par un Anglais.” Revue internationale de
musique (May 1, 1898): 293–99.The author critiques a British review of a concert by
Lamoureux appearing in the Saturday Review. At this concert the orchestra played
Saint-Saëns’s Danse macabre in addition to the Overture to the Magic Flute, the
Prelude to the third act of Lohengrin, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. It is
obvious from the quotes of the English reviewer (who only gives his initials, J.F. R.)
that he believes Saint-Saëns’s piece to be “rubbish,” and attacks it for its lack of
imagination and uniqueness. He accuses the composer of “never expressing anything,
because he has nothing to express.” Malherbe defends Saint-Saëns by saying that “he
is content by being himself,” “he shows his musical genius,” and intelligence, his
spirit and good humor, his “correctness,” and his love of beauty. Malherbe likewise
believes that the reviewer’s over-general opinions and comments show that he
actually knows very little of Saint-Saëns’s music, which the English in general must
love and admire, because not only did he compose his Third Symphony to a British
commission, but he also composed La lyre et la harpe for them, and was presented with
an honorary doctorate from Oxford. While this one reviewer may not think well of
Saint-Saëns, it is Malherbe’s conclusion that the English in general must think
otherwise.
73. Mason, Daniel Gregory. “Camille Saint-Saëns: A Modern Classicist.” New Music
Review 14 (1914–15): 196–99.Mason praises Saint-Saëns for his classicism and
believes that “the present day has a real need for artists of Saint-Saëns’ type.” The
author feels that Saint-Saëns is a promoter of “reason” in music, and that no matter
how dry his music may be at times, it is never superficial. Mason also give a brief
but limited analysis of the Rouet d’Omphale to demonstrate the composer’s
symphonic style and his use of program music.
74. Montargis, Jean. Camille Saint-Saëns: L’oeuvre, l’artiste. Paris: La Renaissance du
Livre, 1919. 156 p. ML 410.S15.M6.This monograph is divided into four sections:
“L’éducation musicale,” “L’oeuvre de 1858 a 1878,” “L’oeuvre 1878 a 1914,” and
“La personalité artistique.” Obviously it is an incomplete examination of the music
and career of the composer, owing to the year of its publication. The author also
includes a works list in chronological order (including works edited by Saint-Saëns),
a list of his literary works to date, and a bibliography. The analyses are rather
descriptive in nature, and often general. Montargis draws upon his knowledge of
early monographic writings on Saint-Saëns, including those by Bonnerot (#55), Augé
de Lassus (#52), Baumann (#53), and Servières (#47), in addition to studies by
Hippeau on Henri VIII (#204), Destranges on Samson (#197), and Malherbe on
Ascanio (#209).
75. Musica, special Saint-Saëns issue, June 1907.This special issue contains insightful
articles pertaining to the composer’s biography written by the celebrated singer
Pauline Viardot (#81), his dramatic music written by the composer André Messager
(#210), and his symphonic works written by Georges Marty (#224). Other interesting
and informative contributions include René Thorel’s “Saint-Saëns intime” (#80) and
Maurice Lefevre’s “Camille Saint-Saëns jugé par ses pairs” (#70). In addition to
these articles, there are numerous photographs and sketches which show the
composer in various stages of his life and career. The individual articles are
examined throughout the body of this monograph.
76. Neitzel, Otto. Camille Saint-Saëns. Berlin: Harmonie, 1899. 94 p. ML
410.S15.N4.This monograph begins with a brief biography of the composer before
discussing first the orchestral works, then the dramatic (or “theatrical”) works, and
finally the concerti and chamber music together. Neitzel’s examination of the
symphonic poems includes the Danse macabre, Phaëton, Le rouet d’Omphale, and
La jeunesse d’Hercule. He then discusses and analyzes the three symphonies, as well
as the Suite algérienne. A discussion of the theatrical works comprises the largest
section of the monograph, and addresses Samson, Henri VIII, Ascanio, Étienne
Marcel, Proserpine, Le timbre d’argent, Phryné, Javotte, Frédégonde, Antigone, and
Déjanire. The author takes each in turn and offers a brief history, a list of singers for
the premiere, a description of the plot, and, for selected works, a limited analysis of
the music. The final section of the monograph discusses the concerti and instrumental
music as well as a mention of vocal compositions including the Deluge, the
Christmas Oratorio, and La lyre et l’harpe. His comments in this section are general
and often superficial. Instrumental music mentioned here includes the Third Piano
Concerto, and the op. 61 Violin Concerto composed for Sarasate.
77. Parker, D.C. “Camille Saint-Saëns: A Critical Estimate.” Musical Quarterly 5 (1919):
561–77. ISSN 0027–4631.The author divides this essay into three sections pertaining
to Saint-Saëns: “His Place,” “Artistic Creed,” and “Saint-Saëns the Critic.” Parker
believes Saint-Saëns to be epigrammatic and likens his style to Anatole France, not
Émile Zola. While the author feels that his music is not profound, it is nevertheless
tasteful. Musically Parker states that Saint-Saëns runs toward Bach, then Gounod,
then Liszt. He confirms that the composer is not bound by any school (such as the
followers of Franck), and reinforces Saint-Saëns’s own distaste for excess and
extremism in art. Parker offers a brief table which sets Saint-Saëns’s chronology of
composition in comparison with other French composers, as well as Wagner,
Strauss, and Verdi. This he believes demonstrates that he was independent of
“periods,” unlike others (such as Verdi). Finally, as a critic, Parker believes Saint-
Saëns to be underestimated. His ability to judge calmly and his commitment to study
and examine a work before making a pronouncement make him a trustworthy critic.
78. Platzbecker, Heinrich. “Camille Saint-Saëns: Zu seinem 70. Geburtstage.” Neue
Musik-Zeitung 27 (1905): 12–13.This biographical tribute was written on the
occasion of the composer’s seventieth birthday. It is a chronological expose of some
of his most noteworthy compositions, which the author discusses by genre. There is
unfortunately no in-depth analysis of any of the works, but rather this article is a
cursory acknowledgment of his contributions in each of the major musical forms.
The author does indicate that Le rouet d’Omphale, Phaëton, and the Danse macabre
were the three most popular symphonic works of Saint-Saëns played in Germany.
There is an interesting aside in regard to his travels in Algiers and the exotic
influences on Saint-Saëns’s music.
79. Seré, O. [J.Poueigh]. “Camille Saint-Saëns.” In Musiciens français d’aujourd’hui,
pp. 368–78. Paris, 1921. ML 390.P763.This is a collection of biographies of
contemporary French composers in which the author offers much already known
information regarding Saint-Saëns’s biography. However, it does serve to help
substantiate biographical details and events. The most unique and interesting
contribution is the plethora of rather extended quotes given in the concluding pages.
These come from a variety of not easily obtainable sources which are unfortunately
not completely identified. As may be expected, Saint-Saëns is praised for his
classical moderation, as well as his support of Liszt, Wagner, and Schumann. Some
of the more interesting brief quotes include “[Saint-Saëns] never changes his style;
he practices all with equal ease” and “Saint-Saëns is not tormented by any one
passion. Nothing alters the lucidity of his reason. He does not have a system; he is not
of any one party.” Seré believes that in “the face of frenetic torrents of Richard
Strauss, Saint-Saëns’s music represents a calmness and tranquility of harmony, with

smooth modulations, and great clarity.” He believes the composer’s “classical
coolness” to be a reaction against the exaggeration of the “new art.” Among Saint-
Saëns’s masterpieces, Seré includes La danse macabre, Le Deluge, Symphony no. 3,
and Samson.
80. Thorel, René. “Saint-Saëns intime.” Musica 6, no. 57 (1907): 92.Thorel speaks not of
the “official” Saint-Saëns, but of the “simple man,” and his three faults: “being too
good, often too frank, and always too modest.” The author indicates that the
composer was not attached to “things” but to people. He tells several unique stories
which support the composer’s kindness, generosity, commitment to his friends, and
good humor. Thorel also describes Saint-Saëns as a boulevardier, gourmet, and
animal lover. This article includes photos of Dalila, Saint-Saëns’s pet dog, candid
photos of the composer himself, and an example of a drawing by the composer with
which he often decorated his correspondences.
81. Viardot, Pauline. “La jeunesse de Saint-Saëns.” Musica no. 57 (1907): 83–84.The
author corroborates information given by the composer himself and in other sources
about his childhood (his first concert, studies with Stamaty, etc.). Viardot believes
that his musical sensitivity and polish was the result of the education he received
from his mother and his great-aunt, Charlotte Masson. The author also recounts some
of her experiences with Saint-Saëns as an accompanist, revealing that he played
Schubert’s Erlkönig “astonishingly.” She likewise mentions their evenings of
charades with George Sand, Flaubert, Turgenev, Gounod, Ambroise Thomas, and
Fauré, in addition to Saint-Saëns’s pantomime of Robert le diable with Bussine and
Paul Joanne dancing a pas de deux as the nuns. Other light-hearted evenings of jest
are described as well as confirmation of the private premiere of Act II of Samson et
Dalila, the staging and costuming of which surprised the composer himself. Pauline
Viardot indicates that this private performance took place at Bougival, but Alexandre
Zyiguilsky’s investigation of the letters of Turgenev (#217) indicated that it was at
Croissy-sur-Seine, a fact held to be true and confirmed in Studd’s most recent
biography of the composer.
82. Weingartner, Felix. “Ein offener Brief an Saint-Saëns.” Neue Musik-Zeitung 36
(1915): 82.This article concerns Weingartner’s response to an article written by the
composer in the Echo de Paris. Unfortunately there is no specific citation of the article.
Weingartner accuses Saint-Saëns of saying that “the music of a people is equivalent
to their character,” and that in Wagner’s music one hears the “atrocity against
women and children and the bombardment of cathedrals.” Wishing not to believe that
the composer would say this, Weingartner offers him a chance to explain his
comments. Saint-Saëns refuses to because Weingartner (among other German artists
and book dealers) signed a manifesto to the neutral states regarding publishing. The
editor believes that this is a “foul excuse” and that Saint-Saëns appears to be
ashamed.
3
Biographical Studies: Secondary Sources
83. Aguétant, Pierre. Saint-Saëns par lui-même. Paris: Editions Alsatia, 1938. 183 p. ML
410.S15.A14.This book chronicles the friendship between the composer and the
author through selected letters from 1918 until the latter’s death. These
correspondences offer insights into his personality and views on topics such as art,
singing, children, poetry, and painting. The monograph concludes with several
orations delivered at Saint-Saëns’s funeral, including those by Alfred Bruneau and
Charles-Marie Widor.
84. Anonymous. “Médaillon biographique.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922): 3.A brief
overview of the composer’s biography, this article is much like a lexicographical
entry highlighting various important dates, compositions, literary works, and
biographical information. It does not attempt to analyze or examine style
characteristics or specific works.
85. Art musical, L’. “Camille Saint-Saëns par ceux qui l’ont connu.” (November 15,
1935).This entire issue is dedicated to Saint-Saëns in honor of the centenary of his
birth, and includes the following articles: “L’oeuvre dramatique de Camille Saint-
Saëns (Henri Busser, #185), “La musique symphonique, la musique de chambre, la
musique d’orgue” (Maurice LeBoucher, #128), “Saint-Saëns pianiste” (M.Roger-
Miclos, #239), and “Esquisse de la vie de Saint-Saëns” (Arthur Dandelot, #110).
Perhaps not as lengthy nor in-depth an examination of Saint-Saëns as one might
expect, it nevertheless is an attempt to prevent the composer from falling into
obscurity. The volume is replete with important photos, drawings, copies of letters,
and an excerpt of the manuscript from the “Organ” Symphony. Each of these articles
is examined individually in the current monograph.
86. Athénius. “Pour Saint-Saëns.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922): 2.This brief article
functions as a preface to the 29 articles which follow in this special “post-mortem”
tribute to Saint-Saëns. The composer is described as aspiring neither to be
revolutionary nor to create his own school, but rather he unites diverse spirits. Saint-
Saëns “remains simple to remain great.”
87. Aubry, G.Jean. “Camille Saint-Saëns.” Chesterian 20 (1922): 97–100.This article,
appearing in a British journal, challenges the French periodic press which at the time
of the composer’s death contained numerous laudatory and complimentary remarks
on the composer and his music. Aubry takes the composer to task for being
conservative. Although “equipped with a fluent technical ability” he was “impaired
by a weak musical personality” which was “deprived of originality,” according to the
author. He views Saint-Saëns as having been intolerant and his music as being
superficial and shallow. Despite this, the author grudgingly admits that the composer
played a role in the “formation of contemporary French music,” but prefers Fauré,
Debussy, Franck, and d’Indy.
88. Augé de Lassus, Lucien. “Le coeur et la main.” Le guide de concert 3 (1922):
11–12.In this article, the author speaks of the compassionate side of Saint-Saëns, his
generous heart, and his willingness to give of his talent to benefit others. He cites
some examples, such as his piano pieces for the left hand which he wrote for a friend
who lost the use of his right hand. The author believes that this innate goodness and
warmth was in part due to the fact that he was raised by two caring and sensitive
women: his mother and great-aunt. This article includes a caricature of the composer
in his national guard uniform by Gabriel Fauré and a photograph of his concert of
November 1913 which was in aid of the soldiers of Paris.
89. B., G. “Camille Saint-Saëns est mort.” Le guide du concert 8, nos. 12–13 (1921):
181.This is a brief death announcement consisting primarily of many insightful
quotes from critics and musicians who compare Saint-Saëns to Bach, Mozart, and
Mendelssohn, and praise him for being a “classic.” This volume of the journal
indicates that there will be a special issue dedicated to the composer in January
1922. See citation #63.
90. Baumann, Émile. “Histoire de mon amitié pour Camille Saint-Saëns.” In Intermède,
p. 170–92. Paris: Bernard Grasset, 1927. This is a chronicle of Baumann’s friendship
with the composer. Baumann was first impressed by Saint-Saëns in 1876 when the
composer was in Lyon conducting Étienne Marcel; however, it was the Cello Sonata
in C minor which had the greatest effect upon the young Baumann. To him it seemed
to possess a “sense of inner tragedy.” Other works which he found captivating were
Le Deluge, the C minor Piano Concerto, the “Organ” Symphony, and the Requiem. It
was in 1891–92 when they first met through the introduction of M. and Mme. Roy,
when the composer had just completed the E minor Piano Trio (op. 92). Baumann
also describes the composer’s positive reaction to his Grandes formes de musique
(#53), which he was writing on the music of Saint-Saëns. In this article Baumann
also shares with the reader some anecdotes and stories of the circumstances of their
meetings, and the premieres that he attended. He speaks favorably of Samson, and
refers to Parysatis and Déjanire as possessing an “Olympian splendor.” Their long
friendship was not without its turbulent times. They had misunderstandings regarding
the music of Wagner and religion; however, they always managed to reconcile. For
Baumann Saint-Saëns’s music offers immense joy and happiness.
91. Bellaigue, Camille. “Saint-Saëns.” In Paroles et musique, p. 151–58. Paris: Perrin,
1925. ML60.B438.This brief biographical tribute to the composer was written in
January 1922, just one month after his death. Bellaigue argues that Saint-Saëns’s
music possesses an emotional quality despite what some detractors said. He points to
the “touching farewell” of Catherine in Henry VIII, and Samson’s “Cantilène” sung
as he turns the mill wheel. Other works which the author believed demonstrate the
composer’s gift of musical “spirit” include the prelude to Deluge, La lyre et la
harpe, Phryné, and the Symphony in C minor. Bellaigue considers Saint-Saëns to be
“classic” because his music breaks the barriers of all countries and all time like the
geniuses of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. However, Saint-Saëns does not imitate
them. His music possesses clarity, order, unity, and equilibrium, which bestows upon
it intelligence and reason. Finally, Bellaigue finds the composer’s music to have
BIOGRAPHICAL STUDIES: SECONDARY SOURCES 45
“spirit,” something which the author considers typically a French characteristic. This
is heard in his piano music which he finds to be spiritual like the “ancient
clavecinist” Rameau.
92. Bernard, Robert. “Camille Saint-Saëns.” La revue musicale 16 (1935): 241– 43. ISSN
0035–3736.This brief article was written for the centenary of both Saint-Saëns’s and
Victor Hugo’s birth. The author pay s tribute to the composer whom he viewed as the
“prototype of a French musician,” possessing an academic elegance and a
preoccupation with style, impeccable orchestration, and polyphonic and harmonic
technique. He further compares Saint-Saëns with Mendelssohn as a “son of the
cultivated bourgeois.”
93. Bernier, Conrad. “Émile Baumann et l’oeuvre de Camille Saint-Saëns.” Georgetown
University French Review 1 (1937): 3–17.This article is an examination of
Baumann’s monograph on Saint-Saëns, Les grandes formes de la musique: L’oeuvre
de Camille Saint-Saëns (#53). The author describes how “the history of a musician is
written by an artist.” Bernier chronicles Baumann’s brief account of the history of
liturgical music prior to his discussion of Saint-Saëns’s Deluge, Christmas Oratorio,
and various other sacred compositions. The author groups Saint-Saëns’s oratorios
into three types: liturgical (Christmas Oratorio), biblical (Le Deluge), and symbolic
(La lyre et la harpe), and then he offers Baumann’s observations on each with his
own comments.
94. Bondeville, Emmanuel. Un grand musicien mal connu: Camille Saint-Saëns. Paris:
Firmin-Didot, 1971. 16 p. ML 410.S15 B57.This was a pre-concert lecture given at
the séance publique annuelle on December 1, 1971 before a performance of Saint-
Saëns’s “Organ” Symphony. Bondeville never really satisfyingly answers why he
believed Saint-Saëns to be misunderstood. Rather he discusses the many “paradoxes”
of the composer, such as how he supported Berlioz, Liszt, Schumann, and Wagner,
but he could not accept Debussy. The author draws several parallels between Saint-
Saëns and Liszt: each was a pianist-composer, and each was interested in
“symphonic poems.” Bondeville spends the majority of his article in a discussion of
Saint-Saëns’s views of Wagner. He quotes from various writings of Saint-Saëns but
does not always give his source. He recounts the composer’s admiration of Wagner’s
music, but points out that the “truth is more nuanced.” Saint-Saëns did not look upon
Wagner’s music with the religous fervor of others, he rather kept an independent
view. Bondeville also quotes the composer who said that his opinions of Wagner’s
music did not change, only the circumstances changed.
95. Bonnerot, Jean. Saint-Saëns, 1835–1921: Sa vie et son oeuvre. Paris: Durand, 1922.
241 p. ML 410.S15.B63.This monograph, which the composer himself requested his
secretary and friend to write, continues to be arguably the most accurate account of his
life. Bonnerot indicates that the book is not a critical study, but a “scrupulous and
sober memorial” the purpose of which is to give a precise rendering of the events,
dates, and accomplishments of composer. To that end, the author concentrates upon
Saint-Saëns’s biography rather than offering an analytical approach to his music.
Other more recent accounts of the composer’s life and works rely heavily upon this
premier, accessible, and accurate monograph.
96. Bonnerot, Jean. “Mort de Camille Saint-Saëns.” Mercure de France (January 1, 1922):
273–75. ISSN 1149–0292.In a fine necrology of the composer, Bonnerot offers a
sincere appreciation of the master’s music, as well as a detailed, albeit limited,
biographical sketch. He describes Saint-Saëns’s music and achievements not in a
saccharine and romantic tone, but respectfully and factually, making reference to his
many unique contributions, and his indefatigable enthusiasm for his art. Although
brief, it remains a valuable source written less than a month after the composer’s
death.
97. Bonnerot, Jean. “Les domiciles parisien de Saint-Saëns.” Mercure de France (March
1, 1925): 568–71. ISSN 1149–0292.Sparked by the unveiling of a plaque on
February 17, 1925 at 14 rue Monsieur-le-Prince, where the composer lived from
1877 until 1889 (and the scene of the tragic death of his son who fell from the third-
story window), Bonnerot documents the various places where Saint-Saëns lived,
beginning with his Latin Quarter apartment at no. 3 rue Jardinet (1835–57).
Following that he moved to no. 168 on the Faubourg St. Honoré to be near his
position at La Madeleine. This apartment once belonged to the writer Desire Nisard.
It was here too that Saint-Saëns installed a telescope to observe the Donati comet of
1858. This was also the apartment in which he held his famous Monday musical
gatherings. From 1890 until 1904 Saint-Saëns traveled (after the death of his dear
mother), and preferred rented rooms and furniture since his family belongings were
now in the museum in Dieppe. The years between 1904 to 1910 found him at no. 17
rue de Longchamp, before his final address in Paris at 83 rue de Courcelle on the
third floor. It was from this address that he left to go on his final voyage to Algiers.
There is a plaque on that building as well, according to Bonnerot, which documents
the composer’s time there. This remains an important document for anyone writing
the composer’s biography, or attempting to date his compositions.
98. Bonnerot, Jean. “Saint-Saëns voyageur.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922): 20–24.This
article chronicles the composer’s trips to the exotic climes of Algeria, the Canary
Islands, Ceylon, and Egypt, in connection with important biographical events such as
the death of his mother, and poor personal health. Bonnerot also mentions the
compositions which benefited from these sojourns (Ascanio, Frédégonde, Déjanire,
and La terre promise), as well as works which found their genesis in these countries
(Suite algérienne, Barbares, and Phryné). The author also provides information
regarding Saint-Saëns’s non-musical activities and friendships on these voyages.
99. Borne, Fernand Le. “Quelques souvenirs.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922): 56–57.One
of Saint-Saëns’s former students recalls his first meeting with the composer by
invitation of Gounod and Dannhauser from the Conservatoire. He remembers the first
Monday evening soirée at which Saint-Saëns and Messanger played piano duets of
Liszt’s Mazeppa and Les preludes as well as performances of arias from Samson, a
piano trio, and various chansons. From that point on Le Borne began private lessons
with Saint-Saëns every Monday, often concluding with dinner accompanied by lively
philosophical discussion and attended by other prominent musicians. The author
recalled bringing his score of Parsifal to a lesson, whereupon Saint-Saëns exclaimed
that for his punishment the student would listen to the master play the first act before
lunch, and then afterwards the remainder of the opera. Le Borne remembered Saint-
Saëns as a strict, sometimes harsh instructor, but one whose generosity, kindness,
and genius were exceptional.
100. Boschat, Adolphe. “Saint-Saëns.” In Portrait de musiciens, v. 2, p. 88–98. Paris:
Librarie Plon, 1947. 224 p. ML 385.B8 v. 2.The chapter on Saint-Saëns is divided
into four sections. The first, “Le témoin d’un siècle,” briefly examines the
composer’s place in the period in which he lived, highlighting his debut as a prodigy
to the time of World War I. Boschat quotes heavily from an article in the Echo de
Paris from October 10, 1910. The second is a discussion of the Carnaval des
animaux. The author feels that the two titles, Le carnaval and Le cygne, demonstrate
the “double character” of the work. It is on one hand a “comic fantasy” contrasted
with “episodes of pure music and poetry.” The third portion, entitled “Saint-Saëns
sur l’Acropole,” retells the composer’s trip to Greece, where he conducted his own
Jeunesse d’Hercule at the foot of the Acropolis. This section also gives Boschat the
opportunity to praise Saint-Saëns’s music for its classical attributes, and laud him for
his commitment to beauty in art. Finally, the fourth section of this chapter is taken
from the author’s article in Echo de Paris written at the death of Saint-Saëns. Here,
Boschat points to the influences of Berlioz and Liszt upon the composer, and tells of
his wide musical knowledge which encompassed everything from the ancient
contrapuntists to modern music. In closing, the author lays to rest the rumors that
Saint-Saëns was Jewish by reminding the reader that his uncle was a priest, and he
denies that the composer was mean-spirited by testifying to his generosity and
charity.
101. Boschat, Adolphe. “Berlioz et Saint-Saëns.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922):
52–53.These remembrances come from the author’s research for a biography on
Berlioz, Crépuscule d’un romantique. He briefly chronicles their relationship,
beginning with their first meeting prior to 1850. In 1854–55 Saint-Saëns worked on a
piano reduction of Lélio, and was impressed by Berlioz’s Te Deum. However, it was
a mutual fondness for the music of Gluck that sealed their friendship. Saint-Saëns
helped rehearse Mme. Charton-Demeur, Berlioz’s Dido in Les Troyens, and the older
composer sat as a juror for the Exposition of 1867 when Saint-Saëns won first prize.
Boschat reports that Berlioz believed Saint-Saëns to be “one of the greatest
musicians of our epoch.” The source of this the author indicates is an “unpublished
letter.” He closes the article with the famous story of Saint-Saëns’s final visit to
Berlioz.
102. Calvocoressi, Michail Dimitrij. “Camille Saint-Saëns.” Monthly Musical Record 614
(1922): 25–26.The author in this brief entry praises Saint-Saëns for his technical
excellence, lucidity, versatility, sense of proportion, and the “perfection of what he
achieved within the limits of his outlook.” But he also recognizes the composer’s
lack of emotion and profundity. The author believes that Saint-Saëns’s critics may
actually have been provoked by the composer’s strong opinions which he asserted
consistently. Calvocoressi reconciles Saint-Saëns’s later conservative tendencies
with his early support of the more avant-garde as a result of the composer’s belief in
the necessity of balance and discipline.
103. Casella, Alfred. “Saint-Saëns et les jeunes.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922):
55.Casella, an Italian composer and pianist who was once a student of Fauré, finds
the music of Saint-Saëns and Debussy to be related. He believes that they possess a
“charm, clarity, and neatness of form,” and are distinguished from the music of
César Franck, with whom Saint-Saëns is often compared. The two pieces which he
mentions in the article are Saint-Saëns’s Concerto no. 4 in C minor and Debussy’s
Prelude a l’après-midi d’un faune.
104. Catalogue de l’exposition commémorative a l’occasion du cent cinquantième
anniversaire de la naissance de Camille Saint-Saëns. Dieppe: Château-Musée de
Dieppe, 1985.The author was unable to examine this source.
105. Ceillier, Laurent. “Personnalité et evolution de Saint-Saëns.” Le guide du concert 3
(1922): 29–30.“It is not me that has changed: it is the situation.” This quote from
Saint-Saëns’s Harmonie et mélodie (#284) forms the crux of this article. The
composer never changed on the situation. He never deviated from his style of clarity,
neatness, concision, and finesse, according to Ceillier. Saint-Saëns alone crossed the
period of 1860 to 1910 without succumbing to the Wagnerian cult. That is not to say
his music was not enriched by aspects of Wagner’s style; for that one needs only to
hear Ascanio. But he also looked to Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, and Mozart to
“augment” his musical personality. Sometimes considered too ahead of his time,
sometimes behind, Saint-Saëns always retained a central place when the pendulum
swung in extremes. Ceillier points to the cello sonata (1905), La muse et la poète
(1909), and La terre promise (1912) as examples of his consistency of style and
aesthetic.
106. Ceillier, Rémi. “Saint-Saëns homme de science.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922):
48–50.According to the author, himself a scientist and professor at Stanislas College,
neatness, clarity, and precision, the necessary qualities of scientific research, are also
characteristics possessed by the composer and amateur scientist, Saint-Saëns. He
praises the composer for his better-than-average understanding of various fields of
science, and remarks that Saint-Saëns is probably the only musician in the world to
have read the writings of Faye and Fizeau. Though Ceillier does not always agree
with the composer’s hypotheses and findings, he nevertheless is impressed by his
depth of knowledge and organization of information. The author quotes from Saint-
Saëns’s article “La parenté des plantes et des animaux” wherein the composer
believes after having studied species of plants and animals that both evolved
following the same laws and are only different by a simple divergence in evolution.
While the scientist concedes to a point, he indicates that “parallelism does not imply
progeny.” Saint-Saëns’s affection for the sciences led him to witness eclipses in 1905
and 1911, and to nurture a keen interest in geology which began in childhood.
107. Chantovoine, Jean. “Sur Saint-Saëns.” Le ménestrel 88 (1922): 9–11.This article was
written less than one month after the composer’s burial. The author divides the work
into basically three sections: an introduction in which he praises the composer for his
originality, mastery of all musical forms, and the universality of his style. The
central section is a discussion of the quality of his music through a brief examination
of the composer’s melody, harmony, orchestration, and form. This section is also the
most intriguing in that Chantovoine identifies the apparent duality of the composer’s
artistic career and points to the contradiction of his support for more avant-garde
musical styles, while maintaining a distaste for the total and wholehearted ascribing
to schools of musical thought such as “Wagnerism” and “Franckism.” The final
portion of the article challenges the accusation that Saint-Saëns was unable to compose
“emotional” music, while supporting the composer’s musical style of clarity,
neatness, and precision, which brought glory to French music.
108. Chantovoine, Jean. Camille Saint-Saëns. Paris: Richard-Masse, 1947. 126 p. ML
410.S15C36.Chantovoine considers Saint-Saëns to be one of the greatest musicians
France has ever produced, besides Berlioz. In this monograph the author praises his
style as pure, precise, and moving. While noting his differences from contemporaries
such as Gounod, Massenet, and Debussy, Chantovoine nevertheless recognizes Saint-
Saëns’s contributions to French music. The author believes that musical language
was as natural to this composer as his mother tongue, and that he was able to create
both poetry and drama eloquently. This biography is basically divided into two main
parts: one which discusses his career and his works (with no real analytical
approach), and the second which addresses the man and his “spirit.” Appendices
include a list of principal works, and an interesting discography of a variety of Saint-
Saëns’s music, such as smaller sacred pieces, larger orchestral works, chamber
pieces, and operatic selections. Many pieces are performed by well-known artists
including Casals, Piatigorsky, Cortot, Caruso, Louise Homer, and Saint-Saëns
himself.
109. Dandelot, Arthur. La vie et l’oeuvre de Saint-Saëns. Paris: Éditions Dandelot, 1930.
297 p. ML 410.S15.D2.Admittedly the author’s goal was to retrace the life of the
composer in its entirety and provide a study of his works by means of primary
documents such as letters from Gounod and Liszt, and reviews and essays in
contemporary periodicals including the Revue et gazette musicale. While this
monograph contains copious footnotes, not all quotes are identified. Dandelot
relies heavily upon the composer’s own writings in the École buissonière (#282) for
biographical material. The book, although not divided into chapters, nevertheless
proceeds chronologically with discussions of biography alongside superficial and
descriptive analyses of compositions. This study is one of the first attempts at a
complete and critial posthumous biography of the composer, and therefore remains a
work always at the heart of Saint-Saëns scholarship. There are no helpful
appendices, works list, or other materials included in this monograph.
110. Dandelot, Arthur. “Esquisse de la vie de Saint-Saëns.” L’art musical 15 (November
1935): 11–14.This is a brief synopsis of Saint-Saëns’s life and career drawn in part
from Dandelot’s other biographical work on the composer. The author quotes much
from other sources, but unfortunately does not give any citations. The article is more
a factual narrative than a critical examination of the composer’s music and life. In
the litany of achievements and important works mentioned, Dandelot discusses
neither Saint-Saëns’s writings nor his aesthetic principles.
111. Delage, Roger. “Saint-Saëns humaniste.” L’avant-scène opéra 15 (1978): 90–91.A
somewhat misleading title; this article does not examine the composer’s activities
and lifestyle which won for him the appellation of “Renaissance man.” However, it
is not without keen observations, such as a comparison between Samson and the
composer’s symphonic poem Le rout d’Omphale. Both stories are about strong men
who abandon themselves to women. How this theme might relate to Saint-Saëns’s
own life is unfortunately not explored. The author also mentions Saint-Saëns’s
facility to synthesize style elements, but perhaps goes too far in comparing the
Bacchanale scene to the can-can, and the duet “Dagon se révèle” to a café-concert.
112. Dumaine, Robert. Les origines normandes de Camille Saint-Saëns. Rouen: ALaines,
1936. 21 p. ML 410.S15.D88.This is a reprint of a speech given at the Académie des
Sciences, Belles Lettres et Arts de Rouen. It first traces the composer’s early family
in Saint-Aubin-le-Cauf beginning with his great-grandfather, Nicolas, and his
grandfather, Jean Nicolas (1757). The author continues to trace the family tree,
giving names, dates, and marriages of the family from the eighteenth century through
the birth of the composer. Dumaine also offers some basic biography of Camille
Saint-Saëns, mentioning his many interests and talents. The author quotes from
family letters, especially those of Victor (père) and the abbé Camille (the composer’s
uncle and namesake). Dumaine concludes that his musical talents were from his
mother’s side of the family, while Camille inherited his love for literature from his
father and paternal uncle.
113. Dupuit, Jean-Sébastien. Un maître de musique a Dieppe: Camille Saint-Saëns.

Dieppe: Médiathèque Jean Renoir, 1997. 75 p. ISBN 290742047X. ML
141P1851.S6.This brief monograph was the result of a month of celebrations of the
life and music of Saint-Saëns and his association with the city of Dieppe, France.
The book includes discussions of the composer’s biography by Yves Gérard, and
descriptions of various items in the Saint-Saëns museum by Pierre Ickowicz, the
present curator. The 74 specific items mentioned in the catalog all bear witness to the
composer’s association with the city, such as various concert programs,
presentations, letters, and medals he received. Gérard’s article on the museum hints at
the great variety of materials housed in the chateau, including furniture, scores,
books, and artworks donated by the composer during the course of his life. Also
found in this museum is a collection of more than 15,000 letters, the most substantial
compilation of the Saint-Saëns’s correspondence in one place. A brief history of the
collection and its curators is offered by M. Ickowicz. At the conclusion of the
monograph are concert programs and notes from performances given by the École
Nationale de Musique de Dieppe during this celebration.
114. Emmanuel, Maurice. “L’ésthetique de Saint-Saëns.” Le guide de concert 3 (1922):
27.In this article, the author makes three primary points about the composer’s
aesthetic. He was not a disciple of any modern school, although he admired many
diverse composers including Chopin, Schumann, Wagner, and Liszt. He did not copy
anyone else’s style, and he was also not totally a classical composer. According to
Emmanuel, Saint-Saëns’s music contains many innovative harmonic progressions
and is distinguished by a new use of tonality. Unfortunately, Emmanuel did not
substantiate these comments with any specific examples. Finally, he indicates that
the composer was not illiterate—a seemingly obvious statement, but the author uses
this comment as a way of approaching Saint-Saëns’s diverse interests in music,
science, literature, and history. In the course of his article, Emmanuel recounts
Wagner’s astonishment at Saint-Saëns’s ability to play the most difficult of orchestral
scores from memory, including Tristan. However, he does not cite the source of this
much-used quote.
115. Fannière, Edouard. “Camille Saint-Saëns M.D. Mus. (Cantab and Oxon).” Le guide
du concert 3 (1922): 25–26.This article relays the British fondness for Saint-Saëns’s
music, which led them to offer the composer honorary degrees from Cambridge
(along with Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Boïto, and Bruch), and Oxford (with Kipling,
Rodin, and Glazunov). This act, the author believed, was also a recognition of French
musical culture in general and Saint-Saëns’s style specifically, which is marked by
classical elements agreeable to British ears. Fannière supports the composer’s remark
that despite what he had heard, England produced fine musicians and admirable
choristers.
116. Fauré, Gabriel. “Camille Saint-Saëns.” La revue musicale 2 (1922): 97–100. ISSN
0035–3736.This brief tribute reaffirms what others have said, but from the point of
view of a dedicated student and friend. Fauré attests to Saint-Saëns’s commitment to
contemporary music as well as the classics of Mozart. He also notes how this
“complete musician” and Renaissance man was not influenced by the fads and
fleeting tastes of the time for theatrical music, but rather concentrated his efforts in
the development of the Société Nationale, which supported the pure forms of music.
117. Freuhwald, Scott. “Saint-Saëns’s View on Music and Musicians.” International
Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music 15 (1984): 159–74. ISSN 0351–
5796.According to the author himself, this very insightful article examines the
writings of Saint-Saëns that concern music and “attempt[s] to place his ideas in the
context of nineteenth-century thought, and show how his ideas are mirrored in his
own music.” Freuhwald draws upon various collections of writings by the composer,
namely Harmonie et mélodie (#284), Problemes et mystères (#290), École
buissoniere (#282), Au courant de la vie (#278), and Germanophilie (#283). Saint-
Saëns’s views on opera, early music, and composers of previous generations (such as
Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven), as well as his opinions on modern music and
its composers (including Berlioz, Gounod, Liszt, and Wagner) are examined. The
author quotes extensively from the sources mentioned above as evidence of Saint-
Saëns’s evaluations and opinions. It is an informative article which offers a glimpse
of the composer’s feelings and appreciations of the art of music in his own words.
118. Ganache, Edouard. “Camille Saint-Saëns: Portrait.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922):
6.This brief article is a description of the composer’s physical attributes and qualities
of his personality. The author also offers very general comments about his musical
and intellectual capacity.
119. Gérard, Yves. Saint-Saëns and the Problem of Nineteenth-Century French Music,
Seen through the Saint-Saëns Archives. Ms., unpublished and undated.The author
was unable to examine this source.
120. Gigout, Eugène. “Saint-Saëns a l’École Niedermeyer.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922):
7–8.Organist Eugène Gigout fondly remembers Saint-Saëns as his teacher. He
praises the composer’s technique, purity of performance, quality of sound, and
phrasing. Saint-Saëns was very well liked by the students, who found in him a
“friend of the heart.” He remembers exercises which Saint-Saëns assigned, such as
composing a cadenza to Beethoven’s C minor Concerto, and orchestrating the op.
106 sonata. Gigout also speaks highly of the composer’s ability to improvise as being
“without equal.” Gigout remembers dinners with Fauré and Périlhou at Saint-Saëns’s
as a reward for good work, and the composer’s fun-loving humor as he participated
in the evening’s comic musicales. Above all Saint-Saëns remained a faithful friend to
Gigout.
121. Hanschin, Jacques. Camille Saint-Saëns. Zürich: Orell Füssli, 1930. 33 p. ML 5.N48
no. 118.Swiss musicologist Jacques Hanschin is chiefly acknowledged for his
contributions to the research of medieval music, especially the repertoire of St.
Martial and Notre Dame, as well as for his pioneering studies in systematic
musicology. This monograph on the life and works of Saint-Saëns was inspired by
the author’s own past experiences as an organist with great regard for the composer’s
works and first-hand knowledge of Saint-Saëns’s virtuoso performance abilities. The
lengthy essay is organized in three sections. Part one presents an overview of Saint-
Saëns’s life and career. It begins with an account of the composer’s family
background, with an interest in disproving that Saint-Saëns was of Jewish origin.
Little new information is revealed concerning the composer’s biography. The early
compositions are discussed in relation to the classical heritage of Haydn and Mozart.
Throughout Hanschin views Saint-Saëns as a leading French exponent of absolute
music, along with Franck and the German composers Brahms and Bruckner. He
considers Saint-Saëns’s meeting with Liszt as influential, and offers a sizable
account of the Saint-Saëns’s relationship with Wagner. He also traces the aesthetic
and philosophical parting between the two. In this section the author also addresses
Saint-Saëns’s operatic works in chronological order, drawing comparison with the
works of Berlioz, Wagner, and Massenet. Acknowledging Saint-Saëns’s place in the

history of dramatic music, the second part examines the composer’s sacred and
instrumental music. A brief reconsideration of Saint-Saëns’s relationship with the
church and religion also points to a dichotomy that exists between his sacred works
and those grounded in exoticism, antiquity, and mythology. Only a cursory glance is
given to the oratorios and cantatas. The instrumental works are discussed in the
following order: program music, the concertos, chamber music, and the symphonies.
The third part, though introduced as a “personality study,” presents more of a
reception history of the composer’s style, especially in relation to Classicism, late
Romanticism, and French music-making of the nineteenth century. Despite
connections to the music of Bach and Mozart, Hanschin views Saint-Saëns as a
“specifically French artist.” However, he takes some issue with commonly held
opinions that Saint-Saëns’s style is “matter-of-fact, dry, and superficial,” preferring
to see it as “sober.” Hanschin believes that given the diversity of musical styles
present at the time of writing, there is a significant place for Saint-Saëns in
“European intellectual life.”
122. Harding, James. Saint-Saëns and His Circle. London: Chapman and Hall, 1965.
255 p. ML 410.S15.H2.This biography of the composer is in relation to his
colleagues, friends, and students. The author chronicles aspects of Saint-Saëns’s
career as child prodigy, composer, and teacher. While accounts of the genesis and
performances of works are given, this is first and foremost a biography and does not
offer analytical or interpretive information to the reader. It is important to note that
this monograph is not without error and many of its inaccuracies have been
addressed and challenged by Stegemann in his study of the concerted works of Saint-
Saëns entitled Camille Saint-Saëns und das französische Solokonzert von 1850 bis
1920 (#251).
123. Klein, Hermann. “Saint-Saëns as I Knew Him.” Musical Times 63 (1922): 91–93.
ISSN 0027–4666.The author gives some personal impressions of the composer from
the time of their first meeting until their last in 1920. Klein describes Saint-Saëns and
his music as being “original,” and offers many insights on the composer’s personality
and character. These accounts attest to his enigmatic character: at once witty and
gregarious, then cold and aloof; at once gentle and kind, then mean and pointed. The
author also shares Saint-Saëns’s views of Debussy (whom he at one time thought
talented and original), Fauré, d’Indy, Bruneau, and Pierné.
124. Koechlin, Charles. “A propos de Camille Saint-Saëns “ La pensée 10 (1949): 27–34.
ISSN 0031–4773.Koechlin, a student of Fauré, examines the personality and music of
Saint-Saëns. He testifies to the composer’s generosity, good humor, and charm
despite the many examples to the contrary given by others. In defense of Saint-
Saëns’s anti-Wagnerian stance, he reminds the reader that the master was not the
only famous Frenchman to speak out against Wagner; so did Debussy and Milhaud.
Interestingly, Koechlin recognizes the dichotomy of the composer’s personality and
aesthetics. He did not believe Saint-Saëns was as “dry” as others did, nor as
egotistical. However, he feels that he did make some “errors” in the aesthetics of his
art: his desire for “perfection of form,” and his belief that feeling was the mark of “less
than great beauty” in music. The author quotes Saint-Saëns as saying that “feeling is
a sign of decadence.” This idea, Koechlin believes, makes him a precursor of
Stravinsky. While admitting that Saint-Saëns’s music is not as popular as it once was,
he recognizes the composer’s great influence upon modern French music. He says:
“Saint-Saëns is less confusing than Debussy, and less profound; less liked than Fauré,
less of a rebel than Roussel.” But Ravel learned orchestration, balance, clarity, logic,
and grace from the master. Saint-Saëns was in many ways the man who planted the
seed for succeeding generations of French musicians. Ironically, he was a unique
voice in music of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by remaining true
to himself. He did not change with successive musical styles and schools; therefore
by being consistent and steady, he was a “nonconformist,” which was what so many
avant-garde composers desired to be.
125. Lacroux, Jean. “Camille Saint-Saëns, amateur d’astronomie.” Cahiers Ivan
Tourguéniev-Pauline Viardot-Maria Malibran 9 (1985): 126–28. ISSN 0399–
1326.This article was written by the editor of a scientific journal, Ciel et espace, and
briefly chronicles Saint-Saëns’s friendship with the nineteenth-century astronomer
and scientist Camille Flammarion. The author describes their mutual admiration for
each other’s science—Saint-Saëns for astronomy, and Flammarion for music, more
specifically the organ. (The latter was a choirboy at the Langres cathedral in his
youth.) Especially informative regarding Flammarion’s career, Lacroux also divulges
that there is an archive at the Observatoire de Juvisy containing letters from Saint-
Saëns to Flammarion which at the time of the article had not been explored. Also
interesting is the author’s description of the Fêtes du Soleil organized around the
Eiffel Tower which celebrated the summer solstice with music and poetry, and in
which Saint-Saëns and Flammarion participated.
126. Lalo, Pierre. “Camille Saint-Saëns.” In De Rameau a Ravel p. 94–101. Paris: Albin
Michel, 1947. ML385.Lalo shares many of his memories of Saint-Saëns, who was a
family friend. Some of these stories are rather negative, such as the composer’s
determination to speak ill of Debussy’s Pelléas, and others show a more tender and
amusing side, such as Saint-Saëns’s well-known impersonation of Madame
Carvalho’s Marguerite. However, Lalo insists that this perhaps unsettling dichotomy
is part of the composer’s personality. The author describes Saint-Saëns’s music as a
“perpetual mixture of quality and faults.” While praising his clear, precise, and
ordered style, Lalo indicates that his elegant and brilliant music often lacks emotion,
and that his melodies are not always significant nor very striking, although Saint-
Saëns is a master at handling themes. A respected and appreciated composer by both
the public and fellow musicians, according to the author, Saint-Saëns remains the
gran d homme of French music, and in the fullest sense of the term, a great musician.
127. Lay, Jacques. “La maison de Camille Saint-Saëns a Louveciennes.” Cahiers Ivan
Tourguéniev-Pauline Viardot-Maria Malibran 9 (1985): 125. ISSN 0399–1326.This
one-page article confirms Saint-Saëns’s regular visits to Louvenciennes between
1865 and 1870, and offers a sketch by Georges Regnault of the house in which he
regularly stayed.
128. LeBoucher, Maurice. “Souvenirs de Saint-Saëns: La musique symphonique, la
musique de chambre, la musique d’orgue.” L’art musical (November 1935):
7–8.Recognizing that symphonic and chamber music play an important role in the
composer’s oeuvre, the author praises Saint-Saëns for the “diversity of his work.”
Works he mentions specifically are the “Organ” Symphony (a “monument of
contemporary music”), and the symphonic poems (which allow the listener to use his
imagination). LeBoucher believes that the strength of the symphonic poems is in the
substance of their music, the perfection of their form, and the richness of their
orchestration. The chamber music he singles out for special mention includes the
Morceau de Concert for horn, the Romance for flute and orchestra, the first Sonata
for Violin and Piano, and the sonatas for cello and piano. In these works, the author
praises the composer for his ingenuity of writing and his knowledge of the
equilibrium of the instruments. As an organist, Saint-Saëns impressed LeBoucher
most by his Six Preludes and Fugues dedicated to his students, the Rhapsodies sur
des cantiques bretons, the Fantasie (which one he does not say), and the Marche
nuptiale. He shares with the reader a story of Saint-Saëns overhearing him play one
of his fugues. When he found out the composer was in the church listening, he fell
apart. However, Saint-Saëns encouraged him to begin again, and then complimented
him on the fact that he had played it from memory, something which Saint-Saëns
exclaimed made him “jealous.”
129. Lyle, Watson. Camille Saint-Saëns, His Life, His Art. New York: Kegan Paul,
Trench, Trubner, 1923. 210 p. ISBN 0837142660. ML 410.S15 L9.This monograph
is divided into three parts. Its first section begins with a discussion of Saint-Saëns’s
childhood and education as a musician with Stamaty and Maleden, and at the
Conservatoire. It also chronicles his career beginning with his tenure at St. Merry and
the influential people of his life. Also mentioned are his works as a writer and his
travels which helped to shape him as a composer. In the second section of the book
Lyle praises the composer’s versatility and inherent genius as qualities which made
Saint-Saëns’s music appealing. He also believes the composer’s music to be
wellbalanced, colorful, classical, and not obtuse. According to the author, his “most
individual” works belong to the realm of absolute music, such as the C minor
Symphony, the Piano Trio in F major, the A minor Cello Concerto, and the piano
concerti nos. 2 and 4. In this section, Lyle also discusses how Saint-Saëns’s social
life and his circle of friends affected him and formed him as a man and musician.
The final section of the monograph is a discussion of selected compositions which
are examined in a descriptive manner with limited technical commentary. All too
often Lyle compares Saint-Saëns’s music to others (Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms,
Liszt, etc.). In the discussion of the dramatic works, the author often relies too
heavily upon retelling the plot of the work, rather than offering an insightful or
critical appreciation of the work. The appendix is an incomplete listing of Saint-
Saëns’s compositions and literary works which is not without error.
130. Ménétrier, Alexandre. “Saint-Saëns: Un musicien de la troisième république.”
L’avant-scène opéra 15 (1978): 14–16.This is a brief biography with insightful
observations which places Saint-Saëns in a similar situation with composers such as
Monteverdi, Haydn, Beethoven, and Stravinsky: those whose music encompasses
more than one era of music history. The author offers examples of just how diverse
and stylistically all-encompassing Saint-Saëns’s music really is. Included is a copy
of P.Renouard’s sketch of the composer and a list of his 12 operas.
131. Paquette, Daniel. “Saint-Saëns et notre époque.” Revue musicale suisse 112 (1972):
290–93. ISSN 0036–7710.The title of this article may mislead readers who believe
it, or hope it, to be a vindication of the composer. But while the author takes a
positive stance on the musical contributions of Saint-Saëns, it is actually only an
appreciation of the composer, who still at the time it was written (1972) was
undervalued. The author points to the composer’s diversity of interests and
accomplishments from composition, to musicology and ethnomusicology. Paquette
quotes a great deal from Saint-Saëns’s own writings, but never gives any citations
for the sources. He believes Saint-Saëns to be a more contemporary, twentieth-
century spirit because of his comment that for artistic peoples, the most useful and
humble objects must have style; art should not be viewed as something from on
high.
132. Périchard, Gaston. “Liszt et Saint-Saëns.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922): 54.This
article is a brief explanation of why the author believed that Saint-Saëns greatly
admired Liszt. Quoting some of Saint-Saëns’s own words from Portraits et
souvenirs (#289), Harmonie et mélodie (#284), and Au courant de la vie (#278), he
points to Liszt’s honesty, forthrightness, generosity, and “greatness of spirit” as the
qualities that endeared him to Saint-Saëns. The author also quotes Saint-Saëns’s
insightful comment that Liszt’s influence upon piano music was equal to Victor
Hugo’s influence upon the French language. Périchard does not offer any citations of
these primary sources.
133. Prod’homme, J.G. “Camille Saint-Saëns.” Rivista musicale italiana 29 (1922):
129–48.A posthumous tribute, this article celebrates the composer’s life and career
and highlights accounts of his great works, the founding of the Société Nationale de
Musique, Saint-Saëns’s views of the importance of musical form, and his more
“classical” approach to composition. There is also a discussion of his writings,
philosophy, and interest in science, in addition to his fondness for travel, which may
have been as much to escape personal tragedies in Paris as for his health. The author
quotes from several more contemporary articles and the composer’s own writings,
some of which are not documented. The appreciation concludes with an excerpt from
Alfred Bruneau’s funeral tribute extolling Saint-Saëns as one of the great classics
who was able to compose “in all genres of music with equal superiority.”
134. Prod’homme, J.G. “Camille Saint-Saëns.” Trans. Frederick H.Martens. Musical
Quarterly 8 (1922): 469–86. ISSN 0027–4631.Written within one year of the
composer’s death, this is one of the early posthumous accounts of Saint-Saëns. The
author recounts the composer’s lack of acceptance as an opera composer, but rather
finding his niche as a composer of absolute music, and co-founding of the Société
Nationale de Musique. Prod’homme discusses Saint-Saëns the classicist, the
musicianscholar, the author, and even the amateur scientist. One interesting footnote
is the result of a handwriting analysis on Saint-Saëns performed by M. Vauzanges.
The author quotes from an article by Widor (which the present author was unable to
obtain) on Saint-Saëns, published in Le Galois immediately after his death, which
offers insights into the composer’s personality and temperament. The article
concludes with a moving quote from Alfred Bruneau’s funeral oration for Saint-
Saëns.
135. Prod’homme, J.G. “Les origines Dieppoises de Saint-Saëns.” Le guide du concert 3
(1922): 4–6.According to the author, Ambroise Millet, the first conservator of the
Saint-Saëns museum, began an investigation of the composer’s genealogy, and found
the small town near Dieppe, Sanctus Sidonius (in the original Latin), from which the
family name derived. Millet discovered the family to be primarily farmers, and
traced ancestors back before the Revolution to the tiny village of Rouxmesnil. The
grandfather, Nicolas, was mayor of his village during the First Empire before retiring
to Arques. Other relatives were scattered through the area, including Saint-Aubin-
sur-Mer, and other family names include Blondel, Breton, Auzou, and Letellier. The
composer’s father, Victor, was in Paris prior to 1823 and worked for the minister of
the interior. Correspondence between Victor and his family in the Dieppe area exists
in the museum. Especially interesting are letters regarding his marriage to Clémence
Collin and the birth of their son, Charles Camille.
136. Ratner, Sabina Teller. “Camille Saint-Saëns: Fauré’s Mentor.” In Regarding Fauré,
trans. and ed. Tom Gordon, p. 119–44. Amsterdam: Gordon and Breach, 1999. ISBN
9057–005492. ML 410.F27 R44.Following an introduction, this article is divided
into these seven sections: Education of Saint-Saëns, Saint-Saëns’ Career, Saint-
Saëns’ Pedagogical Compositions, Saint-Saëns’ Students, Saint-Saëns and Gabriel
Fauré, Société Nationale, and Conclusions. This offering is a wonderful exploration
of the composer. Ratner examines his education as a means of understanding his
thinking. She discusses his official and unofficial career as an educator not only in
the classroom but as a private teacher, and as a writer on musical issues pertaining to
education. Also cited are the various piano compositions he wrote for teaching
purposes and those composed as examination pieces. Her discussion of Saint-Saëns
and Fauré demonstrates the paternal solicitude and professional support which the
senior composer always gave his pupil, and his help through the Société Nationale in
premiering some of Fauré’s music. The author draws upon many letters and other
important documents for this fine investigation.
137. Ratner, Sabina Teller. “Saint-Saëns’s Self-Borrowings.” In Échos de France et
d’Italie: Liber amicorum Yves Gérard, ed. Marie-Claire Mussat, Jean Mongrédien
and Jean-Michel Nectoux, p. 243–56. Paris: Société Française de Musicologie, 1997.
397 p. ML 55.E24. ISBN 2283–017122.This is a fascinating study of the composer’s
methods of self-borrowing. The author identifies seven categories which describe
Saint-Saëns’s self-borrowing procedures. The first, simplest and most frequent,
includes the numerous arrangements of his own works; second, he might insert an
independent composition into a multi-movement work (such as the Symphony in A
major and the Caprice Brillant). Next there are the pieces which he “converted” from
one medium into another with new instrumentation and musical form, such as the
Antwort for piano solo from 1866 which became the Fantasie, op. 124 for harp and
flute. Saint-Saëns also “extracted movements from one composition, renaming them
and sometimes refashioning them to serve another purpose.” The author notes
“another technique used by Saint-Saëns included the incorporation of melodic
material of one composition into other musical creations of related subjects or
themes.” His earlier, unpublished compositions provided material for later
compositions, as is the case for many composers. And finally Saint-Saëns “returned
to several known, published works to rework and re-edit them into compositions for
new ensembles.” After identifying these important categories, the author explains
each more fully and offers clear examples of each. This is a very important study on
a subject which has received extremely little discussion to date.
138. Ratner, Sabina Teller. “Richard Wagner and Camille Saint-Saëns.” Opera Quarterly
1.3 (1983): 110–113. ISSN 0736–0053.This article examines the complicated
relationship between Wagner and Saint-Saëns, at the center of which stands Liszt.
The author chronicles the ties each composer had to Liszt, and through the use of
Cosima’s diaries, Saint-Saëns’s writings, and letters of Liszt, she details the roles
that each played in the other’s life. One of the main points addressed is Saint-Saëns’s
disgust with Wagner’s attack on French culture in his Une capitulation, and Saint-
Saëns’s consequent patriotic as well as artistic reaction. Despite trying to have
German music banned during World War I in an attempt to promote contemporary
French composers and thwart what he viewed as German plot to erode French
patriotism, Saint-Saëns was admittedly careful not to confuse nationalism with art.
139. Rees, Brian. Camille Saint-Saëns: A Life. London: Chatto and Windus, 1999. 485 p.
ISBN 1856197735. ML 410.S15 R5.One of the two most recent biographies of Saint-
Saëns, this is a pleasant and interesting read; however, unfortunately almost totally
without documentation from primary and other secondary sources. The author
obviously borrows from pre-existing material (journal articles, and the like) but gives
absolutely no citation of the sources. This is not only frustrating to the reader, but
later in the monograph, events in the composer’s life are mentioned in such quick
succession that one is given the impression that the author wants to bring the book to
an end quickly. Despite these observations, the book is nevertheless a welcome
addition to the present limited scholarship on the composer, and offers an admirable
account of Saint-Saëns’s life and career. The author proceeds in the usual
chronological order with superficial discussions of Saint-Saëns’s music at
appropriate times.
140. Rolland, Romain. “Camille Saint-Saëns.” In Romain Rolland’s Essays on Music,
362–71. New York: Allen, Towne and Heath, 1922. ML 60.R72.In this appreciation
of Saint-Saëns’s career, the author believes that the composer’s music contains “a
great classical spirit and fine breadth of musical culture—German culture…since the
foundation of all modern art rests on the German classics.” This Rolland no doubt
feels because of Saint-Saëns’s close association with the music of Bach, Mozart, and
Beethoven. The author also compares the composer with Voltaire because of his
clarity of thought, elegance and precision of expression, while in a purely musical
style, he finds parallels between Saint-Saëns and Mendelssohn. Above all, Rolland,
who was so concerned with what he believed was the “state of decay” in society and
the “troubled art” of the day during the time of his writing, finds Saint-Saëns’s music
to be calm, possessing tranquil harmonies, velvety modulations, crystal clearness,
and an elegance that cannot be put into words. While some critics hasten to accuse
Saint-Saëns of copying the classical style at times, the author more aptly indicates
that the composer is more “spiritually akin” to these other composers, and not a mere
imitator.
141. Sachs, Leo. “Souvenirs de Saint-Saëns.” La revue musicale 2 (1922): 191–92. ISSN
0035–3736.In this article the author recounts his meeting with Saint-Saëns in 1910
for the Exposition of Art in Munich. Sachs was helping to organize a festival of
contemporary French music and shares with the reader Saint-Saëns’s impressions of
the music which was suggested. When it was mentioned that Franck’s Beatitudes had
been selected, but it would be impossible to play the entire work, Saint-Saëns is
reported to have exclaimed, “So much the better, one will be bored a little less.” His
feelings about the performance of Fauré’s Requiem were much more positive. He is
quoted as having said that the “Pie Jesu” is “absolutely exquisite.” At the suggestion
of performing his own “Organ” Symphony, Franck’s Symphony in D minor, and
d’Indy’s Symphonie sur un theme montagnard on the same concert, Saint-Saëns
replied that such a move would be like having a dinner composed of three meats.
Saint-Saëns suggested that the music of Theodore Dubois not be omitted from this
festival of contemporary French music. An interesting aside is Saint-Saëns’s
comment that Beethoven, the “great man,” had “killed” the solo piano sonata. This may
explain why Saint-Saëns never wrote one.
142. Servières, Georges. Saint-Saëns. Paris: Alcan, 1923. 207 p. ML 410.S15C3.This

monograph is divided into the following sections: “La vie,” which deals with Saint-
Saëns’s biography and career, and mentions (without analysis) many of his
compositions chronologically; and “Le musicien,” which chronicles his musical
education and studies. At this point the author divides Saint-Saëns’s works into three
periods: (1) youth, 1852–1870; (2) the period when his talents were “affirmed by the
public in concerts and at the theatre, concluding the nineteenth century”; and (3) the
last “20 or 25 years of his life.” It was during this time that, according to the author,
Saint-Saëns wrote some “interesting pieces”; however, this period “does not mark
any evolution in his aesthetic nor his procedure.” This final section includes a
discussion of his career as a pianist and organist, and is further subdivided into
sections which discuss Saint-Saëns’s music by genre with limited analysis of specific
works. The author finds Saint-Saëns’s music to be original and to possess a “musical
superiority” which will make it “classic” long after the composer’s death. The
appendix to the book includes a listing of his musical works by genre and then
chronologically as well as a bibliography of Saint-Saëns’s literary works.
143. Servières, Georges. “L’amitié de Liszt et de Saint-Saëns.” Le ménestrel 28 (1922):
297–99.This article is a brief chronicle of Saint-Saëns’s relationship with Liszt
beginning in 1862. Servières proceeds with an almost yearly account of their
correspondence, meetings, and mutual activities, as he demonstrates that their
friendship was far-reaching and intense. Liszt had a greater interest in Saint-Saëns’s
music than just Samson et Dalila, for according to the author, Liszt rarely spoke of
the work after its premiere. Servières also documents Saint-Saëns’s attempt to
introduce and popularize Liszt’s music in France, oftentimes with limited success.
144. Servières, Georges. “Le ‘wagnérisme’ de Saint-Saëns.” Rivista musicale italiana 30
(1923): 223–44.The author begins by chronicling the relationship and mutual respect
of Wagner and Saint-Saëns up to the falling out over Wagner’s Capitulation. Sevières
points out that many of Saint-Saëns’s actions are inconsistent with his anti-German
stance, namely, his concertizing in Germany, and his composition inspired by a
ballad of Heine, König Harald, which he dedicated to the Countess de Schleinitz.
The author also mentions that Saint-Saëns received the Prussian Order of Merit,
which he fails to say the composer gave up at the beginning of World War I. All in
all, the author finds Saint-Saëns to be “Wagnerian,” but in a conditional and
timorous fashion.
145. Sizes, Gabriel. “Saint-Saëns acousticien.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922): 51.This is a
brief article in which the author indicates that in 1881 Saint-Saëns, through interest
and research in the sounds of bells, deduced that bells have only harmonics and not
fundamentals. The author of the article found this interesting and, along with the
composer, continued research on the hypothesis. Thanks to Saint-Saëns’s “method of
deduction, based upon the perceptible harmonics” the author was able to “formulate
a law of vibration that applies itself to all the sonorous bodies observed.”
146. Stegemann, Michael. “Camille Saint-Saëns und Deutschland.” Melos/Neue
Zeitschrift für Musik 4 (l916): 267–70. ISSN 0343–0138.According to the author
himself, “Saint-Saëns’s image has been distorted both in Germany and France
because of his alleged political activities during the Franco-Prussian War and World
War I.” He continues to say that “contemporary documents merely indicate that
Saint-Saëns’s attitude toward German music, particularly that of Wagner, was made
into a political issue because it was useful in the agitation against France. Saint-
Saëns’s legitimate worry—that Wagner could hinder the independent development

of French music—was interpreted as a rejection of Germany in general, and the fact
that the composer placed works of Schumann, Beethoven, and Mozart on his
programs was completely overlooked.”
147. Stegemann, Michael. “Der Mord als schöne Kunst betracht: Camille Saint-Saëns und
die Anfänge der Filmmusik.” Melos/Neue Zeitschrift für Musik 10 (1985): 8–14.
ISSN 0343–0138.In this article, Stegemann offers a discussion of the actual,
historical Duc de Guise, an explanation of the genesis of the film project of Henri
Lavedans, a description of the script (or more appropriately, the sequence of events),
and a discussion of Saint-Saëns’s score. According to the author, the film project had
the support of various new artistic organizations in the fledgling film industry, and
important “stars” such as Charles Le Bargy from the Comédie Française were
engaged to act. Stegemann also gives the reader the six-part story sequence, which
uniquely lists the color scheme of each of the scenarios as well. The information on
Saint-Saëns’s score, the first film score ever written, is very interesting. It is actually
a theme and variations for a chamber group consisting of piano, harmonium, flute,
oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and string quintet. Beginning with a theme which
represents the Duke, Stegemann gives various musical examples from the score with
corresponding still photos from the film. He demonstrates how the composer
manipulated the theme to fit each section. Saint-Saëns titled each section to indicate
its analogous film sequence. This article is valuable not only for its discussion, but
for the five still photos and many musical examples of this unique collaboration.
148. Stegemann, Michael. “Attizisimus und Modernität: Camille Saint-Saëns und die
Wiederbelebung der Alten Musik.” In Altemusik als ästhetische Gegenwart:
Kongressbericht des Internationalen Musikvissenschaftlichen Kongresses Stuttgart
1985, v. 2, p. 245–50. Kassel, 1987. ISBN 3761–807678. ML 36.I629 1987.This
brief article addresses Saint-Saëns’s desire to revive traditions of earlier French
music. The author cites the composer’s interest in the music of Gluck, Rameau, and
others in the French clavecin school. According to Stefan Haack, Saint-Saëns wanted
to restore “material and form as the absolute values,” while Debussy “sought
national independence in music.”
149. Stegemann, Michael. Camille Saint-Saëns: Mit Selbstzeugnisses und
Bilddokumenten. Hamburg: Rowohlt Tashenbuch, 1988. 155 p. ISBN 3499503891.
ML 410.S13S82. This first real modern biography of the composer is divided into two
primary sections: life and works. Within the section dedicated to biography, the
author discusses Saint-Saëns the child prodigy, the “classicist,” the “reactionary,”
and his contributions to Ars Gallica and the Société Nationale. The second portion of
the book, dedicated to the composer’s works, is organized according to genre. Here
the author identifies Gluck as an influence upon Saint-Saëns’s dramatic music, and
Liszt upon his symphonic scores. Stegemann concludes that revolutionary or
reactionary, the composer’s works can stand on their own. Scrupulously documented
(with over 300 footnotes), the work also includes a very fine bibliography which
unfortunately does not always offer page numbers for articles. There is also a helpful
time line and works list. While Stegemann does not dedicate a portion of the book to
Saint-Saëns’s writings, he does quote from them with frequency in German
translation. Another of the excellent features of this monograph is the variety and
number of pictures not only of the composer and his circle, but of places, vignettes,
and people.
150. Stegemann, Michael. “Camille Saint-Saëns, Germanophilie: Hintergründe einer

musickpolitischen Affäre.” In Échos de France et d’Italie: Liber amicorum Yves
Gérard, ed. Marie-Claire Mussat, Jean Mongrédien and Jean-Michel Nectoux,
p. 257–68. Paris: Société Française de Musicologie, 1997. 397 p. ML 55.E24. ISBN
2283–017122.Saint-Saëns’s monograph Germanophilie (#283) of 1916 was taken in
part from a series of articles previously published in the press. Stegemann discusses
“the aesthetic and ideological background” of this work with an emphasis upon the
“reactions of the contemporary French press,” and bringing together the ideas of
Saint-Saëns and other French artists of the time, “especially with respect to the
questions of Wagnerism in France during the World War I.”
151. Stevenson, Robert. “Saint-Saëns’s View on the Performance of Early Music.”
Performance Practice Review 1–2 (1988): 126–32. ISSN 1044–1638.This brief
article provides an introduction to a lecture on the performance of “ancient” music
given by Saint-Saëns during his trip to San Francisco in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific
International Exposition. Several interesting points are made by the composer about
the relative size of Bach’s orchestra for the St. Matthew Passion, about the tempo
and style of performing Palestrina, and the use of the pedal in the piano music of
Mozart. Also worthy of note are his observations about the use of pedal and rubato in
the piano music of Chopin, and the abuse of tremolo by both singers and
instrumentalists. A complete copy of this lecture is housed in the San Francisco
Public Library.
152. Studd, Stephen. Saint-Saëns: A Critical Biography. London: Cygnus Arts, 1999.
356 p. ISBN 0838–638422. ML 410.S15.S78.One of the most recent biographies on
the composer, this monograph traces the developmental periods, varied career, and
reception of the music Saint-Saëns. The dichotomy of his love-hate relationship with
Wagner (and his music), as well as his relationships with Liszt, Gounod, Bizet,
Franck, and others are examined. In addition, his struggles to be successful in the
theater, and his increasing fame (and at times infamy) as a symphonic and chamber
composer is chronicled. Analysis of the music is at times superficial, and consistently
descriptive. Valuable appendices include selected essays written by the composer
from two important collections already found in English translation: Outspoken
Essays on Music (#288) and Musical Memories (#286); and four selected poems by
Saint-Saëns, three of which are from the Rîmes familières (#291) and one from
Dandelot’s monograph La vie et l’oeuvre de Saint-Saëns (#109). Copiously
documented with endnotes, the work relies heavily upon secondary sources and
Saint-Saëns’s own writings.
153. Thiel, Wolfgang. “Pariser Filmmusik-Premiere anno 1908.” Musik und Gesellschaft
28 (1978): 712–13. ISSN 0027–4755.This is a brief examination of the music
composed by Saint-Saëns for the film L’assassinat du duc de Guise. The author
asserts that the composer’s “composition stays within the frame of traditional
incidental music for play s and does not attempt to come to terms aesthetically with
the modern film.”
154. Vauzanges, Louis M. “L’écriture de Camille Saint-Saëns.” Le guide du concert 3
(l922): 19.According to the editor of Le guide du concert, these reflections on the
composer’s handwriting are a part of his monograph, L’écriture des musiciens
célèbres. The author indicates that Saint-Saëns possesses many characteristics in
common with other great musicians—Weber, Berlioz, and Reyer. His writing is
clear, neat, graceful, slanting to the right. Interestingly, these are the same adjectives
that are used to describe his music. Vauzanges believes the composer’s penmanship
indicates that he is “an intelligence of the first order, very lucid, very open,” though
while it is extremely smooth, it “juxtaposes abnormal liaisons between words and
between punctuation.” Perhaps an allusion to the composer’s suspected homosexual
tendencies? From his writing, the author can tell that Saint-Saëns has a goodness of
nature, with some nervousness, and irritability. He has a loyal and sincere soul, and
considering that his signature is the same size as his text, Vauzanges infers that Saint-
Saëns is not egotistical. Many of the personal traits which the author of this article
uses to describe the composer are by no means new; friends and fellow musicians
had mentioned them before.
155. Viardot, Paul. “Saint-Saëns gai.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922): 13–14.Written by
singer Pauline Viardot’s son, who was, even as a child, a friend of the composer, this
article describes some of the light-hearted intimate soirées held at the Viardot house
on Sunday evenings. At these gatherings Saint-Saëns would often dress in drag and
sing selections from Faust (Gounod), and Armide (Gluck), mimicking Mme.
Carvalho and Adelaide Patti while Pauline Viardot accompanied him on the piano. On
other occasions, he would dance sequences from Robert le diable as Fauré and others
have reported. These evenings were quite different from the Friday evening
gatherings, which were more serious, and at which Saint-Saëns would usually
preside at the organ and piano to accompany Pauline. This article contains two
valuable primary sources: one is a reconstruction of a humorous song text which
Saint-Saëns improvised at one of these soirées; and the other is a letter of December
27, 1904 to Paul Viardot, written in verse after a maritime voyage they took.
4
Other Primary Sources Prior to 1921
156. Busoni, Ferruccio. “Reminiscences of Saint-Saëns.” In The Essence of Music and

Other Papers, trans. Rosamond Ley, p. 170–73. New York: Dover, 1957. ISBN
0486–254208. ML60.B9673.Originally published in the Vossische Zeitung in
December 1921, this brief article is a tribute to the composer at the time of his death.
Busoni considered Saint-Saëns to be the last in the line of the Mozart school which
included Rossini, Cherubini, Mendelssohn, Gounod, and Bizet. However, unlike
these composers, he was originally known as a great pianist and organist, which
stood in the way of his career as a composer early on, much like Liszt. He praises
Saint-Saëns for being “well-rounded” as a musician, and technically proficient as a
composer. Busoni, having known the composer, offers a couple of anecdotes about
him.
157. Castéra, R.de. “Les variations de Monsieur Saint-Saëns.” L’Occident 3 (1903):
187–91.The author takes Saint-Saëns to task for his comments on the performance of
early music, namely Bach and Handel. He admonishes the composer for indicating
that because modern instruments and musical sensibilities are different, we can only
attempt to realize Baroque music accurately. Castéra points to an inconsistency in
Saint-Saëns’s argument where he stated that Handel was able to compose a concerto
for harp or organ the solo part of which could be played by either instrument, while at
the same time complaining that Bach’s music could not really be played by
contemporary artists because of the lack of authentic instruments. Castéra also
reminds the reader of the wonderful performances of early music at the
Conservatoire de Bruxelles by Gevaert and by others in Paris as proof that it was
possible. The complexities and thorny issues dealing with the authentic performance
of Baroque music are perhaps better understood by today’s audiences and musicians
than by Saint-Saëns’s contemporaries, for whom this aesthetic was new at the
time. As Saint-Saëns indicated during his time, there was more to it than merely
reducing the size of the orchestra and reorchestrating for certain instruments. This
shows that in many ways Saint-Saëns was actually ahead of his time in this issue.
158. Catalogue du Musée de Dieppe: Archéologie, histoire locale, beaux-arts, Musée
Saint-Saëns, histoire naturelle. Dieppe, 1904. General Collection 14.E.55.In 1904
the first catalogue général of the collection was issued by Ambroise Millet, the
collections’s first conservator, and lists various documents (letters, invitations,
concert programs), books, scores, manuscripts, objets d’art, furniture, and
photographs. Following the death of Saint-Saëns in 1921, his secretary Jean Bonnerot
OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES PRIOR TO 1921 63
and others continued to make contributions to this important collection. This volume
continues to be an important, general source of information pertaining to the items
housed in the Musée Saint-Saëns.
159. Catalogue général et thématique des oeuvres de Camille Saint-Saëns. Second
edition. Paris: Durand, 1908.The revised edition of this catalogue from 1908 is
organized in the following fashion. The first section lists all compositions with opus
numbers in numerical order with incipits. The second section lists compositions
without opus numbers according to genre. These are melodies, duos, choeurs;
musique religieuse’, musique de piano, d’orgue et d’ensemble; and transcriptions.
All of these compositions have incipits. The third section lists all theatrical works
with incipits as well. The fourth section is a listing of Saint-Saëns’s transcriptions of
his own works, while the fifth section is a listing of his arrangements and
transcriptions of other composers’ music. Both include incipits. Next is a section
devoted to his literary works, and the final section is an alphabetical list by title of
works that have been written while the catalogue was at press. The monograph
concludes with an index of all compositions listed first by genre, then within the
genre by works with opus numbers, followed by the works without opus numbers in
alphabetical order of title. Published in 1908, this volume is obviously incomplete,
though still a helpful tool.
160. Croze, J.L. “M.Saint-Saëns: Fantaisie et pages intimes.” La revue illustrée (March
15, 1890): 272–74.This article presents excerpts from letters of Saint-Saëns to Louis
Gallet which Gallet shared with the author, Croze, who wanted to interview the
composer about the genesis of his opera Ascanio. These few letters are filled with
charming sketches, poems, and illuminations from the hand of the composer, which
are quite commonly found in his correspondence. They also offer some information
pertaining to the composition of Ascanio, but primarily they give a glimpse into the
composer’s everyday life during his stay in Algiers at the time. Unfortunately the
author only gives excerpts from the letters, and from one letter (dated “Cadix,
novembre 30”) which Croze indicates is full of “minute details” on the performance
of Ascanio, the author only quotes a poem, thus sharing none of these details with the
reader. Reproduced in the article are several of Saint-Saëns’s sketches and
illuminations.
161. della Corte, Andrea. “Le idee di V.d’Indy quelle di Camille Saint-Saëns.” Rivista
musicale italiana 26 (1919): 381–94.Appearing in the same year as Saint-Saëns’s
pamphlet Les idées de M.Vincent d’Indy (#285), della Corte attempts to look beyond
the cutting and sometimes bitter rhetoric of what he considers Saint-Saëns’s “most
audacious and most theoretical writings on musical culture” in order to reveal the
dichotomy between the two composers’ views on criticism and historicism. He sees
in Saint-Saëns’s attack of d’Indy’s Cours de composition musicale (1897–1900) the
“old motive of germanofobia and its capitulation to Wagnerianism.” Saint-Saëns
greatly disliked d’Indy’s reliance upon the philosophies of Hugo Riemann and his
methodological approach to systematic, scientific, and schematic analysis. Yet, della
Corte finds this to be more of a strength in d’Indy’s treatise, but largely lacking in Saint-
Saëns’s own volumes on Harmonie et mélodie (#284), Portraits et souvenirs (#289),
École buisonnière (#282), and Germanophilie (#283), as well as his critique of
d’Indy’s Cours. Both composers appear to treat musical history in less than accurate
fashions, shaping it to suit their own arguments. Following a comparative review
that challenges various weaknesses on the parts of Saint-Saëns and d’Indy alike, the
author finds both to be somewhat inadequate in their treatment of perhaps the most
centrally important issue regarding musical composition and criticism, that is, the
context of music theory itself.
162. Durand [publishers]. Catalogue thématique des oeuvres de Saint-Saëns. Second
edition. Paris: Durand, 1908.See #159 for annotation.
163. Écorcheville, Jean. “Monsieur Saint-Saëns et le wagnérisme.” Revue de Paris 8
(August 1, 1899): 664–76. ISSN 0066–3786.This article is a reply to Saint-Saëns’s
article “L’illusion wagnérienne” published in the same journal in April 1899. Here
the author takes issue with the composer’s criticism of the cult of Wagner as “the
sport of an illusion.” While admitting the genius of Wagner, Saint-Saëns does not
believe that he is a musical “Messiah.” The author proceeds to defend Wagner’s
uniqueness and importance—the esprit wagnérien—by defining it. He states that
Wagner’s art is in accord with all “manifestations of the human life,” it does not
exist among other works. He believes that the difference between the esprit
wagnérien and that of other great artists is that the former implies a philosophical
element: “His dramas emanated from his doctrine, as his doctrines were inspired by
his dramas.” Finally Ecorcheville states that Wagner’s music is truly a fait nouveau,
and that artists and musicians are frightened by “revolutionary movements.”
164. Lalo, Pierre. “Une opinion de M. Saint-Saëns: A propos de l’interpretation des
oeuvres de Bach et de Haendel.” Le temps (February 24, 1903).In this article Lalo
takes Saint-Saëns to task for saying that the performance of the works of Bach and
Handel is a fantasy (chimère); however, Lalo does not give the source of this quote.
According to the author, Saint-Saëns feels this way for two reasons: because there is
no indication of tempo or nuance in this music, and because of the difference
between the Baroque and modern orchestras. While these points are valid indeed,
Lalo argues that if viola da gambas are replaced by cellos, and the violino piccolo is
replaced by the regular violin, what does it matter? It is better to make these
adjustments and play the music of Bach and Handel, than not to play it at all. As for
his argument regarding tempo and nuance, Lalo is somewhat less convincing as he
draws the reader’s attention to the repertory of Beethoven to support his opinion.
Believing that a performance tradition has built up around Bach and Handel, he
states that no one familiar with the “spirit of Beethoven” will ever be able to suppose
that the interpretations of Richter and Joachim are incorrect or bad; they are in
“accord with the emotion of Beethoven.” He continues to say that it is “the music that
speaks to them.” In this article Saint-Saëns’s interest in authentic performance
practice of music is debated, and while neither composer nor critic offers real
solutions to the problem, they are addressing a very sensitive issue which is still
debated in the twenty-first century.
165. Lalo, Pierre. “Lareforme de la musique sacrée: Les idées et les contradictions de M.
Saint-Saëns.” Le temps (July 12 and 19, 1904).A response to Saint-Saëns’s criticism
of Pope Pius X’s Motu proprio on sacred music of 1903, this article addresses the
composer’s concerns regarding the pope’s strictures. The pope wanted to return to
authentic Gregorian chant as transcribed by the Solesmes Monks. Saint-Saëns admits
that his skepticism begs the question of what is authentic, or pure, chant. He
indicates that “we have lost the key of this antique art, it is a dead language.” The
composer is implying, as did other musicians during this time, that because of the
changes, adaptations, and bastardizations to which Gregorian chant was subjected
over the centuries, it is unlikely that we will ever be able to come to a definitive
OTHER PRIMARY SOURCES PRIOR TO 1921 65
“authentic” chant. The other issue addressed is one of style or “taste” as Lalo
mentions, and deals with what type of music should be “allowed in the sanctuary.”
Here Saint-Saëns challenges the pope’s belief that Palestrina’s music, or music in that
sty le, is the most appropriate to worship. The composer rightly asks, “What about
this polyphony is so particularly religious?” Saint-Saëns reminds the reader that
music of this period, whether sacred or secular, was very similar in its musical style,
and that one could set Latin words to a Palestrina madrigal, and one would not know
that the music was composed as a secular piece. This comment Lalo takes to mean
that Saint-Saëns supports the contemporary idea of resetting operatic arias and tunes
with Latin and using them at Mass or the Offices. However, Saint-Saëns is only
pointing out that what has become a tradition in the nineteenth century existed in
previous centuries. Lalo mentions that the composer believes priests should follow
serious musical studies in seminary, as well as all the arts in general, to give them a
proper education in taste.
166. Parker, D.C. “A Modern Proteus: Saint-Saëns and the Repertory.” Musical Standard
10 no. 256 (1917): 346.The author of this brief article applauds Saint-Saëns’s
versatility above all else, and believes that he is not devoted to a certain school or to
a particular composer, but to art itself. Saint-Saëns’s popularity as a composer can be
traced to two sources: his fine technique, as he is “able to write exactly what he
wishes,” and the fact that no matter what he writes it is not dull. Parker even goes so
far as to say that he has “little doubt that, did he [Saint-Saëns] wish to do so, he could
run Debussy very hard in his own manner.” Above all, this author praises Saint-
Saëns’s artistic individuality and declares his compositions “full of interest.” Specific
works mentioned include the op. 18 Trio, the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso,
Le rouet d’Omphale, the Danse macabre, Samson et Dalila, the Third Violin
Concerto, La fiancée du timbalier, and the second and fourth piano concerti.
167. Parker, D.C. “Saint-Saëns and the Violin.” The Strad 24 no. 338 (1918): 338. ISSN
0039–2049.Here the author praises Saint-Saëns’s writing for strings, mentioning
especially the three concerti, and the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. At the time
Parker felt that the first concerto should be heard more often, and that the
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso “shows the composer at his best.” It is the third
concert which the author believes is the “best violin piece which the composer has
written,” and it should be placed with Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole. Another work
which Parker felt had been neglected was the Havanaise. He finds it charming and a
good opportunity for the “exhibition of real gifts.”
168. Pichot, Georges. “Saint-Saëns écrivain et poète.” Musica 6 no. 57 (1907): 95.The
author compares Saint-Saëns with the “complete” Renaissance man, Leonardo da
Vinci, because of his multifaceted artistic career as composer, writer, poet, and
amateur astronomer. He mentions one of the composer’s first scholarly works from
1881, “Note sur les décors de théâtre dans l’antiquité romaine.” The author finds this
to be a very “prying” work, full of “new observations.” He also mentions Harmonie
et mélodie (#284) and Les rîmes familières (#291) as works of “good quality.” Pichot
quotes from a poem contained in Les rîmes as an example of a tendency toward
sadness in Saint-Saëns’s works. This article is not a critical appraisal of his literary
works.
169. Pougin, Arthur. “Monsieur Camille Saint-Saëns comme écrivain.” Zeitschrift der
Internationalen Musikgesellschaft 1 (1900): 259–61.The author takes this
opportunity to advertise the composer’s forthcoming monograph Portrait et
souvenirs (#289) which was just published that same year (1900). After mentioning
various other books and pamphlets of interest that Saint-Saëns had written, including
Harmonie et mélodie (#284), Charles Gounod et le Don Juan de Mozart (#279), and
his comedy, La crampe d’écrivain (#280), Pougin then describes each section of
Portrait et souvenirs (#289), giving a critical appreciation of each. While in general
terms this article is disappointing in that one might have hoped for some more
substantive discussions on the composer’s writings on the whole, the author does
include a tribute sonnet written by Saint-Saëns to commemorate the 500th
presentation of Gounod’s Faust in 1887.
170. Quittard, Henry. “L’orentialisme musical: Saint-Saëns orientaliste.” La revue musicale
6 (1906): 107–16. ISSN 0035–3736.The author believes that composers of exotic
works, including Saint-Saëns, provide merely artistic interpretations and do not offer
anything more than caricature melodies and rhythms of the people they attempt to
depict. He gives a brief theoretical explanation of the differences between European
and Eastern scales which he admittedly borrows from P.J.Thibaut, identifying only
one non-Western mode (a major scale with a raised fourth degree). He then offers a
cursory examination of Saint-Saëns’s Mélodies persanes no. 1 and 4, as well as an
excerpt from the Suite algérienne and ballet music from Samson, saying that they really
use the natural minor scale with alterations (raised third and sixth degrees).
However, Myriam Ladjili (32) has identified these same works, and others, as
employing the ramal mode of Arabic music. Likewise when Quittard infers that Saint-
Saëns and others depend on monotonous repeated rhythms in the percussion to
mimic exotic music, Ladjili has more recently identified these rhythmic cells as
authentically belonging to Arabic music. While labeling attempts at musical
orientalism to be “amusing, charming, but superficial,” and then declaring that even
as an orientalist “Saint-Saëns is always Saint-Saëns,” the author demonstrates his
own superficial and erroneous understanding of Eastern music. Saint-Saëns is not as
“Saint-Saëns” as Quittard thought.
171. Savari, Pauline. “Le musée Saint-Saëns a Dieppe.” Le guide musical 36 (1890):
n.p.This is an extremely brief acknowledgment of the Saint-Saëns museum,
mentioning the contents only in the most general terms. The author indicates that the
collection houses various original scores by Mozart, Gounod, Liszt, and Saint-Saëns
himself, but no specific titles are offered.
172. Thorel, René. “Les Musée Saint-Saëns a Dieppe.” Musica 5 (1906): 44.This brief
article discusses, in general terms, the contents of the three rooms of Saint-Saëns
materials housed in the Dieppe Chateau Museum. Some specific items mentioned
include photographs of Gounod, Bizet, and Liszt, as well as a statue of Mozart by
Barrais, and busts of Bach and Liszt. There are sentimental items such as a piece of
the crepe from the catafalque of Victor Hugo, and a card from Verdi. The author also
mentions collections of letters by Berlioz, Voltaire, and Liszt, as well as autograph
scores of an unidentified march by Mozart, the Valse mélancolique by Liszt (1843),
and a libretto of Faust with musical annotations in Gounod’s hand.
5
Specialized Studies
Primary and Secondary Sources
VOCAL MUSIC: OPERAS, DRAMATIC MUSIC,

SACRED MUSIC, SONGS
173. Ashbrook, William. “Siren Song.” Opera News 23 (1958): 9–10. ISSN 0030–
3607.This is a brief look into the ways Saint-Saëns’s music effectively defines the
role of Dalila. It begins with a discussion and chronology of the historical rise to
importance of the mezzo soprano as prima donna. Ashbrook also offers some
insights into the most famous music in the opera.
174. Ashbrook, William. “Saint-Saëns et Dalila: Music for Seduction.” Opera News
(1977): 26–27. ISSN 0030–3607.Ashbrook examines details of the libretto which
echo the French classical traditions of Racine, and he compares the development of
the operatic account of the story with its earlier biblical version. The author observes
that seduction becomes the dominant subject in the opera. This is accomplished by
concentrating more upon the character of Dalila, and not the heroic deeds of
Samson. The reversal of emphasis between the biblical tale and the opera is achieved
by means of the three seductive arias of Dalila, which portray her as dangerous and
controlling, while Samson’s music is characterized by Ashbrook as “heroic
declamation.”
175. Augé de Lassus, Lucien. “L’ancêtre: Opéra en trois actes, musique de C. Saint-
Saëns, paroles de L.Augé de Lassus.” Revue d’histoire et de critique musicales 6
(1906): 88–94.After a description of the plot of the opera the librettist offers his
account of the genesis of the work. Augé de Lassus believes that the work was a true
collaboration, and praises Saint-Saëns for his equilibrium of thought, his taste, and
the order and clarity of his music. The author also recounts the composer’s visit
during the time of the composition of L’ancêtre to Burgos for the solar eclipse, and
how both he and Saint-Saëns took time to visit Corsica (the location of the opera), to
better know and understand it for their work. According to Augé de Lassus, the
music gives a “faithful echo” of the locale, and he describes the country as
“essentially tragic.” He is critical of Meyerbeer, whom he felt insufficiently captured
the Breton countryside in Le pardon de Ploërtnel, but believes that Gounod better
captured Provence in his opera Mireille. After Saint-Saëns’s return from Corsica, he
was inspired and vibrant, and worked steadily on the opera in a “little Swiss villa” on
the banks of the Lac Majeur (Lago Maggiore). However, the composer’s work was
not without some difficulty. Augé de Lassus quotes from Saint-Saëns’s letters to him
which stated: “The quartet gave me a great deal of trouble.”
176. Blier, Steven. “The Secret of Samson’s Strength.” Opera News 62 no. 12 (1998):
9–12. ISSN 0030–3607.The author asks the question: Why, after such a troubled
beginning has Samson et Dalila become a staple in the repertoire? First, he believes
that it can be well performed by singers who do not specialize in French music,
citing Christa Ludwig, Waltraud Meier, and Elena Obraztsova as being some of the
more memorable Dalilas. According to Blier, the music, not the text “does the
talking.” While the libretto is what he calls more “user-friendly” to non-native
speakers, the music is what supplies the nuance, creates the characters, and sets the
scenes. The author points to various similarities the opera has with what he calls
“prevailing operatic models,” but is quick to indicate that he believes it is
fundamentally different from other French operas of the period.
177. Bonnerot, Jean. “Ascanio de C. Saint-Saëns: Histoire d’un grand opéra” Écho de
Paris (November 3, 1921).Bonnerot offers a historical account of the genesis of the
opera Ascanio beginning with the composer’s collaboration with Gallet and Paul
Meurice (the author of a play based upon Benvenuto Cellini). According to the author,
Saint-Saëns composed the work between November 1887 and September 1888 while
at various times in Algiers and Las Palmas on holiday. Despite the relatively brief
time it took to compose and orchestrate the work, and various casting difficulties at
the Opéra, the work was premiered in 1889 and was given thirty performances.
Because of his mother’s death, Saint-Saëns left Paris between 1888 and the
premiere, so he was not in attendance. Ascanio was briefly heard again in 1891, and
succeeding attempts to revive it met with obstacles. Bonnerot’s article marked the
first time the work was heard in thirty years. Unfortunately, there is no discussion or
analysis of the music and libretto.
178. Bonnerot, Jean. “Histoire d’une tragedie lyrique: Déjanire de Saint-Saëns.” Écho de
Paris (November 18, 1911).In this article the author offers an account of Saint-
Saëns’s collaboration with Gallet in writing the music for Déjanire, which opened
Castelbon de Beauxhostes’ amphitheater in Béziers in August of 1898. It was
originally conceived as incidental music to Gallet’s free-verse play; Saint-Saëns later
developed it into a complete opera during one of his periods of rest in Egypt.
According to Bonnerot, there is not one page that is not “profoundly modified.”
Despite this, the operatic version bears Gallet’s name, too.
179. Bonnerot, Jean. “Les intermèdes du Malade imaginaire: Le musicien Charpentier et
M.Camille Saint-Saëns collaborateurs de Molière.” Les jeux et les ris, supplement to
Les annales politiques (October 15, 1913): 165–68.This article begins with an
introduction to the play by Molière, Le malade imaginaire, and Charpentier’s
incidental music. In 1892, when the Grand Théâtre under the direction of M.Porel
wanted to revive the work, they commissioned Saint-Saëns to restore the score.
According to Bonnerot, he “borrowed” music from Charpentier’s opera Medée;
however, Saint-Saëns himself composed the opening section of the overture. This he
did in the “style of the time,” according to Bonnerot. Since music for the second act
“Pastorale” between Cléante and Angélique did not exist (according to the author),
Saint-Saëns set it to music. The last three pages of the article give Molière’s dialogue
and the musical setting of the “Pastorale” by Saint-Saëns. While his original music
for the play is not mentioned in Grove nor in other more recent biographies which
SPECIALIZED STUDIES 69
include works lists, Studd does mention Saint-Saëns’s reconstruction in his

biography on the composer.
180. Bonnerot, Jean. “La vingtième année de Samson et Dalila” Echo de Paris
(November 22, 1912).In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the premiere of
Samson et Dalila at the Opéra, Bonnerot composed this brief article which confirms
some of the basic details of the genesis of the opera; its premiere by Liszt in Weimar
in December 1877. The author then presents a brief “reception history” of the opera
from its German premiere to the French premiere in Rouen, where it was hailed by
Parisian critics for its “noble” score, its “luminousness,” “seductiveness,” and
“poignancy.” Bonnerot also mentions the various performers who sang the title roles
over the course of its early history. Other little-known facts mentioned in the article
include that due to to the high cost of its production, much of the scenery was
borrowed from other productions. (This is not unusual.) The scene for the first act
was taken from Massenet’s La roi de Lahor, and the prison scene was fashioned from
an old “canvas.”
181. Boschot, Adolphe. “Déjanire de Saint-Saëns.” Écho de Paris (November 23,
1911).The article begins with a description of the plot of the opera, and occasionally
points to musical elements of the work which the author finds interesting. Boschot
believes the the opera is simultaneously modern and classic. It is modern because of
its colorful orchestration, the fusion of recitative and melodic declamation, the use of
modes, abundant modulations, and the expressive boldness of the writing. And it is
classic in its profound unity and the balance between the voices and orchestra. The
orchestra, according to the author, is used for support, to create atmosphere, and to
suggest what the voice cannot say. Boschot unfortunately does not offer any history
of the original version of the work and its transformation into an opera by the
composer after the death of the librettist.
182. Bouillon, Elisabeth. “Samson et Dalila: La confusion d’un genre.” Avantscène opéra
15 (1978): 8–13.This article begins with a lengthy quote from a letter to Henri Collet
in which he describes the genesis of the opera and the well-known circumstances of
its creation. Another quote from Saint-Saëns’s Problèmes et mystères (#290) is
introduced to shed light upon his religious beliefs, which were not in keeping with
orthodox Catholicism. Why then a religious subject? Saint-Saëns viewed the story
more as a legend, not as a sacred biblical account. The author proceeds to examine
the opera act by act, comparing it with the biblical story, and pointing out
differences, omissions, and additions. Likewise she mentions the similarity of the
characters and general story with Tristan, Parsifal, Salome, and Elektra.
183. Bouillon, Elisabeth. “Samson et Dalila: Drame lyrique ou drame musical?” Avant-
scène opéra 15 (1978): 76–85.Taking her title from Saint-Saëns’s own brief article in
his Portrait et souvenirs (#289), the author discusses what she believes to be the very
poor quality and construction of the libretto, and the characteristics of the music,
which she finds indebted to both Wagner and the oratorio style. The author’s
discussion of music is subdivided into “Les influences wagnérienne,” “Déclamation
continue,” “La fonction des voix par rapport a l’orchestre,” and finally “Rôle des
leitmotive.” In another subsection of the article she examines Saint-Saëns’s musical
style, showing how he is indebted to Wagner and how, despite the poor libretto, the
composer achieves a “style épique.” In closing, she gives limited attention to the
chorus and the ballet.
184. Bülow, Hans von. “Samson et Dalila.” Renaissance musicale 1 (May 1882):
145–46.The author praises Saint-Saëns as being the second Rubinstein, “less strong”
than Rubinstein, but more “highly finished and more balanced.” Unlike in the music
of Rubinstein, one recognizes in the music of Saint-Saëns a “constant harmony of
inspiration, and a critical sense” which is “essential in balance of an artistic work.”
Though Bülow does not speak in any detail about the opera, he nevertheless praises
it, considering it a “capital work” which he places well above Étienne Marcel.
185. Busser, Henri. “L’oeuvre dramatique de Camille Saint-Saëns.” L’art musicale 15
(November 1935): 5–6.While not an in-depth account of the dramatic music of the
composer, this brief article helps somewhat to place Saint-Saëns in perspective of his
time. First of all, according to the author, when Saint-Saëns spoke of “theatre” he
placed music first, while with Massenet the “scene” was first. Because of the number
of operas he composed (more than Wagner), Saint-Saëns should actually be
considered a theatrical composer. Busser praises the composer for his melodic
richness, his orchestral writing, and his strength and grandeur, despite his “sobriety of
line.” Other insightful observations made by Busser include the quote of Saint-Saëns
in which he stated that he would have given all his theatrical works to have
composed the fourth act of Rigoletto. Unfortunately, the author does not cite the
source of this quote. Busser laments that after World War I many mediocre
composers were lauded to the neglect of Saint-Saëns, and despite the deficiencies in
his libretti, such as poorly defined situation and maladroit scenes, his operas are
nevertheless masterpieces. The author closes with Fauré’s quote that in France “we
have two great musicians, Gounod and Saint-Saëns: one shines because of his spirit,
and other dominates by form.”
186. Chantovoine, Jean. L’oeuvre dramatique de Camille Saint-Saëns. Paris: Heugel,
1921. 35 p. ML 410.S15.C4.This discourse was originally presented by the author as
a series of lectures given at the “Concert historique” of Pasdeloup on February 3 and
24, 1921, just months prior to the composer’s death in December of that year. It is
ironic that these two lectures were a part of a discussion of historic concerts, which
indicates one of the commonly held views during the later years of Saint-Saëns’s life
that his music was anachronistic and out of fashion. The first presentation (given on
Feb. 3) is a summary of Saint-Saëns’s operas, opéras-comiques, ballets, and other
divers theatrical works such as Déjanire, Parysatis, and Hélène. The author mentions
each work briefly with some description of its history and genesis. The second
lecture is a discussion of the composer’s aesthetic. The author compares Saint-Saëns
with Voltaire for his “universal curiosity,” his “spirit,” his “cleanness of thought,”
and the “clear style.” Chantovoine iterates the composer’s own description of style as
eclectic, and categorizes the variety of Saint-Saëns’s dramatic works in the following
ways: biblical, opéra bouffe, historical drama, rustic ballet, and scenic music for both
Oriental and classical tragedies.
187. Cleva, Fausto. “The Symphony of Samson.” Opera News 9 (1953): 15, 30–31. ISSN
0030–3607.The author and conductor, Cleva, shares his views that orchestrally,
Samson is a symphonic poem, while vocally, it is an oratorio. He asserts that
consequently the work is very difficult to perform well, and in this article he
enumerates some of the challenges that its production presents. The various dynamic
gradations and balance of sound are only a couple of the elements which demand the
attention of all musicians involved. Interestingly, while the author indicates that
Samson et Dalila is cut from the same orchestral cloth as Berlioz’s Les Troyens,
Bizet’s Carmen, and Verdi’s Otello, he either fails or chooses not to compare this
opera with the Wagnerian music drama.
188. Collet, H. Samson et Dalila de Camille Saint-Saëns. Paris: P.Mellottée, 1922. 132 p.
MT 100.S15.S2.C68.Subtitled a historical and critical musical analysis, this
monograph is divided into five main sections: an introduction, a biography of the
composer, a history of the opera, a discussion of the libretto, and an examination of
the music. The brief introductory material explains the importance of the opera. This
is followed by a well-documented biography of the composer which draws heavily
upon his own writings, such as Problèmes et mystères (#290) and École buissonnière
(#282) as well as Bonnerot (#95) and Sevières (#47). The section on the historical
background of the opera is taken in part from the composer’s own writings, and
clears up confusion regarding the actual premiere and private salon performances of
the work. In the chapter dedicated to the libretto, Collet offers a comparison of the
biblical account with that of Saint-Saëns’s librettist and distant relative. It recounts
the often-told story of the genesis of the work, and then proceeds with a scene-by-
scene explanation. The more substantial portion of the monograph is dedicated to the
music, and offers specific musical citations drawn from the score. Again, the
author mentions information found in other sources, but does offer insights into the
composer’s approach and style.
189. Combarieu, Jules. “Musique contemporaine: Les barbares, tragédie lyrique en trois
actes and un prologue, musique de Camille Saint-Saëns” Revue d’histoire et critique
musicale (1901): 377–78.The author describes the opera as containing rich
symphonic writing, French grace, verve and spirit, strength, and a technical valor,
but lacking freshness, inspiration, and sincere emotion. Combarieu believes that the
years have made Saint-Saëns cold and more ingenuous. He believes that the libretto
is not good, for the title gives the impression of ancient grandeur and epic qualities,
but does not come through. Perhaps it is too stylized for his tastes. The author
suggests that it may have been a better subject for an opera in the previous century.
He also criticizes the lack of essential elements for a true tragédie lyrique,
rudimentary constructions of the scenario, and a sense of “historic truth.”
190. Combarieu, Jules. “Musique contemporaine: Les barbares, tragédie lyrique en trois
actes and un prologue, musique de Camille Saint-Saëns….” Revue d’histoire et
critique musicale (1901): 403–5.The author, while admitting that in general the opera
is a “beautiful” score, has difficulty with the way Saint-Saëns mixes two styles: the
symphonic poem and opera. He believes that the introduction contains “too many
measures” to be an overture, and it is not appropriately a prologue, for by his
definition a prologue sets up the action but is distinct from it. It would appear that the
author has a more conservative approach to opera composition than Saint-Saëns.
Combarieu also feels that the composer’s “ultra classic” style does not fit the drama
of the plot, although the music is as beautiful as some of the scores of Gluck.
191. Cullin, Olivierk. “L’illustration et l’orentialisme en musique: La bacchanale de
Samson et Dalila de Saint-Saëns.” Les cahiers de litteratures, Université de
Toulouse, 1992.The author was unable to examine this source.
192. David, Marc. “L’oeuvre dramatique de C.Saint-Saëns.” Le guide du concert 3
(1922): 31–32.The author praises Saint-Saëns for being the composer of the French
school who “synthesizes the best.” His operas are marked by their conciseness and
neatness, and eschew the sinuousness and overly ornamented vocal lines of
composers such as Rossini. Within his operas dealing with historical or mythological
subjects, he creates real and human characters. According to the author, Saint-Saëns
does not follow the Wagnerian style of music drama, but rather finds his roots in the
“spirit” of Mozart’s operas, and the “grandeur” of Gluck’s. Interestingly, the author
finds a certain verismo quality in Saint-Saëns’s operas. He is interested in action, and
his ensembles are the result of dramatic necessity. Like so many other critics, the
author identifies a certain “clarity” and “elegance” in the music of Saint-Saëns, and
also praises him for his “fine, supple, and rich instrumentation.”
193. Debussy, Claude. “De quelques superstitions et d’un opéra (Les barbares de
M.Saint- Saëns).” In Debussy on Music, ed. François Lesure, trans. Richard Langham
Smith, p. 51–55. New York: Cornell University Press, 1988. ISBN 0 8014–94206.
ML60.D313.In this article, Debussy enters into a discussion with M.Croche about
the necessity and appropriateness of the Prix de Rome. The latter (Debussy‘s alter
ego) believes it to be “ridiculous.” Debussy continues to say that Saint-Saëns’s opera
Les barbares is a pastiche drawing from previously composed music from the 1889
Exposition, and laments that the composer who championed the music of Liszt and
Bach felt compelled to turn to the theater. This critique was originally published in
the Revue blanche, November 15, 1901.
194. Debussy, Claude. “Au Concert Colonne: Parysatis de M.Saint-Saëns.” In Debussy
on Music, ed. François Lesure, trans. Richard Langham Smith, p. 142–46. New York:
Cornell University Press, 1988. ISBN 0801–494206. ML60.D313.This article repeats
some of the discussion on Saint-Saëns’s Les barbares from the Revue blanche
above. But Debussy makes further comments on the composer’s style in general. He
believes Saint-Saëns to be the “essential traditional musician” who “never allows
himself to overload his music with too many of his own personal feelings.” After
complaining that the composer has fallen into the theatrical tradition of Louis Gallet
and “worse,” Victorien Sardou, he begins his discussion on Parysatis, originally
composed for the open-air theater in Béziers. Debussy finds the work to be lacking in
grandeur and having roots in the music of Handel. This work was unable to fulfill
Debussy’s expectations of what music in the open air should be, a topic upon which
he had written his thoughts several times. This article was originally published in Gil
Blas, March 16, 1903.
195. Debussy, Claude. “Henry VIII de M.Saint-Saëns.” In Debussy on Music, ed. François
Lesure, trans. Richard Langham Smith, p. 196–98. New York: Cornell University
Press, 1988. ISBN 0801–494206. ML60.D313 Debussy takes the opportunity of a
revival of Saint-Saëns’s opera Henry VIII (1883) to point out his general failings as
an opera composer. In a back-handed fashion, Debussy calls Saint-Saëns more of a
“musician than a man of the theater” and assures the reader that Saint-Saëns no
doubt had good reasons for composing such “sugary” cavatinas for such a
bloodthirsty character. Like so much of Debussy’s criticisms, he manages to insult
his subject in a polite and naïve manner which, if not read carefully, can be
misinterpreted as a compliment. This article was originally published in Gil Blas,
May 19, 1903.
196. De La Grange, Henry. “After the deluge: Samson” Opera News 9 (1953): 6–8, 26.
ISSN 0030–3607.The author puts the opera in context of Saint-Saëns’s oeuvre and
suggests that the reason it was not initially successful was that Liszt guaranteed its
premiere. By so doing, he freed Saint-Saëns from the popular operatic tastes of the
day to compose as he pleased. De La Grange also minimizes Wagnerian influences
to a few recurring motives characteristic of the Leitmotif. He further indicates that
the orchestra dominates Wagner’s operas, while in Saint-Saëns’s opera, the voice
remains the dominant element as in traditional Italian and French opera of the
nineteenth century.
197. Destranges, Étienne. Étude sur “Samson et Dalila”: Étude Analytique. Paris:
Fischbacher, 1893. 20 p. MT 100.S34.In this analysis of the score to Samson the
author praises Saint-Saëns for his elevation of ideas, purity of style, and admirable
orchestration. He also notes that some of the choruses recall those by Bach and Handel,
although he is not specific. Destranges has a penchant for labeling various themes
which he identifies as leitmotifs representing revolt, curse, lamentation, vengeance,
and desire. He is specifically fond of the chorus in Act I, “Voici le printemps,”
Dalila’s two famous arias, “Printemps qui commence” and “Mon coeur s’oeuvre a ta
voix.” The author believes that this opera is the first French opera to “break with
Italian absurdities”; however, he points to an instance in the work where some
“naughty” Italianism creeps in. Despite his positive comments Destrange believes
that the biblical story creates some challenges in “scenic development.” The analysis
is replete with several musical examples to illustrate his points.
198. Destranges, Étienne. Une partition méconnue: “Proserpine” de Camille Saint-Saëns.
Paris: Fischbacher, 1895. 40 p.The author was unable to examine this source.
199. Dubcek, Marina. “L’orientalisme dans Samson” L’avant-scène opéra 15 (1978):
86–88.This article traces the exotic influences in Saint-Saëns’s most popular opera.
While admittedly not a new concept, the author does make some interesting
connections and observations. The Philistines symbolize the Orient with their
seductive music, while the Hebrews symbolize the West with their more oratorio-like
counterpoint and traditional sound. The author believes that Saint-Saëns’s use of
Oriental effects is not an assimilation of real non-Western music, but rather an
attempt to capture the spirit of the East: it is totally exterior. The author offers some
specific examples of non-Western modes, rhythms, and instrument types, and then
demonstrates how Saint-Saëns adapted his own musical language to imitate and
evoke an exotic atmosphere.
200. Eyer, Ronald. “Samson: Body or Soul?” Opera News 23 (1958): 4–6. ISSN 0030–
3607.The author compares the subject matter of Saint-Saëns’s opera with early
oratorio to remind the reader that the origins of both art forms are linked, and that
they find their common roots in liturgical dramas, such as the mystery plays. With
this point made, the author asserts that Samson et Dalila is in fact an oratorio no
matter what the composer thought he wrote. An extensive quote from Saint-Saëns
concerning the genesis of the work is included in the article; however, the author
fails to give the proper citation.
201. Fogel, Susan Lee. “Samson et Dalila ou le rôle du choeur.” L’avant-scène opéra 15
(1978): 89.This article begins with some comparative comments on Carmen and
Samson pointing to the differences between the two regarding the use of secondary
characters. Carmen has Michaela (the antithesis of the heroine) and Escamillo, but this
type of character is lacking in Samson. There are also no subplots in Samson as there
are in Carmen. However, according to the author, this is compensated for by the role
of the chorus. It serves an integral role unlike anything in previous operas. (Perhaps
because it was originally conceived of as an oratorio?) The chorus in Samson is
compared to that in Boris Godounov and Nabucco: a group of oppressed people who
fight for liberty. Effectively, Saint-Saëns uses the chorus in the role of the oppressed
Hebrews as well as the conquerors.
202. Gallet, Louis. “Saint-Saëns et Brunhilda (Frédégonde).” Le ménestrel (February 24

and March 17, 1895): n.p.Ernest Guiraud, who died in 1892, was a member of the
Société Nationale, a teacher (of Debussy and Dukas), and a composer who was
known primarily for completing Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann and adding
recitatives to Bizet’s Carmen. However, upon his death he left numerous works
incomplete, including a full-scale opera, Frédégonde (or Brunhilda). Saint-Saëns
offered to complete it as a tribute in collaboration with Dukas (who orchestrated it)
and Louis Gallet. This article chronicles Saint-Saëns’s trip to the East during the
winter of 1894–95, at which time he completed the opera. Gallet presents excerpts
from the composer’s letters to him which only mention in passing his work on the
opera. January 21, 1895, he says: “I have tackled on the high seas our last tableau,”
then he continues to describe the natural beauties of the trip. Other excerpts indicate
Saint-Saëns’s fondness for the Spanish zarzuela and describe his trip in general.
203. Gounod, Charles. “M.Camille Saint-Saëns: Henri VIII.” In Mémoires d’un artiste,
p. 189–97. Paris: Calmann Levy, 1896. 261 p. ML 410.G7.Saint-Saëns’s friend and
colleague praises the opera in this brief descriptive analysis. Gounod is likewise highly
complimentary of Saint-Saëns personally, and professionally. Gounod describes him
as “one of the most astonishing musical natures that I know.” His appreciation of
Saint-Saëns’s opera proceeds by highlighting the most unique, and in his opinion
beautiful, elements of the work. He concludes by critiquing the singers in quite
general terms.
204. Hippeau, Edmond. “Henry VIII” et l ‘opéra français: Étude sur Camille Saint-Saëns
et sur un essai de style nouvean dans le drame lyrique. Paris: Renaissance Musicale,
1883. 76 p. ML 410.S15 H4.The author views this opera as “one of the most
remarkable produced by the French school.” Divided in five major sections (not
including the very brief “Conclusion”), this study begins with an introduction to the
young French school and modern opera. Following this there is a biographical sketch
of the composer with a discussion of his opinions and principles of composition. The
next section is given over to an analysis of the work, a critique of the libretto, and an
investigation of some of the important musical motives. The centerpiece of this
monograph is a chapter pertaining to the score of the opera, the orchestra, the
characters, the drama, melody, and ensembles. In the final section Hippeau examines
the judgments of the Parisian press, and offers an appreciation of what he considers
Saint-Saëns’s innovations, as well as his thoughts on the future of the young French
school. According to the cover page of the text, this book appeared in installments in
the journal La renaissance musicale.
205. Kestner, Joseph. “The feared woman: In Samson et Dalila Saint-Saëns seized upon a
subject that coursed through nineteenth-century literature and art: The femme fatale.”
Opera News 51.15 (1987): 34–37. ISSN 0030–3607. This article addresses the role
of the femme fatale in literature, and the newfound liberties of women in society in
France during the late nineteenth century juxtaposed with Saint-Saëns’s opera. The
author also chronicles the various portrayals of the character of Samson in literature
from egotistical demigod to early Christian prefigurement of the Messiah; and that of
Delilah from a prostitute who was a pawn of the Philistines to a priestess and self-
possessed, strong individual agent. Insightful observations are also made pertaining
to the general conflicts of good (light) and evil (darkness). Included in the article are
several reproductions of paintings from various periods to which the author refers in
a limited fashion at the conclusion of the article. Sources for the rather powerful
quotes used in the course of the paper, especially at the beginning, are unfortunately
not identified.
206. Ledbetter, Steven. “Two seductresses: Saint-Saëns’ Delilah and Chadwick’s Judith.”
In A Celebration of American Music: Words and Music in honor of H. Wiley
Hitchcock, ed. Richard Crawford, p. 281–302. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan,
1990. 519 p. ISBN 0472094009. ML200.Although the author spends the majority of
his energy discussing Chadwick’s “lyric drama,” he makes several pertinent
observations about similarities between formal structures in the two works which are
very clearly presented in a table. Important information is offered about the genesis of
Judith, including letters and diary entries which also reveal Chadwick’s admiration
for Saint-Saëns’s opera; however, Samson et Dalila is discussed only peripherally.
207. Locke, Ralph. “Constructing the Oriental “Other” Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila”:
Cambridge Opera Journal 3.3 (1991): 261–302. ISSN 0954–5867.This is an
investigation into how the music and libretto of the opera help create the Oriental
“other” as accepted and understood by Western audiences. To accomplish his goal
Locke “explores a complementary and possibly more fruitful approach” than other
writers have. He examines Samson et Dalila as an opera “inscribed with an
ideologically driven view of the East,” and “by focusing on the larger attitude toward
the East.” To do so he believes will enable us to “free ourselves to consider a broader
range of operatic techniques, including how individual figures are characterized.”
Locke explores themes of Orientalism and the illusion of the Oriental in Western
cultures during the nineteenth century. Thanks in no small part to the visual arts
(especially paintings of Saint-Saëns’s friend Regnault, Vernet, and Gérôme) the
seductive female has been called the topos oblige of Western fantasies about the
East. The role of Dalila conforms to this idea. The author also examines the more
traditional Western elements of the chorus of Hebrews and the seductive chorus of
Philistine women which help to characterize these factions in the opera. Locke also
offers insights into the enemy which is de rigueur in Orientalist operas. His reading of
Dalila herself is perhaps the most fascinating section of the article. Locke concludes
with a brief discussion of arias and songs which borrow from Dalila’s sensual phrase
in the refrain of “Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix “such as Strauss’s Rosenkavalier,
Cahn’s Be My Love, and Bernstein’s West Side Story. This is a more detailed and
lengthy version of the following citation.
208. Locke, Ralph. “Constructing the Oriental “Other” Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila”: In
The Works of Opera: Genre, Nationhood, and Sexual Difference, ed. Richard
Dellamora and Daniel Fischin, p. 161–84. New York: Columbia University Press,
1997. 339 p. ISBN 023110944X. ML 1700.W67.This is an abridged version of an
article of the same title published in the Cambridge Opera Journal (see #207). The
author examines what he labels the “foundational” level of Orientalism in Samson et
Dalila, namely the subject and plot of the opera which suggests “binary oppositions,”
including male vs. female, and self-controlled sexual behavior vs. hysterical and
perverse behavior. This is opposed to the “poetic” level which consists of the direct,
musical elements such as Oriental-sounding scales and orchestral devices commonly
addressed by most musicologists when discussing “Orientalist” compositions. Some
interesting portions of the article include “Point of View: The Other as Temptation
and Threat,” “Oriental Despots,” and “The Enemy,” which address more political
and social aspects of “Orientalism” in the opera. Two main sections of this article
which are specifically abbreviated in comparison to the original are the introductory
material, and the discussion entitled “Since Delilah” in which the author offers more
detail on comparisons between the opera and Romeo and Juliet, as well as West Side
Story.
209. Malherbe, Charles. Notice sur “Ascanio,” opéra de Camille Saint-Saëns. Paris:
Fischbacher, 1890. 97 p. MU780.944.Sa2m.This is what the author calls a “detailed
critique” of the opera, based almost entirely upon more than 30 motives which he
lists and labels in the first five pages of the book. Malherbe, a friend of Saint-Saëns
and a collector of many of his manuscripts, differentiates between two types of
motive. The motif rappelé is found throughout a composition “without notable
modification,” much like “a refrain of a song,” while the motif conducteur has a
“variable nature” and is found in “continual transformations.” The author proceeds
to analyze the opera act by act with copious references to the motives, so much so
that the story of the work becomes obscure. Malherbe insists that Saint-Saëns
“borrows” from, not “copies,” the German musical style, and insists that the
composer’s originality is not that he used the German “formula” of Leitmotif, but
that he assimilates this idea into the tastes and custom of the French spirit.
210. Messager, André. “L’oeuvre dramatique de Saint-Saëns.” Musica 6 (1907):
85–88.This article by a former École Niedermeyer pupil of Saint-Saëns is replete
with many photos and drawings of scenes and performers from the composer’s
various operas. He divides Saint-Saëns’s dramatic oeuvre into two categories: drame
sacré (such as Samson et Dalila) and drame historique (such as Ascanio, Henry VIII,
and almost all the others). He praises the originality of Samson and the well-known
difficulties it faced in production. Messager also compares Saint-Saëns’s use of
recurring themes to Wagner’s Leitmotifs. However, the author indicates that Saint-
Saëns’s themes are complete melodic ideas while Wagner’s are only “embryos.”
Despite Saint-Saëns’s distaste for the ballet (according to Messager), he praises the
one essay in that genre, Javotte. The composer, he believes, wrote with a great deal of
respect for the human voice, and enhanced its beauty; as an orchestrator, he created
theater par excellence. The article concludes with a list of the operas, Saint-Saëns’s
literary collaborators, and creators of various lead roles.
211. Nussy Saint-Saëns, Marcel. Un example du rôle social du spectacle: Camille Saint-
Saëns et la creation du théâtre des arènes de Béziers. Montpellier: Cour d’Appel de
Montpellier, 1971. 24 p. ML 410.S15.This is an address given by Saint-Saëns’s
great-nephew at the opening of the 1971–72 judicial year of the Court of Appeals of
Montpellier. In this discourse, the author praises the virtues of the outdoor spectacles
which the composer was bold enough to write at the invitation of M.Castelbon de
Beauxhostes. He specifically mentions Déjanire and Parysatis as exemplary works of
this genre which consist of music, spoken word, and a cast of hundreds. The author
points to 1893 as the date when Saint-Saëns first turned to the “style of the ancients”
with his Hymne a Pallas Athéné. Lamenting the neglect of Saint-Saëns’s music, his
great-nephew reaffirms Gounod’s description of his contemporary as the “French
Beethoven.” Offering a brief tribute to his ancestor’s music, the author indicates that
his music is “considered as one of the most typically representations of the French
classical spirit, having at the highest point the clarity and distinction of the spirit that
is apparent in Voltaire.” This reason for this topic being the subject of an address to
this august body (featuring members of the Legion of Honor as well as court
magistrates) may likely be that it was in recognition of the fiftieth anniversary of the
composer’s death in December of that year.
212. Ratner, Sabina Teller. “La genèse et la fortune de Samson et Dalila.” Cahiers Ivan
Tourguéniev-Pauline Viardot-Maria Malibran 9 (1985): 109– 21. ISSN 0399–
1326.This article traces the genesis of the opera, originally entitled Dalila. The author
believes that the impetus for the work came about during a time when the genre of
oratorio was being cultivated and popularized by Parisian concerts and competitions
for composers. Ratner offers much solid background information from primary
sources on the singer and would-be first Dalila, Pauline Viardot, to whom the opera
is dedicated. The author recounts the various stages of the compositional process and
reconfirms some of the well-known history behind the scenes, such as Liszt’s
promise sight unseen to perform it, and Viardot’s performance at Croissy of the
second act in 1874. Important details of the Weimar premiere are also given and
substantiated by letters held in the Saint-Saëns Museum in Dieppe. Ratner concludes
the essay with an account of subsequent first performances in the nineteenth century,
mentioning those in charge of the production and those singing primary roles.
Gounod’s favorable reaction to the 1892 rehearsal for the Paris premiere is given in
its entirety with a reproduction of his letter to Saint-Saëns found in the Bibliothèque
Nationale.
213. Scherer, Barrymore Laurence. “Song of the Orient: Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila
came along at just the right time: when Europe was under the spell of all things
Eastern.” Opera News 62.12 (1998): 19–20, 22–23. ISSN 0030– 3607.The author
begins with a chronicle of the variety of ways in which the Orient attracted and
affected Western art, culture, and even politics from the seventeenth to the nineteenth
century. He indicates that Italian music attempted to reflect aspects of the Eastern style,
but the pre-Aïda works (L’Italiana in Algiers, Mosè in Egitto, and Nabucco) were not
particularly successful. It was the French who made greater strides in this; one need
only refer to Méhul’s Joseph, and David’s Le desert. However, it was Samson et
Dalila that the author believes took musical “Orientalism” considerably further. In
addition, unlike most operas, the story is clear and uncluttered with secondary plots,
and the moral is obvious. Scherer compares Saint-Saëns’s style to that of the history
painters with larger-than-life heroes, tableaux-like crowd scenes, and colorful, rich
palettes. He compliments the composer’s ability to create characters through music,
and his use of more authentic Eastern scales such as the hedjaz.
214. Stojowsky, Sigismund. “Die Barbaren von Camille Saint-Saëns an der Pariser großen
Oper.” Die Musik 1 (1901): 316–20.This is generally a review of Saint-Saëns’s opera
which premiered that same year (1901). Although the author obviously respects the
composer, he uses the Wagnerian style as the yardstick by which to measure the
opera, and consequently finds that it falls short. Stojowsky believes that Saint-Saëns
does not develop the characters dramatically, psychologically, or musically as much
as is possible. He finds the orchestral writing “symphonic” in scope, but gives no in-
depth analysis of the music. While “Saint-Saëns’ only musical aesthetic is
consonance and beautiful sounds” this opera, according to the author does not “offer
any new paths for the development of opera.” He finds Saint-Saëns’s “system of
composition for this work to be a combination of historical opera, archaic and local
color, beautiful sounds, symphonic orchestration, and a gloss of Wagner.” The article
contains a fairly detailed summary of the plot addressing the more important
numbers.
215. Vierne, Louis. “La musique religieuse de Saint-Saëns.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922):
37–39.According to the author, the period from 1830 to 1860 was, with the exception
of Gounod’s contributions, a lamentable era for sacred music. Composers of

religious music were ignorant of the meaning of the sacred words they were setting
to music. There was a great deal of musical decadence, over-ornamentation, and
insipid music. However, Saint-Saëns recognized this and fought vigorously against
it. He remained musically faithful to the texts and did not employ theatrical effects or
useless ornaments. Vierne identifies specific qualities in Saint-Saëns’s music which
make it a model of the sacred style: it contains “purity and elegance of form,
appropriateness of expression, impeccable writing and an irreproachable style.”
Vierne then proceeds to mention and briefly analyze various sacred works: the Mass
(1857), the Requiem, some smaller motets, Le Deluge, the Oratorio de Noël, and
various organ works. The composer attests to Saint-Saëns’s reputation as a master of
improvisation, and ability to treat the organ as an orchestra through his registration.
Vierne asserts that the “stone carried by Saint-Saëns for the reconstruction of the
temple of sacred music is a stone fashioned of the first importance,” and arriving just
at the right time.
216. Wild, Nicole. “Eugène Lacoste et la creations de Henry VIII à l’Opéra de Paris en
1883.” In Échos de France et d’Italie: Liber amicorum Yves Gérard, ed. Marie-
Claire Mussat, Jean Mongrédien and Jean-Michel Nectoux, p. 213–32.. Paris:
Société Française de Musicologie, 1997. 397 p. ISBN 22830–17122. ML
55.E24.This article examines the costumes for the 1883 production of Saint-Saëns’s
opera Henry VIII. These were created by Eugène Lacoste, who also designed
costumes for La roi de Lahor (Massenet), Polyeucte, Le tribut de Zamora (Gounod),
Verdi’s Aïda, and Thomas’s Françoise de Rimini. This article is filled with drawings
taken from the collection at the Bibliothèque-Musée de l’Opéra de Paris as well as
two early photographs. These show the great detail and verify the attempts at
authenticity on the part of the designer, who went to London to research his subjects.
Many of the sketches, especially those of the costumes from Henry, Thomas More,
Thomas Howard, and various English men-at-arms, were taken from works by
Holbein. The study for the men-at-arms was taken from a work at Hampton Court
identified by the author as the Entrevue de Maximilien et d’Henry VIII.
217. Zyiguilsky, Alexandre. “L’éxecution du second acte de Samson et Dalila a Croissy.”
Cahiers Ivan Tourguéniev-Pauline Viardot-Maria Malibran 9 (1985): 123–25. ISSN
0399–1326.In this article the author identifies the correct place of the premiere of the
second act of Samson et Dalila. In a 1907 interview with the journal Musica, Pauline
Viardot indicated that this private performance took place at Bougival (#81), but the
author’s investigation of the letters of Turgenev indicated that it was at Croissy-sur-
Seine, a fact held to be true and confirmed in Studd’s most recent biography of the
composer (#152).
SYMPHONIC MUSIC
218. Bender, Gabriel. “L’oeuvre symphonique de Saint-Saëns.” Le guide du concert 3

(1922): 33–34.In this brief appreciation of the composer’s symphonic works, the
author identifies Saint-Saëns as being the first Frenchman since Gossec to promote
the genre, and he praises him for not being stifled by its established formal design.
Despite the comparisons made between his symphonic style and that of Mozart and
Mendelssohn, Bender indicates that Saint-Saëns’s own voice is heard in his works. He
rather compares the composer to a Gothic sculptor whose works break the traditional
mold to create a form which fuses “freedom, unity, and grandeur.” The symphonic
poems, while clearly owing their existence to Liszt, were “born of the desire to
follow unity with more freedom and more fantasy.”
219. Bonnerot, Jean. “Une oeuvre inédite de Saint-Saëns: Le Carnival des Animaux”
Mercure de France (June 1, 1919): 572–73.Here Bonnerot explains that Saint-Saëns
composed this “fantaisie aristophanesque” in February 1884 to console himself
about the cabal that took place in Berlin where he was greeted with cries and
whistles. He likewise indicates that it was played on Mardi Gras of the same year. Its
suppression, by the composer himself, Bonnerot believed was a great pity to music
lovers. He finds it amusing that the composer included the pianist as one of the
animals in this menagerie.
220. Bonnerot, Jean. “La patrie des artistes et M. Camille Saint-Saëns.” Mercure de
France (March 15, 1920): 856–58.In this entry is debated the genesis of the phrase
“Art does not have a country, but the artist has one” (“L’art n’a pas patrie, mais les
artistes en ont une”). While it had been believed to be a quote “as old as
civilization,” some attributed it to Degas or Pasteur. Bonnerot however credits Saint-
Saëns as the creator of the phrase, having first used it in a letter to Edmond Hippeau
in 1881. This letter was subsequently reprinted in the journals Voltaire and
Renaissance musicale. It is also found in the monograph Germanophilie (1916). The
article traces the attribution that Pasteur first said it in 1871; however, the quote as
reproduced in the article is not totally convincing according to Bonnerot. It would
appear to him that Saint-Saëns did indeed coin the phrase in its completeness.
221. Durand [publishers]. Programme analytique de la 3e Symphonie en ut mineur. Paris:
Durand, 1887.The author was unable to examine this source.
222. Fallon, Daniel. “Saint-Saëns and the Concours de Composition musicale in
Bordeaux.” Journal of the American Musicological Society 31 (1978): 309– 25. ISSN
0003–0139.This article is a succinct study of the two winning works Saint-Saëns
wrote for the Bordeaux composition contest, the Urbs Roma symphony (1856) and
the Spartacus overture (1863). Fallon offers a general description of the Bordeaux
Concours de Composition and brief history of the organization which sponsored it.
Important information is also given concerning manuscript sources of some of Saint-
Saëns’s music held in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.
223. Fallon, Daniel. “The Symphonies and Symphonic Poems of Camille Saint-Saëns.”
Ph.D. dissertation, Yale University, 1973. 493 p.The author discusses each of the
five symphonies and the four symphonic poems of the composer chronologically and
places them in their social and artistic milieu. Fallon offers important information
regarding manuscript sources for these works, as well as the genesis and detailed
analyses for each. The author concludes that Saint-Saëns demonstrates an affinity
with the so-called Parnassian poets, and that his “preoccupation with technical
virtuosity has precluded any trace of individuality” and that his style is “impersonal.”
Despite this, the author believes that, like the Parnassians’ attempt to revive the
sonnet and formes fixes of the Middle Ages, Saint-Saëns is in his element when
working with abstract and traditional forms.
224. Marty, Georges. “L’oeuvres symphoniques de Saint-Saëns.” Musica 6.57 (1907):
91.The author praises Saint-Saëns for his “distinctness of inspiration,” his form, and
the “simplicity of the means he employs.” Marty specifically mentions that Saint-
Saëns has the ability to develop beautifully an idea which may at first appear to have
little value. This he compares to the finale of Mozart’s Jupiter symphony, which he
feels could easily have been written by Saint-Saëns himself. In regard to the
symphonic poems, Marty believes that the composer’s ideas are not “obscured by an
ideology” which is not only useless, but harmful to the music. But rather, his music
is “clear” (a quality the author believes is typically French), and it contains “spirit.”
225. Medek, Tilo. “Auf der Suche nach der verlorenen Schonheit: Die funf Sinfonien von
Camille Saint-Saëns.” Musica 30.5 (1976): 392–94. ISSN 0027– 4518.In this article
the author addresses the problems of the numbering of Saint-Saëns’s five
symphonies. Since, according to the author, Saint-Saëns only numbered three
himself, there is a great deal involved in “attempting to establish and renumber”
them.
226. Stegemann, Michael. “C.Saint-Saëns: Le carnaval des animaux.” In Werk-analyse in
Beispielen, p. 219–28. Regensburg: Bosse, 1986. 423 p. ISBN 364922761. MT
90.W48.The author begins with a discussion of the composer’s time as teacher at the
École Niedermeyer before a brief section on the reception of the composition.
Stegemann divides the menagerie by animal types: mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish.
But he divides them further, by the manner in which Saint-Saëns describes them
musically. First are the character pieces (the introduction, the Aquarium, and the
Swan); the second category is by the animal’s gait (such as the tortoise and
elephant), and the third group is by the animal’s sound or voice (this includes the
chickens and the cuckoo). In this section, the author also offers some harmonic
analysis. The article concludes with a discussion of the element of parody in the
work. Here Stegemann mentions Mozart’s Ein musikalischer Spass, Siegfried Och’s
humorous folk song variations, and Karl Hermann Pillney’s Eskapaden eines
Gassenhauers. However, he believes Saint-Saëns’s offering to be more subtle artistic
work. He points to the various musical forms which the composer employs in his
“zoological fantasy”: a march (no. 1), a waltz (no. 5), an étude (no. 3), a scherzo (no.
10), a canon (no. 2), a rondo (no. 12), a romance (no. 13), and a quodlibet (no. 14). This,
along with the style and a well-developed sense of wit, continue to make the Carnival
of the Animals a popular piece.
KEYBOARD MUSIC: ORGAN AND PIANO
227. Cellier, Alexandre. “Une heure avec Camille Saint-Saëns.” L’orgue 73 (1954):
122–24. ISSN 0030–5170.This is a short tribute which offers a glimpse of the
composer at the console of the Église de l’Étoile. Saint-Saëns paid a visit there in
1917 to try out his Sept improvisations, which were newly composed and never been
played upon an organ before, according to the author. The exchange between the
composer and the author shows Saint-Saëns as an amiable, witty, and gracious
visitor, who at 82 showed no signs of slowing down. Unfortunately the premiere of
the works on that instrument did not materialize. The article includes a photograph of
Saint-Saëns at the organ in the Salle Gaveau.
228. Cortot, Alfred. “Saint-Saëns et le piano.” In La musique française de piano, v. 2.
Paris: Reider, 1930. 3 v. ML724.C7.Cortot arranges Saint-Saëns’s piano works into
four categories: music for piano solo, works for piano and orchestra, four-hand piano
pieces (for one and two pianos), and piano transcriptions of both his own work and
that of other composers. The solo piano pieces Cortot finds rather predictable and
invariable in style: the melody is in the right hand, and the rhythm and harmonic
movement is in the left. He is more enthusiastic about the concerti. Cortot finds them
a magnificent contribution to the repertory, and in this section he discusses each one,
comparing and contrasting them with Liszt, Schumann, and Mendelssohn. He then
gives a rather limited and cursory mention of the non-concerto works for piano and
orchestra, which he finds less important. The piano transcriptions Cortot believes are
generally not as brilliant as the original works. They are “flat” and dull. He does
recommend, however, the Caprice für les Airs de Ballet d’Alceste. In the final
category, the author rather dismissively addresses the four-hand piano pieces, citing
König Harald, the Caprice héroïque, and the Variations sur un theme de Beethoven
as being his best pieces in this genre. An interesting insight into Saint-Saëns’s own
playing is mentioned in this section. Cortot, who premiered the Caprice héroïque,
indicated that the composer used the pedal very sparingly when he played. This may
give some insight into Saint-Saëns’s ideas of pedaling for his own piano pieces.
Despite Cortot’s respect and admiration for the composer, he seems almost
begrudgingly to give Saint-Saëns a place of importance “in a period of transition”
from the classical to the modern era.
229. Grace, Harvey. “Saint-Saëns: New Organ Works.” Musical Times 58.896 (1917):
448–50. ISSN 0027–4666.This article is a review of the Sept improvisations (1917).
The author presents a rather cursory discussion of the pieces with no real analysis.
Several times he refers to the composer’s use of plainchant quotes which he never
identifies nor substantiates. While the author judges these works to be not as “lofty”
as the two fantasias (in E-flat and D-flat) and the preludes and fugues, he indicates
that they are “well worthy” of the composer.
230. Huré, Jean. “Saint-Saëns organiste honoraire de Saint-Séverin.” Le guide de concert
3 (1922): 9–10.The author speaks primarily of two elements of Saint-Saëns’s ability
as an organist: his gift of improvisation and his taste and style of registration. The
author testifies to the composer’s ability to improvise in counterpoint, not only in
two and three voices, but in four-voice polyphony as well, even managing to include
the melody of a motet that the choir sang at Mass in the pedal line of his
improvisation. Huré describes Saint-Saëns’s subjects as being neat, clear, and
incisive. At other times, Saint-Saëns’s improvisations could be more pianistic,
relying upon arpeggios, and parallel sixths as an accompaniment to a pedal melody.
The composer’s interest in the more “ancient” organ stops such as mutations, and the
older instruments in Holland, helped the renaissance of French classical organ
literature. One of his favorite forms to improvise was a trio with the very classical
registration of a cornet in the soprano, a cromorne in the tenor, and a grosse flûte in
the bass.
231. Lalo, Pierre. “La journée de M.Saint-Saëns: M.Saint-Saëns compositeur, pianiste et
chef d’orchestre.” Le Temps (October 29, 1907): n.p. The author believed that even
though Saint-Saëns had enriched French music, and was one of the great artists of
the time, it was too much to say that he was without rival in the world. Lalo feels
that he composed some works which were better not to have been written; however,
he mentions none of these by name. The author praises Saint-Saëns’s chamber music
for its purity, style, and “architecture” worthy of Mozart and Haydn. His symphonic
poems he believes are some of the most perfect written in the genre. The third
symphony he ranks only after those of Beethoven, while Samson et Dalila he feels is
one of the best five or six French operas. These compliments notwithstanding, Lalo
indicates that Saint-Saëns’s music lacks feeling and emotion, although it is clear,
precise, lively, and ordered. His melodic ideas the author believes are not significant,
but they are developed in an ingenious manner. For proof of this, Lalo refers the
reader to the C minor Symphony. While admitting that Saint-Saëns “plays the piano
well,” Lalo believes that M. Diémer play s better still. As a conductor the author
feels that Saint-Saëns is “disconcerting.” He describes the composer’s conducting
style as containing more “dryness than authority,” and he indicates that Saint-Saëns
does not appear to “master” the orchestra, but that “he conducts for himself, rather
than the musicians and the public.”
232. Morel, Fritz. “Camille Saint-Saëns organiste.” Trans. Marie-Odile Servanjean.
Orgue 160/161 (1975–76): 103–16. ISSN 0030–5170.This text appeared in Musik
und Gottesdienst (Zurich), 1971, no. 6, p. 132– 133, and 1972, no. 5, p. 127–139.
This article presents an introduction to the organ music of Saint-Saëns by discussing
his various ecclesiastical appointments, his work for the Cavaillé-Coll company, and
his organ compositions. Especially insightful are descriptions of concerts at which
the composer played (including the repertory performed), discussions of Saint-
Saëns’s style and technique, and his own account of what was played during Mass
and Vespers at La Madeleine, which he wrote for his successor, Fauré.
Unfortunately, the author does not supply sources for quoted materials.
233. Perry, Susan Cotton. “The Solo Organ and Harmonium Works of Camille Saint-
Saëns: A Chronological Analysis.” Ph.D. dissertation, University of Kentucky,
1994.Relying heavily upon various primary sources from the Conservatoire National
de Musique, records at Saint-Merry, the Madeleine, and Saint-Séverin in addition to
correspondence in the Durand Archives and elsewhere, the author first presents a
discussion of Saint-Saëns’s career as an organist. After that, she offers a detailed
stylistic analysis of the music, giving attention to the changes in his style, and
assesses Saint-Saëns’s contributions to the French school of symphonic organ music.
The author refutes other assertions that the composer’s musical style remained
constant throughout his career, by demonstrating how, over the entire span of his
composition for organ, there are significant changes in technique, harmonic
language, and musical form. Perry points out that several of the stylistic elements of
the French symphonic organ school attributed to Franck and Widor actually were
first present in compositions of Saint-Saëns. Appendix A of this study is a
description of the composer’s manuscript sketches of the Preludes and Fugues, opp.
99 and 109, and the Marche religieuse, op. 107 found in the Bibliothèque Nationale,
and Appendix B contains outlines of the opp. 99 and 109 fugues and “late” period
works, such as Cyprès, op. 156, the Fantasie, op. 157, and the Sept improvisations,
op. 150.
234. Philipp, Isidore. “Saint-Saëns pianiste et organiste.” Musica 57 (1907): 90.This brief
article is in two sections. In the first, the author gives a first-hand account of Saint-
Saëns’s piano technique. He says that at the age of 70, the composer was still a great
virtuoso. Saint-Saëns’s articulation is described as “supple” and he created a
“beautiful legato” which was no longer known to the virtuoso pianists of the day.
The second part of the article is given over to an appreciation of certain works for
piano, namely the five concerti, Africa for piano and orchestra, and the Rhapsodie
d’Auvergne. Philippe considers Saint-Saëns’s piano works to be every bit as original
as those of Liszt, whom the composer admired greatly. Since Philippe was a
professor of piano at the Conservatoire, it is little wonder that only one paragraph is
given to a superficial discussion of Saint-Saëns’s organ music.
235. Philipp, Isidore. “Saint-Saëns pianiste et compositeur pour le piano.” Le guide du
concert 3 (1922): 40–41.This article begins with the often-told story of the composer
as a three-year-old being presented with a toy piano, upon which he carefully played
a scale rather than merely making noise with it. The author recounts Saint-Saëns’s
early training with Stamaty, comparing the precocious, talented child to Mozart and
Mendelssohn, and tells of his youthful recitals at the Salle Playel, at the home of the
Duchess of Orléans, and the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire. Most
informative and interesting is Philipp’s description of Saint-Saëns’s playing, which he
heard at first hand. He indicates that it had a purity of style and a correctness of
expression, and that the master possessed a suppleness and surety of playing that
made difficult passages seem simple. Philipp notes the composer’s nuance and
beautiful legato as qualities unknown to contemporary players. Saint-Saëns allowed
his fingers to do the work, not his arms. The author divides the composer’s piano
music into two primary categories: traditional forms, such as the études and dance
pieces (waltzes, mazurkas, etc.), and character pieces (intentions pittoresques), which
include the Chanson napolitaine, Souvenirs d’Ismailia, and the like. Despite his
important contributions to these genres, Philipp believes that Saint-Saëns’s most
original and unique contributions to piano music are found in his concerti, where the
piano is on an equal level with the orchestra.
236. Philipp, Isidore. “Souvenirs sur Anton Rubinstein, Camille Saint-Saëns et Busoni”.
Revue internationale de musique nos. 5–6 (1939): 907–12.The pianist Isidore Philipp,
presented to Saint-Saëns by Georges Mathais, recounts his first meeting with and
impressions of the master. At his audition he played Beethoven’s op. 52 sonata and
Mendelssohn’s Rondo capriccioso, both of which received praise from Saint-Saëns.
However, the composer felt that Philipp was too timid, which was not good for a
virtuoso. He invited the young pianist to return the next day at 9, at which time Saint-
Saëns “raged, cried, and encouraged” the young Philipp. It was Madame Saint-Saëns
who finally interceded, complaining that her son was too hard on the boy. The lesson
lasted three hours. Interesting comments Saint-Saëns shared with Philipp included:
“The mania for playing too fast that reigns today destroys musical form and makes
music a confusing noise.” “The abuse of the pedal is an odious defect, but one can
learn to use it with discretion. The pedal ought never to confuse the performance. It
is necessary to work as much as possible without the pedal. For Bach, Mozart and
the clavecinists, it is necessary to almost dispense with it completely.” Saint-Saëns
also demanded great reserve in the movement of the body and criticized unuseful
movement of the arms and hands. These and other comments also offer insights into
Saint-Saëns’s own playing.
237. Ratner, Sabina Teller. “The Piano Music of Camille Saint-Saëns.” Ph.D. dissertation,
University of Michigan, 1972. 374 p.The author indicates that the purpose of her
dissertation is threefold: to present documentary materials which will shed new light
on the composer’s life and times; to determine a distinctive style by the examination
of his piano music; and to create an annotated, thematic catalogue of his published
and unpublished piano compositions. This study is divided into three parts: the first
places the composer in the social and intellectual surroundings of the day; the second
discusses Saint-Saëns as a pianist, investigating his education, and his association
with Franz Liszt; and the third part examines the great variety of works for piano by
the composer, such as pedagogical pieces, salon music, transcriptions, and virtuoso
pieces. The final portion of the dissertation is an extremely important thematic
catalogue of the piano works of the composer. This index is arranged chronologically
and draws upon the examination of manuscript sources when at all possible. Other
secondary sources consulted include Durand’s Catalogue général et thématique des
oeuvres de C.Saint-Saëns (#159), Octave Séré’s Musiciens français d’aujourdhui
(#79), and James Harding’s Saint-Saëns and His Circle (#122). After the incipit, the
author includes dates for the composition, publication, and performances of the work,
as well as publisher, dedication information, plate number, manuscript number when
available, and at times various other facts about the works. In conclusion, Ratner
finds that Saint-Saëns’s greatest contribution was “perpetuating the traditional
French values—moderation, logic, clarity, balance, precision—during an era of little
enthusiasm for instrumental works and strong foreign influence.”
238. Ratner, Sabina Teller. “A Cache of Saint-Saëns Autographs.” Notes: The Quarterly
Journal of the Music Library Association 40.2 (1983–84): 487– 502. ISSN 0027–
4380.This article accounts for 68 manuscripts of the composer dating from 1844
through 1920 which were omitted from a list compiled when items were moved from
the Conservatoire to the Bibliothèque Nationale. These manuscripts, most of which are
compositions which have been published, include a large number of original works
for piano, six of which are unpublished pieces. There are transcriptions of other
composers’ works, seven of which are unpublished; and others are transcriptions of
the composer’s own compositions such as Le rouet d’Omphale and the Danse
macabre, both of which were published in versions for two pianos prior to their
orchestral versions. The author includes a detailed list of all compositions.
239. Roger-Miclos, M. “Saint-Saëns Pianiste.” L’art musicale (November 15, 1935):
9–10.This brief article is not an examination of the composer’s technique or ability
but a chronicle of his performance as a pianist. The author gives an overall view of
the general repertory that Saint-Saëns played in public, his important accomplishments
as a pianist, and a superficial examination of his aesthetic. It was for Roger-Miclos
that Saint-Saëns composed his fantasy Africa.
240. Scherperel, Loretta Fox. “The Solo Organ Works of Camille Saint-Saëns.” D.M.A.
dissertation, Eastman School of Music, 1978. 172 p. This work begins with a
discussion of the composer’s background, training, and career. The author then
offers some insights into the Cavaillé-Coll organs of the nineteenth century,
mentioning specifically those upon which the composer played at St. Merry and La
Madeleine, Widor’s instrument at Saint-Sulpice, Franck’s at Sainte-Clothilde, and
Guilmant’s organ at La Trinité. Scherperel describes the basic style and layout of the
typical Cavaillé-Coll organ, and gives specifications of Saint-Saëns’s instruments at
St. Merry and La Madeleine. The author then proceeds in her discussion of the
Preludes and Fugues (opp. 99 and 109), the Fantasies (1857, opp. 101 and 157), the
Rhapsodies sur des cantiques bretons (p. 7), and the Sept improvisations (op. 150).
Chapter 7 is an examination of the miscellaneous works including the op. 9, the
Marche religieuse, op. 107, the Trois morceaux, op. 1, and the Elevation ou
communion, op. 13. Scherperel indicates that the organ works of Saint-Saëns “are
models of restrained and conservative writing, suffering only occasionally from a lapse
into a technically pianistic idiom.” She also finds the two sets of preludes and fugues
to be “the most difficult works to perform and [they] happen also to be musically the
most successful.” In her examination of this repertory, the author offers brief
theoretical analyses, discussions of editions, and in many instances a comparison of

published versions with manuscripts from the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris. She also
addresses challenges in regard to registration and performance. There are two
interesting appendices: one which contains two contemporary documents on Saint-
Saëns as a keyboard performer, and another which is an unfinished variant of the
Prelude in B major from op. 99.
241. Smith, Rollin. Saint-Saëns and the Organ. New York: Pendragon, 1992. 352 p. ISBN
0–9451–9314–9. ML 410.S15 S4.An extremely thorough investigation of Saint-
Saëns’s lifelong association with the organ. The author draws upon many lesser-
known primary sources to give a glimpse into the musical and social life of Paris,
and by so doing he provides information not easily obtainable anywhere else. In
addition to detailed accounts of Saint-Saëns’s career as a church organist, and
discussions of his compositions for that instrument, the author also interjects
important biographical information, all of which is scrupulously documented.
Rounding out the study are several valuable appendices, including five essays by
Saint-Saëns, a list of organs played by the composer, a list of the prizewinners at the
École Niedermeyer from 1859 to 1865, and a thematic catalogue of his compositions
for harmonium and organ complete with dates of composition, publisher, dedication,
and location of manuscript sources.
CHAMBER MUSIC
242. Cellier, Alexandre. “La musique de chambre de Saint-Saëns.” Le guide du concert 3

(1922): 35–36.This articles is merely a mention of some of the more popular
chamber works of the composer along with complementary, albeit casual, remarks
from the author. Works discussed include the two violin sonatas, the cello sonatas
opp. 32 and 123, the Allegro appassionato and the Suite for cello. The piano quartet,
the first and second piano trios, and the string quartet op. 112 are also mentioned as
being exemplary contributions to the genre of chamber music. However,
unfortunately, none of these pieces receives any substantial analysis.
243. Harkins, Elizabeth. “The Chamber Music of Saint-Saëns.” Ph.D. dissertation, New
York University, 1976. 209 p.This dissertation deals primarily with accounts of the
composition, publication, and primary performances of Saint-Saëns’s chamber
music. The author divides the study into chapters according to genre (such as sonatas,
trios, larger groups) and offers a special section on the Carnaval des animaux.
Appendices include a chronological listing of the chamber works with information
on manuscript location, and another with original texts of documents quoted
throughout the study. Harkins relies heavily upon information from periodicals such
as the Revue et Gazette Musical de Paris, Le ménestrel, and the Guide du concert,
and correspondence of the composer. Despite Saint-Saëns’s admittedly conservative
style, Harkins points to the experimental elements found in his chamber music, such
as varying the number of movements, and expanding the harmonic boundaries of
certain works. From this important study, the reader learns of Saint-Saëns’s valuable
contribution to both the renaissance of French chamber music and the growth of the
repertory.
244. Lalo, Pierre. “Une opinion de M.Saint-Saëns et la quatuor a cordes.” Le Temps
(January 18, 1900): n.p.When asked why he had not written a string quartet, Saint-
Saëns replied that he “was not ready.” But in 1899 (the year prior to this article) he
wrote his first, in E minor. While it was performed in “some privileged salons” it
was also heard in a concert that Colonne conducted at the Nouveau-Théâtre. Lalo
believed this latter venue was totally inappropriate and not conducive to the genre of
chamber music. Even though it was heard in less than ideal circumstances, the author
believes the work to be “very considerable” and “comparable in importance to
Beethoven’s late quartets,” although he feels musically it is closer in spirit and style
to Mozart quartets. Lalo briefly examines each movement, offering his opinions and
criticism. In general he praises the work for its “solidity,” “precision,” “clarity” and
“charm.”
245. MacDonald, Hugh. “Saint-Saëns’s Caprice Brillant.” In Échos de France et d’Italie:
Liber amicorum Yves Gérard, ed. Marie-Claire Mussat, Jean Mongrédien and Jean-
Michel Nectoux, p. 233–41. Paris: Société Française de Musicologie, 1997. 397 p.
ISBN 2283017122. ML 55.E24.The author traces two previous versions of the finale
to the Violin Concerto no. 3 in B minor, op. 61. The earliest version for piano and
violin (from 1859) is entitled Caprice Brillant and the manuscript is found in the
Sibley Music Library at the University of Rochester, New York. The second and
later version dates from 1913 and is labeled Allegro de Concert for violin and piano,
and, according to MacDonald, is not listed in any catalog of the composer’s works.
The author chronicles the composer’s association with Sarasate during this time, for
the first version was expressly composed for him. MacDonald also offers a fine
measure-by-measure comparison of the three versions, and discusses the important
changes in them. He concludes that with the final version of 1913 Saint-Saëns “had
turned definitively away from the youthful exuberance of 54 years earlier and pruned
his magnificent Caprice down to a lamentable echo of its original self, Brillant no
longer.”
246. Payne, Donald. “The Major Chamber Works of Saint-Saëns.” Ph.D. dissertation,
University of Rochester, 1965. 452 p.The author was unable to obtain a copy of this
dissertation for examination.
THE CONCERTI
247. Pollei, Paul Cannon. “Virtuoso Style in the Piano Concertos of Camille Saint-Saëns.”
Ph.D. dissertation, Florida State University, 1975. 103 p.In this work, the author
defines and examines the specific elements of virtuosity in the piano concerti of the
composer. He believed that five styles— bravura, toccata, cascades, filigrees, and
simplice—“together account for every measure” of the solo piano parts in these
works. The bravura style encompasses the full range of the instrument’s capabilities
and dynamics and is often extensive (sometimes up to 80 measures). The toccata
style he equates to a perpetuum mobile style, requiring “digital precision, clarity
of articulation, and technical endurance.” The cascade style is defined as the “most
subtle,” and dynamically restrained. It is accompanimental in character without being
subordinate. The filigree style is primarily ornamental and accounts for brief
passages in the treble range. This style is often accompanied by directions in the
score such as ad libitum, quasi cadenza, dolce, and the like. Finally, the composer
indicates that the semplice style “provides the only true relief from overt virtuosity.”
Characteristics include concentration upon the middle range of the piano, restraint in
dynamics, texture, and rhythmic momentum. According to the author, Saint-Saëns

“indulges” in this style rarely, and no complete movement can be characterized by
this style completely. The dissertation is replete with musical examples which clearly
help define the author’s points. Pollei believes that there is “no evidence of
evolution” in Saint-Saëns’s concerto style. His “virtuosity is fully formed from the
first concerto and remains constant throughout.”
248. Pollei, Paul Cannon. “Lisztian Piano Virtuoso Style in the Piano Concerti of Camille
Saint-Saëns.” American Liszt Society Journal 6 (1980): 59–76. ISSN 0147–4413.The
author identifies five specific elements of the virtuoso style in Saint-Saëns’s piano
concerti: bravura, toccata, cascade, filigree, and simplice. He then gives specific
models of each from various concerti and concert-like works with many extended
musical examples. Despite the mention of Liszt and his general influence during the
period, Pollei does not draw any specific musical comparisons between the two
composers and their concerti. This is an admirable and in-depth examination of the
piano concerti which further develops general thoughts shared by Sabina Ratner
(#237). It is a study drawn from his Ph.D. dissertation (#247).
249. Rath, Edward Albert. “An Analysis of the Second and Fourth Piano Concertos by
Camille Saint-Saëns.” D.M.A. dissertation, Lawrence University, Appleton,
Wisconsin, 1975. 88 p.This dissertation (which includes an examination of the piano
music of Zoltan Kodaly) discusses Saint-Saëns in five main sections. The first is a
limited biography which relies upon James Harding’s (#122) monograph and Lyle’s
(#129) biography. The second chapter is a discussion of the romantic concerto
beginning with Beethoven. Rath concludes that composers such as Saint-Saëns,
Chopin, and Clara Schumann contributed to the advancement of piano technique, but
all were eclipsed by Liszt. Chapters 3 and 4 are examinations of the second and
fourth piano concertos respectively, and his general conclusions are found in the fifth
chapter. Rath notes that the melodic construction of Saint-Saëns’s concertos is most
often based upon the four-measure phrase, and the predominant technique used to
extend melodies is that of sequential motivic repetition. He also notes the composer’s
penchant for using the third relationship, and he finds the extended use of diatonic
harmonies tiresome. Rath indicates that his dissertation is directed to those pianists
who are interested in preparing these concertos for performance.
250. Ratner, Sabina Teller. “Saint-Saëns’ Last ‘Concerto’." Notes: The Quarterly Journal
of the Music Library Association 48 (1991): 20–25. ISSN 0027–43 80.This article is
a brief discussion and explanation of Saint-Saëns’s reworking and modifying of a
suite for cello and piano (op. 16) from 1862 into a suite for cello and orchestra.
Excerpts from the composer’s letters to Durand and Hamelle help in the chronology
of events, and the various manuscripts examined by the author pertaining to the
genesis of the “new” suite, which contains different movements than the original,
support the conclusion that the latter arrangement by the composer is a unique
addition to his existing literature for the instrument.
251. Stegemann, Michael. Camille Saint-Saëns und das französische Solokonzert von
1850 bis 1920. Mainz: B.Schott’s Söhne, 1984. 288 p. ISBN 3795717876. ML
410.S15 S7.A biographical sketch precedes this detailed examination of the
concertante works of Saint-Saëns with investigations of the composer’s approach to
composition, the various formal designs of these works, and their musical style
including the use of folk and Oriental elements. The first appendix is a thematic list
of the composer’s concerted works, and a second one lists French solo concertos and
concerted works from 1850 to 1920 in comparison to both Saint-Saëns and what was
written in Europe during that same time.
252. Wells-Harrison, S. “Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto.” The Strad 26.303 (1915): 77–79.
ISSN 0039–2049.In general the author finds Saint-Saëns’s music to possess a
“dramatic vigor, grace, and symmetry,” and to show “perfection of outline and skill
of the accomplished technician.” While he may not be an absolutely great composer,
his music “has the power to charm and occasionally lift us to emotional heights.”
After these general comments, Parker continues to analyze the Third Violin
Concerto, which he believes is Saint-Saëns’s finest creation. It demonstrates
“technical mastery,” “melodic invention,” and “emotional force.” With the use of
many musical examples, the author examines the “well-nigh” perfect balance, as
well as the “dignity and nobility” of the work. In general it is an analysis that is on the
mark, but it is written in descriptive rather than technical terms.
253. Wendt, Charles. “The Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto, no. 1 in A minor, Opus 33: The
Matter of a Cadenza.” American String Teacher 37 (1987): 80–82. ISSN 0003–
1313.In this brief article, the author indicates that while cadenzas are not present, and
should not be gratuitously interpolated into some of the major nineteenth-century
works (such as those by Dvorák, Lalo, and Schumann), there exists one written by
David Popper for Saint-Saëns’s op. 33 concerto. The original manuscript, once in the
possession of its composer, Popper, was given to Luigi Silva (the author’s teacher).
Wendt was given access to it and copied it by hand and includes an excerpt from it in
the article. It should also be noted that the insertion of a cadenza in the op. 33
concerto was never sanctioned by the composer himself, nor expected by the
audience.
VOCAL MUSIC: MELODIES AND CHORAL

COMPOSITIONS
254. Mahling, Christoph-Hellmut. “Bemerkungen zum Liedschaffen von Camille Saint-

Saëns.” In Festschrift Walter Wiora zum 90. Geburtstag, ed. ChristophHellmut
Mahling and Ruth Seiberts, p. 200–16. Tutzing: Hans Schneider, 1997. 554 p. ISBN
3795–208904. ML 55.W46 F5.This article is an examination of the general song
style of Saint-Saëns with reference to Schubert and Schumann. Traces of the
importance of the piano accompaniment, common in German song, are present
although Saint-Saëns’s own style is evident. The author includes the complete Les
sommeil des fleurs and an extended excerpt of Le lever de la lune to support his
comments. Mahling concludes with a quote from Servières’s monograph (#142).
While not the premier exponent of the French song, Saint-Saëns nevertheless wrote
songs which were tender, gracious, artistic, and exotic. And even though he often
chose second-rate poetry, at the end of his life he set texts by Ronsard, Orléans, and
other more important poets.
255. Noske, Frits. “Toward the Apogee of French Song.” In French Song from Berlioz to
Duparc, trans. Rita Benton p. 219–31. New York: Dover, 1970. ML 2827.N613.
ISBN 4862–21040.Here Noske credits Saint-Saëns as being one of the composers
whose melodies, being “harmonically richer” and more “profound” than those of
other French composers, set the tone for the genius of Fauré and Duparc. The author
works chronologically through several of what he considers key compositions to
point out the influences of Schubert and Schumann, as well as Saint-Saëns’s own
unique elements and style characteristics. Such pieces include Les sommeil des
fleurs, the two German songs “Ruhenthal” and “Antwort,” the ballad “Le pas
d’armes du roi Jean,” “La cignale et la fourmi,” “Plainte,” and the Mélodies
persanes. While recognizing three periods of song composition, the author does not
attempt to categorize Saint-Saëns’s pieces; rather he identifies the variety of ideas
and style elements of the songs. Simultaneously Noske is not hesitant to criticize
Saint-Saëns’s Mélodies persanes as containing “hallowed Orientalism” of “archaic
modal practices,” “monotonous rhythms,” and “melismatic” passages. He also
accuses the composer of not being able to respond to poets whose texts require
“profound emotion,” but rather he is at his best with clever, witty lyrics.
256. Pillois, Jacques. “L’oeuvre mélodique de Saint-Saëns.” Le guide du concert 3
(1922): 42–43.The style of Saint-Saëns’s songs is primarily akin to Mozart and
Schubert, according to the author. Often a rhythmic accompaniment pattern is
adopted for a song, only to continue throughout in the “classical” vein. This suggests
strophic settings of the poetry. Pillois specifically cites “L’attente” (1853) as being
quite Schubert-like in its style, and points to “L’enlèvement” as being rather
academic in its musical language. A passage from “La feuille de peuplier” is very
similar to Schubert’s “Die Krähe,” despite the fact that Saint-Saëns admitted that he
did not know Schubert’s song at the time. While Saint-Saëns was regularly inspired
by better poets (Hugo, Banville, Quinault, Ronsard, and Corneille), he was also able,
like Schubert, to take second-rate poetry and transform it into first-class music, as he
did with the Danse macabre.
257. Randles, Kathleen Martha. “Exoticism in the Mélodie: The Evolution of Exotic
Techniques as Used in Songs by David, Bizet, Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Roussel,
Delage, Milhaud, and Messiaen.” D.M.A. dissertation, Ohio State University, 1992.
123 p.The author organizes her study by composer, and for each composer she
examines specific compositions which display various techniques of exoticism. After
a brief history of exoticism in French culture, she discusses the following composers
and their works: David (Perles d’Orient), Bizet (Adieux de l’hôtesse arabe) Saint-
Saëns (Mélodies persanes), Debussy (Trois chansons de Bilitis), Roussel (Deux
poèmes chinois, op. 12), Delage (Quatres poèmes hindous), Milhaud (Chansons de
négresse), and Messiaen (Harawi). Randles believes that originally exoticism in
Western music was merely “borrowing foreign elements as a decoration,” but
through time Western music was transformed by these foreign elements. Further, she
asserts that this “evolution” in music occurred simultaneously with the “widening of
Europe’s knowledge of other cultures through commerce and scholarship.” While
her discussion of Saint-Saëns’s Mélodies persanes is informative, she unfortunately
makes no connection between these songs and the exotic paintings of Henri
Regnault, the singer for whom “Sabre en main” was composed.
6
Correspondence
258. Allorge, Henri. “Lettre de Camille Saint-Saëns.” Revue musicale 17 (1936): 191–92.
ISSN 0035–3736.This letter is a response by the composer to the author which
corrects some misinformation in Allorge’s article “Musiciens normands” about Saint-
Saëns, printed in the journal Revue normande of July 1919. Saint-Saëns very
graciously, albeit firmly, corrects the author’s statement that a Mme. Leseurre was
his “second mother,” that pride of place he asserts was given to his great-aunt,
Charlotte Masson. He also refutes the assertion that his early teacher Stamaty was
like a father to him. And in regard to Wagner, Saint-Saëns declares that he was “not
a friend of Richard Wagner,” but rather “very much one” of Liszt.
259. Bellaigue, Camille. “Lettres de Saint-Saëns et Camille Bellaigue.” Revue des deux
mondes 4 (1926): 533–58. ISSN 0750–9278.These letters span the period of 1889 to
1921. According to the article, the letters from Saint-Saëns were given to the
Conservatoire by Bellaigue, while Bellaigue’s letters to Saint-Saëns are in the Saint-
Saëns Museum in Dieppe. The two men write on a number of interesting topics,
including Palestrina, Wagner, “Sensibility” in art, Gounod, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven,
and the changes in musical taste. Speaking of the school of Palestrina, Saint-Saëns
indicates that it is “impassible and inexpressive,” and reminds Bellaigue, who finds
it spiritual, that it is very similar to the secular music of the day. In more general
terms, Saint-Saëns tells Bellaigue (in 1907) that the role of art is to “express beauty
and character; sensibility only comes after that.” Another insightful comment made
by the composer is that “Sensibility in art is a germ of death; it is the same of love in
life.” Saint-Saëns comments on other works, such as Boris Godounov, which he
finds at times very weak, and Les Huguenots, which he says what one sees of it today
(in 1921) is but a caricature, and a “disfigured work.” In the final letter, dated June
18, 1921, the reader senses that Saint-Saëns is out of his time. He quotes an article he
read which stated that on the temple of art, Felicién David’s name is in gold letters,
and the order of the columns is Gounod. To this Saint-Saëns comments, “Times have
changed.”
260. Bertier de Sauvigny, Emmanuel de. Quelques photographies et lettres inédites de
Gounod, Massenet, et Saint-Saëns. Béziers: Société de Musicologie du Languedoc,
1980. 17 p. ML 410.G7.This is a small collection of letters addressed to Léonie
Osterrieth (née Brialmont) who, after the death of her wealthy husband, was a
supporter of the arts, and knew such luminaries as Gounod, Liszt, Massenet, and
Saint-Saëns. There are 12 letters in this volume from Gounod, with 3 pictures of him
CORRESPONDENCE 91
(one of which is taken with Georgina Weldon); 2 letters from Massenet, one from
Domergue de la Chaussee, and a brief letter from Saint-Saëns. This letter is dated
November 19, 1912, Paris, with a picture of the composer on the balcony of the
khedive’s brother’s palace in Cairo. In the letter Saint-Saëns simply sends his regards
and the photo.
261. Blakeman, Edward. “The Correspondence of Camille Saint-Saëns and Paul
Taffanel.” Music and Letters 63 (1982): 44–57. ISSN 0027–4224.The letters
discussed in this article chronicle the professional association of flautist and
conductor Paul Taffanel with the composer from about 1892 to 1903. Much of this
correspondence is held in the Saint-Saëns Museum in Dieppe. The article offers a
brief biography of Taffanel and documents primarily his performances of the
composer’s music such as the Symphony no. 3, Frédégonde, and Le feu céléste, an
occasional piece which was dedicated to Taffanel.
262. Bonnerot, Jean. “Saint-Saëns et Romain Rolland: Lettres inédites publiées par Jean
Bonnerot.” Revue de Musicologie 40 (1957): 196–200. ISSN 0035– 1601.The
majority of this article consists of two letters from Saint-Saëns to Rolland from
1910. The first is perhaps the most enlightening in that the composer reveals his
thoughts on his status in the contemporary musical and artistic life. He admits that at
one time he was considered to be a “revolutionary,” but now he is only an
“ancestor.” Within this same letter Saint-Saëns also offers a succinct statement
regarding art: complexity does not make perfection. Included in this article is
Rolland’s reply to Saint-Saëns’s first letter which indicates that the author will
correct his error of interpretation regarding the composer’s verse in the next edition
of Musiciens d’aujourd’hui.
263. Boschot, Adolphe. “Saint-Saëns et sa correspondance générale.” In Mélanges…
offerts a Jean Bonnerot, p. 399–402. Paris: Libraire Nizet, 1954. 551 p. PN
503.M42.This article begins with a brief explanation of Saint-Saëns’s importance,
and laments the lack of a correspondance générale such as Bonnerot achieved with
Saint Beuve. Boschot, who knew the composer, points to Saint-Saëns’s unique
relationships with royalty, famous musicians, and intelligentsia alike, and muses that
his correspondence with Liszt, Berlioz, the queen of Denmark, and the khedive of
Egypt would not only make for fascinating reading, but would shed important light
on his career. Boschot himself was the recipient of letters from the composer, and he
attests to Saint-Saëns’s artistic and memorable style of writing. The author
specifically mentions letters between the composer and Lecocq, which were
discussed by Georges Lebas in 1924 in the Revue musicale (see #270), and the letters
held by Durand. While there has been some discussion of Saint-Saëns’s
correspondence since this article written in 1954 (especially those mentioned in this
portion of the present study), there are thousands more in the archive in Dieppe,
France which have not been cataloged or discussed. We eagerly await this.
264. Briquet, Marie. Correspondance et papiers de Saint Saëns et inventaire des portraits
et du mobiler conserves au Musée Saint-Saëns de Dieppe 1939– 1950. Paris:
Bibliothèque Nationale Rés. Vmd. ms. 11.The author was unable to examine this
source.
265. Dandelot, Arthur. “Camille Saint-Saëns: Souvenirs vécus.” Revue musicale 17
(1936): 193–98. ISSN 0035–3736.In this article the author chronicles his friendship
with the composer (which began in 1887) through a series of excerpts from letters
which Saint-Saëns wrote to him between 1907 and 1919. Among them are examples
of the composer’s generosity toward the poor and other worthy causes; correspondence
which documents the organization of his farewell concert in the Salle Gaveau; and
Saint-Saëns’s admonishment of the author for organizing a Schumann festival during
World War I. In a second letter on the subject Saint-Saëns explains that German
music from Haydn to Mendelssohn always has a mix of “Italian and French blood”
but Schumann is “purely German.” Their friendship did not suffer from this
disagreement. Dandelot also mentions that it was after Saint-Saëns’s death that he
wrote La vie et l’oeuvre de Saint-Saëns (#109) to “combat the present hostility
against this great Frenchman.”
266. Emmanuel, Maurice. “Correspondance inédite entre Saint-Saëns et Maurice
Emmanuel a propos de Claude Debussy.” Revue musicale (1947): 30–35. ISSN
0035–3736.This letter, written on August 4, 1920 from Dieppe, is a response to
Emmanuel’s “interesting conference on Debussy,” in which Saint-Saëns shares his
opinions of Debussy with Emmanuel. He believes that (as he mentioned in his
address to the students at Fontainebleau) the need for novelty—or something new—
at all cost is a “sickness of our age.” Saint-Saëns also warns that the ear can grow
accustomed to dissonance (as in the Baroque). However, what touches him the most
in Debussy is the “hoax,” and “the naiveté which with the public takes it.” Saint-
Saëns points to specific compositions. In Jardins sous la pluie, after an evocative
title, Debussy offers a series of arpeggios on “Dodo l’enfant do,” and “Nous n’irons
plus au bois.” And in the Dialogue de la vague et de la brise, the trumpet plays
“Voilà l’plaisir mesdames.” Saint-Saëns laments the suppression of melody and even
declamation in Pelléas. He accuses of Debussy of not creating a style, but
“cultivating the absence of style, logic and common sense.” Emmanuel’s response is
that composers should be allowed to find their own voice, and create their own
“personal language.” Debussy, according to Emmanuel, is sincere in his music. He
also shares with Saint-Saëns that Debussy believed that there was more than just
major and minor scales (an idea not foreign to Saint-Saëns). However, he says that
Debussy believed that one could have whatever scales one wanted. With a sincere
tone to his letter, Emmanuel submits that Debussy never composed what he did not
feel, and that while he himself does not understand all of Debussy’s musical style,
there are other pieces which (like the string quartet) are “prophetic dreams.”
267. Ferrare, Henri. “Correspondance de Saint-Saëns: Lettres de Saint-Saëns a Mme.
Caroline Montigny de Serres.” Revue musicale 17 (1936): 178–90. ISSN 0035–
3736.This article begins with an intimate introduction which recounts the author’s
childhood memories of Saint-Saëns’s visits, and the day when his mother received the
news of the death of the composer’s son, André. The heart of the article, however, is
the reproduction of 14 letters dating from 1875 to 1913 from Saint-Saëns to his
friend and pianist, Caroline Montigny de Serres. These letters chronicle many
performances and travels of the composer, and are helpful in ascertaining his
whereabouts at various times, and offer interesting information about his concert
repertory. Also, these letters show his growing intimacy with Mme. de Serres, whom
he addresses in 1876 as “chère Madame,” and by 1911 he employs such terms as
“Ma chère Caro.” Perhaps not earthshaking in the specificity, or depth of
information, they are nevertheless important documents in the overall collection of
Saint-Saëns’s correspondence.
268. Gerard, Yves. “Une lettre de Tourgueniev a Saint-Saëns.” Cahiers Ivan Tourgeniev,
Pauline Viardot, et Maria Malibran 11 (1987): 70–72. ISSN 0399–1326.This letter
CORRESPONDENCE 93
is one of the items bequeathed by Saint-Saëns to the Musée du Chateau at Dieppe

between 1889 and 1890 after the death of his mother. The author gives a description
of the letter, along with a transcription, and a photo reproduction. Even though the
letter is undated, Gerard indicates that because of the content—Turgenev’s request
for a manuscript of Le rouet d’Omphale to take back to Moscow for Rubinstein—the
date assigned should be 1872.
269. Hamburger, Klara. “Three Unpublished Letters by Liszt to Saint-Saëns.” New
Hungarian Quarterly 29.111 (1988): 222–29. ISSN 0028–5390.The author begins by
offering a brief explanation of the friendship between Saint-Saëns and Liszt which is
the root of these three letters held in the Saint-Saëns Museum in Dieppe, France. In
the earliest letter (1867) Liszt thanks Saint-Saëns for performing his compositions
(especially Tasso) at a soirée of Mme. Érard. In addition, he expresses his gratitude
for the dedication of the Veni Creator, and invites Saint-Saëns to hear his St.
Elizabeth in Wartburg. Requesting a list of all Saint-Saëns’s published compositions,
Liszt indicates that he wishes to pass it on to both von Bülow and Sgambati. The
second letter (1878) is again a thank-you note for performing Liszt’s “Gretchen”
movement from the Faust Symphony, and is complimentary of Saint-Saëns’s
Jeunesse d’Hercule. The final brief letter, written only a month before Liszt’s death
(June 1886), pertains to Saint-Saëns’s dedication of his Symphony no. 3 (the
“Organ”) to Liszt. An appendix offers all three letters in their original French.
270. LeBas, Georges. “Lettres inédites de Lecocq a Saint-Saëns.” La revue musicale
(February 15 and August 1, 1924): 119–31, 121–46. ISSN 0035–3736.This, a
collection of letters beginning in 1885 and continuing into the twentieth century
(1901), starts with a short history of the friendship of the two musicians, and an
explanation of the provenance of the letters which were given to the Saint-Saëns
Museum in Dieppe. In 1915 Lecocq gave permission to organize them for a possible
publication. Written in a friendly and conversational tone, these letters contain
Lecocq’s opinions on Saint-Saëns’s music and writings, references to Massenet (the
“sensualist”), favorable references to such works as the Carnaval des animaux and
Puccini’s La Bohème. Lecocq also mentions his less than positive review of Wagner,
Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci and Alfred Bruneau’s Rêve. Other topics of this
correspondence include Gounod’s death, Saint-Saëns’s well-known works such as
Samson et Dalila, in addition to less famous pieces such as Phryné, Javotte, and La
lyre et la harpe. Lecocq also discusses the writings of Saint-Saëns including
Problèmes et mystères (#290) and La crampe des écrivain (#280). While some letters
are very brief, others betray an intimate and slightly garrulous correspondence
between Saint-Saëns and one of France’s more popular composers of operetta.
271. McAllister, Elaine, and Joseph Baylen. “Saint-Saëns and Juliette Adam: An
Unpublished Letter.” Music and Letters 50 (1969): 296–300. ISSN 0027–
4224.Juliette Adam was an editor and publisher of the political and literary journal
La nouvelle revue and friend of Saint-Saëns, Gounod, Dumas fils, and Massenet,
among others. An extremely bitter enemy of Germany after the Franco-Prussian
War, Adam took much pleasure in Saint-Saëns’s stance against Wagner and invited
him to join her in a Franco-Russian alliance to promote the arts. While the composer
was willing to do so out of his fondness for colleagues such as Tchaikovsky, and out
of gratitude for his own positive reception in Russia, he had very real fears of the
scruples of Russian publishing practices. In this letter Saint-Saëns shares his
trepidation with Adam. Unfortunately, the authors do not mention the source of this
unpublished letter.
272. Nectoux, Jean-Michel. Camille Saint-Saëns et Gabriel Fauré: Correspondance
(1862–1920). Paris: Publications de la Société Française de Musicologie, 1994.
160 p. ISBN 2853570045. ML 410.S15.A4.This collection contains all 138 letters
between Saint-Saëns and Gabriel and Marie Fauré known to date. Within these
letters there is reference made to a dozen other letters or notes which have been
either destroyed or lost. The letters in this volume span Fauré’s student days through
the end of Saint-Saëns’s life, and range from aesthetic discussions to more intimate
and informal exchanges. Many letters contain anecdotes and betray personal qualities
of both men, while in others they speak of their compositions (nos. 13, 14, 67, 95,
and 120), and those of others (nos. 69, 123, and 124). The editor mentions that since
Fauré did not always date his letters, some of the correspondence is dated by the
postmarks of the envelopes (which Saint-Saëns saved). When this is the case, the
date is accompanied by the abbreviation “c.p.” Other editorial processes include the
retention of original punctuation and abbreviations. Nectoux indicates that on
occasion, Saint-Saëns’s cursive handwriting posed a problem, and was not always
easy to read. This valuable collection contains indices of dates, compositions, and
names of people, and includes appendices containing Saint-Saëns’s article on Fauré
from the Éclaire (1893), his article on Fauré’s sonata, op. 13 from the Journal de
musique (1877), and Fauré’s brief posthumous article on Saint-Saëns from the Revue
musicale (#116).
273. Nectoux, Jean-Michel. Camille Saint-Saëns et Gabriel Fauré: Correspondances
(soixante ans d’amité). Paris: Huegel, 1973. 133 p. ML 410.S15A3.This volume
begins with a discussion of the relationship between SaintSaëns and Fauré, often
referring to various letters contained throughout the monograph. The second section
introduces and reproduces letters from 1862 to 1912, and the third section contains
those from 1913 to 1920. Nectoux reproduces 126 letters ranging from discussions
of musical aesthetics and interpretation, to simple friendly greetings. There are two
very helpful indices: one is a list of names and the other is a list of works by both
composers which are mentioned in the letters. This monograph originally appeared in
three installments in the Revue de musicologie in 1973.
274. Prod’homme, J.-G. “Dernières lettres de Camille Saint-Saëns.” Revue bleue 20
(1935): 689–94.These letters were written by Saint-Saëns during the period between
March 10, 1920 and December 16, 1921, the day he died. They are written to an
unidentified woman and are addressed from Paris and Hammam R’irha, Algiers. The
letters show Saint-Saëns to be an optimist, and while they are primarily courteous,
the composer does make some interesting comments. He mentions that he really does
not believe in many of the religious traditions such as the Assumption, the Ascension,
and the story of Our Lady of Loretto. In a letter of September 14, 1920, Saint-Saëns
compliments Alfred Bruneau’s Penthesilée, and later in the same letter he calls
[Jean] Montargis (#74) an imbecile, and he indicates that the book he wrote on the
composer is “a tissue of incomprehensible errors.” The letter he wrote the day he
died indicates that he is willing to see the “protégée” of the recipient, who is Polish.
He speaks highly of other Polish musicians and students of his, while criticizing the
Polish language as impossible: “No one should have to learn Polish!” Interestingly
the master, unaware of his fate, concludes his last letter with: “One has seen so many
CORRESPONDENCE 95
astonishing things in these last years that it is necessary to despair of nothing. Let us
hope therefore against all hope!”
275. Richard, Albert, comp. Camille Saint-Saëns 1835–1921 Correspondances inédite.
Paris: La Revue Musicale, 1983. 176 p. ML 5.R45 no. 358–60.This collection of 83
letters is divided into three sections: 33 letters to Emile Renaud (1898–1916); 27
letters from 1907 to 1915 to unidentified recipients; and 23 undated letters, again to
unidentified recipients. While in general these are valuable items to have available for
study, the compiler, Albert Richard (director of the Revue musicale), has merely
reproduced them directly, with no comment or annotation. Many of them are
extremely difficult (if not impossible) to read in their present state. Some have been
reduced, by Richard’s own admission, to fit the format of the book. Unfortunately,
Richard does not even indicate the provenance of these letters or where the originals
are located.
276. Vallas, Léon. “Lettres inédites de Saint-Saëns et de Vincent d’Indy.” La revue
musicale 205 (1947): 79–87. ISSN 0035–3736.This article is comprised of three
letters exchanged between Saint-Saëns and d’Indy, and it marks the reconciliation
between the two which occurred in 1919. According to the author, these letters (two
from Saint-Saëns and one from d’Indy) were in the possession of d’Indy’s
granddaughter, the comtesse J.-G. d’Harcourt, who shared them with Vallas a decade
before the article was written. The first, from Saint-Saëns, was sent to solicit
d’Indy’s response to the former’s Les idées de M.Vincent d’Indy (#285), published in
1919. The second letter is a response from d’Indy in which he addresses several
points made by Saint-Saëns’s booklet, including everything from religious music, to
emotion in music of the 16th century, to rhythm, to articulations in music, to César
Franck. The third letter is Saint-Saëns’s response to d’Indy in which he readdresses
some of the previous points. The friendliness and cordiality which the
correspondence exhibits attests to the mutual respect and maturity of the authors who
ultimately agreed to disagree.
7
Saint-Saëns as a Writer
277. Chantovoine, Jean. “Saint-Saëns écrivain.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922): 44–47.The

author recognizes that Saint-Saëns was a writer on many different levels: poetry,
drama, philosophy, astronomy, criticism, and journalism. However, he examines the
more philosophical element of the composer’s writing on music criticism. With
quotes from Problemes et mystères (#290) and Harmonie et mélodie (#284),
Chantavoine confirms that the composer never took a dogmatic approach to music,
and thus free from any doctrine, Saint-Saëns was not bound by prejudice. This is
shown in his appreciation of elements of Wagner’s Ring even though he had great
“reservations” about the Wagnerian system of composition. While for some, this was
construed as inconsistent, the author indicates that there are those who often
exaggerate Saint-Saëns’s changes in taste, attitude and opinion, when in effect, all
around him changed. He was the “fixed point of the mobile” which, while moving
somewhat, continues to be the most stable element of the structure.
278. Saint-Saëns, Camille. Au courant de la vie. Paris: Dorbon-Ainé, 1916. 128 p. ML
410.S15.A11.This monograph is divided into two main sections: music and musicians,
and a few “souvenirs.” Under the first category Saint-Saëns offers insights into the
music and character of various musicians: Lully, Rameau, Liszt, Gounod, and
Sarasate. However, in some of these essays he betrays his own aesthetic and
comments upon musical style and musicological ideas. In the essay on Rameau,
whom he identifies as a rival to J.S.Bach, Saint-Saëns addresses the performance of
appoggiaturas and the idea of “double dotting” rhythms. In his essay on Liszt as a
pianist, Saint-Saëns identifies Liszt as one of those great pianist-composers in the
tradition of Mozart and Beethoven. He believes that Liszt “transformed” the piano as
Paganini transformed the violin. Saint-Saëns applies Théophile Gautier’s quote that
“difficulty conquered is a beauty” to the genius of Liszt. His praise of Gounod was
originally written as an address for the inauguration of a monument to the composer
in the Parc Monceau, although it was never delivered. In it, however, Saint-Saëns
lauds the elder composer as the “head of the school” and a musician who “has become
the most popular in France.” He indicates that Marguerite, Juliette, and Mireille,
while daughters of Goethe, Shakespeare, and Mistral, are equally part of Gounod. In
closing Saint-Saëns thanks Gounod for having shown him and all of his brothers in
arms the way, and for his guidance and courage. In the essay “Divagations
musicales” Saint-Saëns briefly examines the musical style of various composers.
Although there are some contemporary composers whose operas Saint-Saëns
SAINT-SAËNS AS A WRITER 97
believes have neither melody, harmony, nor instrumentation, in short, nothing,

Beethoven was “algebra in music.” He also praises Mendelssohn’s Elijah, the organ
sonatas, music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and other works, even though he
believes his oeuvre is “unequal.” He indicates that Schumann’s criticism of
Meybeer’s Les Huguenots is not very authoritative, since his own attempt at opera
(Genoveva) was unsuccessful. He finally addresses Wagner’s music, stating among
other things that female virtue is found not in Helen, but in Penelope, and clarity is
not Wagner, but Mozart. Saint-Saëns also believes that while the use of gods and
goddesses, heroes, foreign lands, and myth are useful in opera, Charpentier has
proven with Louise that these things are not indispensable. He closes by stating that
“in its essence, art does not change. Only men change their opinions on its means and
on its limits.”
279. Saint-Saëns, Camille. Charles Gounod et le Don Juan de Mozart. Paris: Ollendorff,
1894. 40 p. ML 410.G7.S2.Published one year after the death of Gounod, this brief
monograph was written, according to the author himself, to inspire the reader to read
Gounod’s own book on Mozart’s Don Giovanni, written in 1890. Saint-Saëns recounts
the famous story of how he was presented with a beautiful leather-bound volume of
the opera when he was only a child, and how special the opera was to both him and
Gounod. Containing many quotes from Gounod’s book, Saint-Saëns’s short expose
on occasion takes issue with his friend’s interpretation, notably with the use of
melismas in Donna Anna’s aria “Or sai che l’onore.” Gounod praised the
orchestration of this aria, while as Saint-Saëns pointed out, Berlioz thought that the
response of the oboe and bassoon to Donna Anna’s intense melody was “almost
comic.” This small volume is more than just an appreciation of both Gounod’s
monograph and Mozart’s score. It also offers insights into Saint-Saëns’s musical
aesthetic. The “quest for effect” is absent from the score. Both composers believe that
Mozart’s music “complements” the text rather than overpowers it. Saint-Saëns
indicates that this is true in all “beautiful eras of art; its presence [the quest for effect]
is a characteristic sign of decadence.” Saint-Saëns believed that in studying the
works of Mozart one will find a “complete system, perfectly structured… He spoke
the language of his day, but he spoke it better than the others.”
280. Saint-Saëns, Camille. La crampe des écrivains. Paris: Calmann-Lévy, 1892. 21 p. PQ
2390.S68C7.This one-act spoken comedy was presented for the first time at the
Théâtre Municipale d’Alger on March 17, 1892. It involves a female writer,
Zénobia, who, having “writer’s block,” enlists her friend, the baroness, to help her as
she sets up an attractive young man to work out a love scene in her play. After some
confusion, and disguise, the young man turns out to be the husband of the baroness,
whom she has now caught flirting. Saint-Saëns makes some interesting comments
upon the stage about love. Zénobia says, “Art, literature, impressionism, symbolism,
that is what occupies me, but love makes me indifferent.” This edition gives the
names of those actors who premiered the work.
281. Saint-Saëns, Camille. Divagations sérieuses: Problèmes et mystères. Paris:
Flammarion, 1922. 152 p. PQ 2390.S68.D58.A collection of philosophical
reflections on art, beauty, life, spiritualism, and materialism, this volume includes
material which was published previously under the title Problèmes et mystères in
1894. The monograph is divided into the following sections: “Prologue: Le
métronome et l’éspace céleste”; “Problèmes et mystères”; “Epilogue”; “Spiritualisme
et materialisme”; “Transformisme”; and “Une lettre a l’astronome d’Hirn.” The
section “Problèmes et mystères” is divided into seven chapters in which Saint-Saëns

discusses truth and beauty, religion and society. In the second half of this monograph,
the composer examines the opposing forces of spiritualism and materialism. In this
lengthy essay, Saint-Saëns introduces the thoughts of Hirn, Büchner, Flammarion,
LeBon, Grasset, and Raphaël Dubois into his discussion of the struggle between
religion and science. The final two sections, “Transformisme” and the letter to an
astronomer, deal with nature. Saint-Saëns revels in the complexity of nature,
admitting that it “escapes our intelligence” to fully understand it. The selection from
his letter to an astronomer (originally written in 1889) not only demonstrates the
composer’s lifelong interest in the subject, but bears witness to his belief in some
higher power. Saint-Saëns closes with the following: “Like the heart, Faith has
reasons that Reason does not know; it is a gift of Grace, not the product of
reasoning.”
282. Saint-Saëns, Camille. École buissonnière: Notes et souvenirs. Paris: Pierre Lafitte,
1913. 363 p. ML 60.S14.This is a collection of writings including essays on his
voyages to Algeria and Egypt, and on what he deemed “artistic” questions (such as
“art for art’s sake,” “Anarchie in Music,” and “Decorative Art”). Another group of
essays deals with religious music, while another is a set of “portrait” essays on
composers (Massenet, Meyerbeer, and Offenbach) and on works such as Berlioz’s
Requiem and Gluck’s Orphée. There are three essays on more scientific topics
(including “Questions d’optique” and “L’Astres”), and an interesting appreciation of
painters who are also musician (Ingres, Gustave Doré, among others). The
“souvenirs” which begin this collection have provided biographers with valuable
information on the composer’s youth, and his views on people such as Hugo and
Gallet. In general the essays can be grouped into four basic types: personal
remembrances, musical subjects, travelogues, and scientific investigations. English
translations of many of these articles were published in 1919 as Musical Memories,
translated by Edwin Gile Rich, and are addressed in annotation #286 below. For a
discussion of the individual essays see items A through JJ below.The contents:
Souvenirs
“Souvenirs
A. d’enfance”—see 286A.
“Leurs
B. majestés”—see 286V.
“Histoire
C. d’une opéra-comique”—see 286D.
“La
D. salle de la rue Bergère”—Here Saint-Saëns pays a rather sentimental
tribute to the performing hall in the old Conservatoire. He mentions who
built it and who redesigned it, and tells of Habeneck’s programming and
style. Saint-Saëns compares the hall to St. James Hall and Queen’s Hall
(London).
“Le
E. vieux Conservatoire”—see 286B.
“Victor
F. Hugo”—see 286C.
“Louis
G. Gallet”—see 286E.
Voyages
“Egypte”—Here
H. Saint-Saëns shares with the reader everything that he feels
makes Egypt beautiful including the architecture, the vocal music, the
exotic animals and the natural beauty. He describes how Karnak was
revived by a Frenchman, George Legrain, to show the grandeur and
glory of its ancient times. Saint-Saëns also laments how what some
people call “progress” has affected the country.
“Algérie”—The
I. composer praises the beauty and quietude of the country.
He admits that Algiers has changed since he composed Act III of
Samson in St.-Eugène, and that it is no longer the Algiers of the Suite
algerienne; rather, it has become a European city. But to truly sample
the charm of Algeria, one needs to go to the countryside. It was there
that he was inspired to compose his song “Amions-nous.” In closing he
speaks of the mysteries of the volcanoes which fascinated him.
“Cesena”—Saint-Saëns
J. relates his visit to this Italian town for a festival
performance of Samson. He praises almost all facets of the production
and cast. He also describes the wonderfully warm reception he received
from the town which hailed him as the “greatest living musician.” From
Cesena he went to Turino to visit the Exposition being held there, and
gives his general impressions of that event.
Questions artistiques
“L’histoire
K. et la légende dans le drame lyrique”—see 286F.
“L’anarchie
L. musicale”—see 286I.
M.Chevalier Vert—Saint-Saëns describes the performance of “The Green
Le
Knight” which is a grove play (or nature piece) performed by the
Bohemian Club in California. It is an outdoor play performed in the
woods with improvisatory music. The composer found it to be a
pleasurable experience, “pretty to watch” and the “music was
agreeable.”
“L’art
N. pour l’art”—see 286G.
“L’art
O. décoratif”—For Saint-Saëns decorative art has two sources:
geometric forms (“of which crystallization gives the most beautiful
examples”), and natural forms (which can be “studied among plants and
animals”). He further states that these forms, “skillfully stylized,” are
“infinitely variable” and offer the artist “the most beautiful fields to
travel.” However, if the artist leaves these paths he will fall into the
“illogical” and “absurd.” Saint-Saëns also traces the use of the Greco-
Roman style through various artistic time periods.
“Science
P. et Art populaire”—see 286H.
Musique Religieuse
“Musique
Q. religieuse”—This was written in response to Pius X’s Motu
proprio on sacred music, in which the pontiff decreed a return to
“truly” sacred music. Saint-Saëns rightly asks what really makes
religious music. The return to primitive chant the composer feels is not
possible because we “have lost the key to this ancient art.” He questions
the pope’s restrictions on the use of instruments, citing the mention of

numerous stringed, wind, and percussion instruments in the psalms.
Saint-Saëns believes that “each epoch, each country, understands
devotion and consequently religious music, in its own manner.” This is
a rather open-minded and broad-reaching attitude for someone
considered so conservative. In closing, he suggests that the serious study
of all art forms should begin in the seminary. He feels this would
improve the taste and quality of music in church.
“L’orgue”—see
R. 286J.
. “La
S prononciation du Latin dans l’Eglise de France”—This essay is divided
into two main sections. The first addresses the desire of Rome that Latin
be uniformly pronounced in an Italian fashion, and in the second section
Saint-Saëns takes issue with various points of Pius X’s Motu proprio.
Regarding pronunciation Saint-Saëns believes, like others, that the
Italian pronunciation is not necessarily the “authentic” style, and that it
is unfair to demand this from people who are not familiar with the
Italian language. Saint-Saëns continues to take issue with the
Motuproprio on music, pointing out that despite Pius X’s preference for
sixteenth-century polyphony, he does not disallow modern church
music. The composer makes many good points against the conservative
stance from Rome; namely, that there is little difference in style
between Palestrina’s motets and his madrigals, and that various
instruments, when used well, create marvelous effects in sacred music.
Portraits
“Joseph
T. Haydn et les Sept Paroles”—see 286K.
“Le
U. centenaire de Liszt a Heidelberg”—see 286L.
“Le
V. Requiem de Berlioz”—see 286M.
“Pauline
W. Viardot”—see 286N.
“Orphée”—see
X. 286O.
“Delsarte”—see
Y. 286P.
“Seghers”—see
Z. 286Q.
“Rossini”—see
AA 286R.
.
“Jules
BB Massenet”—see 286S.
.
“Meyerbeer”—see
CC 286T.
.
“Jacques
DD Offenbach”—see 286U.
.
Fantaisies scientifiques
“Notre
EE. avenir”—This is a reflection on the industrial progress which Saint-
Saëns witnessed: from candle to electricity, from carriage to automobile,
from more modest housing to forty-story skyscrapers. He comments
also on the relative ease of travel between countries and continents
during his time. But progress comes with a price, and in closing he
offers the reader a warning that the consumption of iron has become so
high, if it continues to grow at the current rate, the world will probably
be without this resource in 60 years.
“Questions
FF. d’optique”—Possessing a continually curious intellect and
interested in all things scientific, the composer here addresses the optical
illusions of the mirage and Fata Morgana. He also explains the reason
that the sun and moon appear to be at various sizes on different days.
“Les
GG astres”—Saint-Saëns shares how he came to love the science of
. astronomy, naming those who influenced him from his youth. He also
tells of some of his experiences observing the heavens.
“Maïa”—In
HH this brief essay Saint-Saëns distinguishes between reality and
. illusion. To help make this point he uses music as an example. Not all
countries use the same tuning system, so middle C in one country is not
exactly the same “middle C” in another country, even in the well-
tempered system. He says that the same concept holds true with color,
for we do not all perceive colors the same way.
Variétés
“Les
II. Peintres Musiciens”—see 286W.
“Une
JJ. petite page d’histoire”—Saint-Saëns recounts an incident in the
political life of Prince Napoleon, who in a speech about Napoleon I
embarrassed the regime. Saint-Saëns describes him as a liberal who was
“handsome and proud, endowed by nature with a Napoleonic
expression, he was neither loose nor ridiculous…and expressed his
ideas with a frankness bordering sometimes even on brutality.”
283. Saint-Saëns, Camille. Germanophilie. Paris: Dorgon-Ain, 1916. 96 p. ML

410.S15A1.Saint-Saëns maintained at various times that he admired Wagner and his
music; however, he was always quick to add that he did not subscribe to the religion
of Wagner. In this brief monograph, Saint-Saëns quotes Wagner as saying that
“when I reread my old theoretical works, it was impossible for me to understand
them.” To prove this, Saint-Saëns offers Wagner’s complex and convoluted
definition of melody (as translated by Prod’homme). The composer indicates that
Wagner’s system of the synthesis of all the arts is, in theory, admirable; it however
“results in the suppression of the art of singing and the enlargement of the orchestra.”
French Wagnerites, Saint-Saëns believes, can be divided into three categories: (1)
those for whom Wagner is the “alpha and omega, those who admit nothing outside
of his works”; (2) the more numerous are those “who understand nothing of
Wagner’s works” but who are charmed by this exciting and turbulent music”; and (3)
those like Saint-Saëns himself, who have studied the music, but “who do not delude
themselves as to the defaults of the music, and find in them a source of profound
aesthetic beauty.” In conclusion, Saint-Saëns includes a letter he wrote to
M.Edmound Hippeau in 1881 which serves as explanation to those who believe that
the composer has changed his mind about Wagner’s music. In it Saint-Saëns indicates
that the “music of the future will later become, if it continues, the music of the past.”
He closes his letter with that famous quote: “Art does not have a country, the artists
have one.”
284. Saint-Saëns, Camille. Harmonie et mélodie. Paris: Calmann Levy, 1885. 318 p. ML
410.S15.A25.This collection of essays can be divided into those which discuss
specific musicians, such as Félicien David, Liszt, Madame Carvalho, Offenbach,
Berlioz, and Reber; and those essays which address larger topics, including the Ring
cycle at Bayreuth, the oratorios of Handel, the Birmingham Festival, the Société
Nationale de Musique, and music and poetry. The first essay, “Harmonie et mélodie”
dates from 1872 to 1874, when Saint-Saëns first published it in installments in the
journal Renaissance littéraire et artistique. Other essays in this collection were
previously published in journals, including “Résonnance multiple des cloches,” and
“L’anneau du Nibelung.” In this collection, Saint-Saëns addresses the music of
Wagner a great deal, and states that he himself is “eclectic.” Specifically he says it is
“neither Bach, nor Beethoven, nor Wagner that I love, but it is art.” He also observes
that Wagner contradicts his own theories in the later operas. Saint-Saëns asks, “Is the
system of Tristan that of The Ring?” And while sensing that the Wagnerian is
“singularly intolerant,” he on the other hand, while not agreeing with everything
Wagner believes, profoundly admires Wagner’s works without belonging to the
“religion of Wagner.”
285. Saint-Saëns, Camille. Les idées de M. Vincent d’Indy. Paris: Éditions Pierre Lafitte,
1919. 41 p. ML 410.I7S3.In this monograph Saint-Saëns reviews d’Indy’s Cours de
composition, which he finds in general to be a fine work. However, he does take
issue with a number of things, including d’Indy’s concentration upon expression and
passion as primary elements in music, and some of his fundamental ideas about
rhythm. He also laments d’Indy’s editing of the early music examples found in the
Cours de composition as being full of “superfluous indications and nuances.” In
addition to his critique of d’Indy’s book, Saint-Saëns also offers the reader much
insight into his own aesthetics and philosophy of music. He confesses that “to me art
is form above all else.” While “amateurs” are drawn to the expressive qualities of
music, the artist must look beyond that. Always a composer who appreciated rules,
Saint-Saëns criticizes composers who reject all rules and restrictions, and feel that
they are “laws unto themselves.” No doubt he is alluding to Debussy, Stravinsky, and
Strauss, among others. Saint-Saëns takes the opportunity to state his admiration for
both Wagner and Franck, although questioning why d’Indy has placed the latter upon
so high a pedestal. Franck, in his opinion, does not deserve to be among the great
masters of music. Rather Saint-Saëns believes Franck to be “more of a musician than
an artist.” While chastising d’Indy and others who must cross the Rhine in search of
truth, in this brief monograph Saint-Saëns shows himself to be a thoughtful and
thought-provoking musician, erudite, and well-read, who admits that “what we know
is insignificant compared with what we do not know.”286. Saint-Saëns, Camille.
Musical Memories. Trans. Edwin Gile Rich. Boston: Small, Maynard and Company,
1919. 282 p. ML 410.S15.A21.This is an abridged version of Saint-Saëns’s École
buissonière of 1913. The translator does not include the essays on the composer’s
voyages to exotic countries, nor does he include the three scientific articles, both
areas which were important in helping to define the composer’s personality and
character. Also, only one of the three essays on religious music is included in this
collection. The monograph does not have any introductory material to these essays.
For information on the individual essays, see items A-W below.The contents:
“Memories
A. of My Childhood”—This article relates many of the popular
stories and anecdotes of Saint-Saëns’s youth, including his early
abilities at the piano and his compositions before the age of 10. It also
confirms some details of the composer’s biography and offers some
background on Saint-Saëns’s mother and his great-aunt, Charlotte
Masson.
“The
B. Old Conservatoire”—This is Saint-Saëns’s tribute to the old
conservatory building at the rue Bergère. He speaks fondly of his organ
studies with Benoist, and composition lessons with Halévy. He tells
stories and offers his opinions about each. Saint-Saëns indicates that
much of his education was obtained at the library and the concert hall
where he both studied scores and listened to music. In closing he
supports in general the reforms proposed by the new director, Fauré,
stating that “one must be of one’s own time.”
“Victor
C. Hugo”—An account of Saint-Saëns’s fondness for the literary style
and person of Hugo; the composer also tells how he first met the writer
and the genesis of his “Hymne a Victor Hugo.” He praises Hugo for his
clear and unpretentious style, and the “rhythmic and sonorous passages”
of his poetry which all but beg to be set to music.
“The
D. History of an Opéra-Comique”—He laments the bureaucracy and
closed-mindedness of opera production. To demonstrate the
machinations and miserable processes, he recounts the genesis of his
own Timbre d’argent, explaining the changes, broken promises, and
illogical meddling of directors and producers.
“Louis
E. Gallet”—This is a fine appreciation and expose of the writer with
whom Saint-Saëns collaborated on many projects from La princesse
jaune and Le deluge to the historical works such as Étienne Marcel and
other large-scale works including Déjanire and Proserpine. The two
were of a like mind with similar tastes in art and literature, and desire to
be accurate in dealing with historical subjects. Like Saint-Saëns, Gallet
did not buy into the hysteria for Wagner.
“History
F. and Mythology in Opera”—Here the composer indicates that
history and myth are often closely tied: “There are myths in history, and
history in myths.” In a somewhat oversimplified survey, Saint-Saëns
indicates that from Lully to the end of the eighteenth century, French
opera was myth-based, and as people “tired” of this, historical works
were adopted. Using his own Henri VIII as an example, Saint-Saëns
demonstrates the dramatic power of the historic opera, stating that

“mythology offers one advantage in the use of the miraculous.”
“Art
G. for Art’s Sake”—According to the composer, art “responds to a special
sense” which Saint-Saëns defines as a sense of style, which even “some
of the savage races” have, as seen in their arms and utensils. After a
discussion of music as art, with its lines, modeling, color and
movement, he suggests that literature is art only in poetry, not in prose.
Should art be moral or useful? Hugo has said that the sun is beautiful
and useful, but it is not art. Saint-Saëns believes that art is “self-
sufficient.” He says that the first prelude of the Well-Tempered Clavier
expresses nothing, “but it is one of the marvel of music,” and the Venus
de Milo expresses nothing but “it is one of the marvels of sculpture.” As
for morality in art, he believes that “the artist sees only beautiful forms,
where the gross see only nudity.”
“Popular
H. Science and Art”—Saint-Saëns argues that the public should be
taught science and art. Too often people are given only a cursory or
superficial introduction to what science is. The same is true with music,
he believes. When “real singers and virtuosi” are employed by concert
managers, attendance increases. Saint-Saëns implies that people are
inherently more responsive to good-quality musical works and
performances.
“Anarchy
I. in Music”—He begins with an overly simple explanation of music
history, indicating that musical “development” during the Middle Ages
was slow, and music of the sixteenth century is lacking in melody and
expression until the dominant seventh chord introduced by Monteverdi.
From this Saint-Saëns believes all “modern harmony developed.” He
applies Fétis’s use of the term “omnitonic” to Wagner’s musical style.
However, Saint-Saëns laments that music has gone further to the “atonic
system” which “casts aside all rules and every restraint.” He believes
that some composer may go further still!
“The
J. Organ”—Saint-Saëns praises the instruments of Cavaillé-Coll for their
variety of sound and capacity. Saint-Saëns considers the organ to be a
“theme with innumerable variations.” Improvisation, the composer
indicates, is a “particular glory of the French school.” He likens it to
oratory: “Many a lawyer who is brilliant when he talks, becomes dry as
dust when he tries to write.” The composer recognizes the importance
of improvisation in the liturgy and how it should be harmonious with
the liturgical action.
“Joseph
K. Haydn and the Seven Words”—Saint-Saëns laments the general
neglect of the music of Haydn, and he praises the “London”
symphonies, Haydn’s orchestration, and his oratorios. He gives a brief
history of the Seven Last Words, which have appeared in three forms:
one for orchestra and chorus, one for orchestra alone, and another for
string quartet. In Cadiz, Saint-Saëns learned of the “true” story of the
work’s genesis, which he shares. He believes that the orchestral version

is the “only one worth considering.”
“The
L. Liszt Centenary at Heidelberg (1912)”—This is a review and critique
of the Liszt festival which included performances of works such as the
Legend of St. Elizabeth, Christus, various tone poems, and works for
piano. Saint-Saëns praises the virtuoso pianists (Busoni, Friedheim, and
Risler), and the singer, Madame Cahier, for their fine interpretations. He
also praises Richard Strauss’s abilities as a conductor of Tasso and
the “Mephisto Waltz.” Saint-Saëns spends a good portion of this article
on reviewing Christus.
“Berlioz’s
M. Requiem”—The composer offers an appreciation of this unique
work with comments upon the orchestration and orchestral effects.
Saint-Saëns criticizes Berlioz’s treatment of voices, comparing him to
Beethoven in that regard. In general, the composer considers Berlioz a
genius despite his faults, and indicates that the Requiem “reminds us of
the Alps with their forests, glaciers, sunlight, waterfalls, and chasms.”
“Pauline
N. Viardot”—A glowing expose of the famous singing actress; the
composer praises his friend’s voice as “unequaled” and “marvelous.”
He also praises her talent as a composer and pianist. More than a mere
singer, Viardot was a learned musician who subscribed to the complete
works of Bach, performed with ease music of various styles and
languages, and was a friend and colleague to many great musicians.
O.
“Orphée”—This is an account of Saint-Saëns’s role in the edition of
Gluck’s works, first begun with Mlle. Fanny Pelleton. He mentions the
variety of obstacles he faced trying to make a true and authentic
performing edition of the work. Saint-Saëns discusses and critiques both
the French and Italian versions of the opera. He also, somewhat off the
subject, gives an account of a performance of Gluck’s Armide in
Germany.
“Delsarte”—In
P. this appreciation of the voice teacher Delsarte, Saint-Saëns
describes the man as a “singer without a voice, an imperfect musician, a
doubtful scholar, guided by an intuition which approached genius, in
spite of his numerous faults…. The impression he gave to all who knew
him was of a visionary, an apostle.”
“Seghers”—Saint-Saëns
Q. discusses the two main performing groups with
which Seghers was associated: the Société des Concerts at the
conservatory, and the Société Ste. Cécile, which he founded. The first
group had a narrow scope, playing Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven almost
exclusively. However, the second organization (despite some
resistance) played a more varied repertory including the works of
modern French composers. It was at the Société Ste. Cécile that Saint-
Saëns’s E-flat major Symphony was played (being submitted as an
anonymous German work), as well as pieces by Gounod, Berlioz,
Reber, and Bizet.
“Rossini”—This
R. is an account of Saint-Saëns’s relationship with Rossini
and his impressions of the composer’s reputation and personality. He
found Rossini to be “intensely interested in and open-minded to
ideas, which, if they were not advanced, were at least broad and noble.”
Saint-Saëns believed that Rossini “made a great step toward realism” in
several of his works. Also mentioned in this article are accounts of some
of Saint-Saëns’s more memorable visits to Rossini’s musical evenings.
“Jules
S. Massenet”—According to Saint-Saëns, Massenet “is one of the most
brilliant diamonds in our musical crown.” Agreeing that Massenet was
not “profound,” Saint-Saëns found that his music instead had “charm,
attraction and a passionateness that was feverish rather than deep.” To
Saint-Saëns, Massenet’s music possessed a “gaiety” rare at the time and
“frowned upon in modern music.” Despite being rivals, Saint-Saëns
concludes this article with the famous quote: “Massenet had many
imitators; he never imitated anyone.”
“Meyerbeer”—Saint-Saëns
T. comes to the defense of Meyerbeer. Despite his
compositional faults (which Saint-Saëns mentions), Meyerbeer was a
composer of the theater and “sought above everything else theatrical
effects.” “Meyerbeer was more a musician than an artist.” Saint-Saëns
recognized the debt modern composers owe Meyerbeer for his
treatment of the orchestra, his handling of the chorus, and his stage
setting. Meyer-beer’s music, according to the author, was an
amalgamation of German, Italian, and French, “which resembled no
other.” Saint-Saëns also points to other innovations in Meyerbeer’s
works, such as the short preludes (instead of lengthy overtures), the
“foretaste” of Leitmotifs, and development of the role of the French
horn, to name a few. Saint-Saëns also discusses various operas in some
detail, including Les Huguenots, Le prophète, Le pardon de Ploërmel,
and L’Africaine.
“Jacques
U. Offenbach”—Saint-Saëns praises Offenbach’s “marvelous natural
gifts” of comedy and melody; however, Saint-Saëns believes that he
“wrote badly for his early education was neglected.” The composer also
credits Offenbach with the first use of a dominant eleventh chord in
Daphnis et Chloé. Saint-Saëns believes that Offenbach “lost all his good
qualities as soon as he took himself seriously.” The Tales of Hoffmann
shows traces of a “practiced pen” because Giraud finished the work and
corrected some errors.
“Their
V. Majesties”—An account of Saint-Saëns’s meetings with various royal
personages, including Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra, Queen
Christine of Spain, Queen Amelie of Portugal, Queen Margharita,
Queen Hélène, and the queen of Belgium. Saint-Saëns indicates that
these ladies were all charming, often musically talented, gracious, and
warm. From his stories and anecdotes, it is apparent that he moved very
easily in royal circles.
“Musical
W. Painters”—Saint-Saëns tells of his friendship with three famous
painters who were also musically gifted: Ingres, Doré, and Regnault. He
speaks of each man with fondness and respect. Saint-Saëns gives the
most discussion to Ingres and Regnault, for whom he had composed the
song “Sabre en main.”
287. Saint-Saëns, Camille. Note sur les décors de théâtre dans l’antiquite romaine.
Paris: L.Baschet, 1886. 32 p. NA 3360. S3.In this monograph Saint-Saëns believes
that some of the remaining frescoes in Pompeii may point to the manner in which
ancient Roman theaters were decorated. He indicates that the large openings in
windows, doorways and the like give evidence to the use of périactes (tall triangular
backdrops) which were used to help set the scene. His hypothesis is arguably
supported by some of the ancient authors themselves, whose writings describe some
of the same details of theater decoration which Saint-Saëns noticed displayed in the
frescoes.288. Saint-Saëns, Camille. Outspoken Essays on Music. Trans. Fred
Rothwell. New York: Dutton and Company, 1922. 186 p. ML 410.S15A3.This is a
collection of the composer’s essays in an authorized translation from previously
published materials. Some items, such as “False Masterpieces of Art,” an essay on
Rameau, a speech written for the erection of a monument of Gounod (but not
delivered), and an article on Liszt as a pianist, originally appeared in the monograph
Au courant de la vie (#278). An English translation of his les idées de M.Vincent
d’Indy (#285) begins this collection. There are two interesting primary source
studies, one in which he examines Chopin’s compositional process of the F major
Ballade using a manuscript in his possession, and another on a manuscript copy of
Gounod’s libretto to Faust (which he owned). Saint-Saëns’s opinions of modern music
and America, and his explanation of the origins of Samson, are also offered in this
volume. For annotations of the individual essays, see items A-Q below.The contents:
Part I
“Ideas
A. of Vincent d’lndy”—see #285.
“The
B. Manuscript libretto of Faust”—The composer mentions some
marginalia in Gounod’s ms., even some allusions to numbers that were
cut (such as the mad scene). He mentions abridgements (the opening
monologue of Faust), and there are also annotations of the “Jewel Song”
which show octave leaps and other elements which are not in the final
product. There are also examples of changes in the text.
“Liszt,
C. the Pianist”—Considered the Paganini of the piano by Saint-Saëns,
the composer believed that it was not Liszt’s virtuosity but his “admirable
musical nature that constituted his true worth.” According to Saint-Saëns,
Liszt’s “aim was to introduce the orchestra into the piano.” He credits
Liszt with new methods of fingering, and using the left hand not just for
the low notes of the piano. In this essay, Saint-Saëns indicates that “a
difficulty overcome is a thing of beauty,” and that “virtuosity is a
powerful aid to music.”
“The
D. False Masterpieces of Music”—In this article Saint-Saëns refers to
“pieces either ridiculous or mediocre, which the masses have thought
they were compelled to admire, falling headlong into the snares set for
them by publishers of too knavish a type.” These include Beethoven’s
waltzes, and Weber’s “Dernière pensée” (“Weber’s Last Waltz”).
“AE.Note on Rameau”—Saint-Saëns believes that Rameau was the greatest
composer of the eighteenth century. He praises Durand for their task of
publishing the complete works (with which Saint-Saëns was associated).
He does not possess Bach’s “supreme elegance and wonderful fecundity
of production, for his style is uneven and gauche, and occasionally
disconcerting.” Saint-Saëns believed that “his superiority was along
other lines”—his genius for dramatic effect. Saint-Saëns shows himself
a musicologist here, discussing not only the tradition of lower pitch in
eighteenth-century French music, and the use of the haute-contre, but
also his concern for correct performance practice of appoggiaturas and
double-dotting. Saint-Saëns also suggests that the rhythm of the vocal
music is “approximate” and must take into account the nuance of the
declamation of the text.
“AF.Chopin Manuscript: The F major Ballade in the Making”—Here Saint-
Saëns compares the original ideas of Chopin with what became the final
version of the piece. Many of these changes were simplifications. Saint-
Saëns indicates that the manuscript “shows us with what great reserve
Chopin used the pedal because in several places where he originally
indicated it he later changed his mind.” The manuscript (according to
the editor of this collection) was given by Saint-Saëns to the
Conservatoire library.
Part II
“Hélène”—This
G. essay contains the composer’s thoughts on his opera written
for Monte Carlo (1903–04). He offers a history of the creation of the
work, begun in Cairo but ultimately completed in Paris.
“Sarasate”—This
H. is a very brief mention of the violinist for whom Saint-
Saëns composed some famous works, including the A major
Concerto (which in Germany is known as a Concertstüke), the Rondo
capriccioso, and the B minor Concerto.
“Musical
I. Digressions”—Saint-Saëns laments that many composers—
including Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer—have been trampled by the
followers of Wagner. He also takes Wagner to task for not being true to
himself as he criticizes the use of mythological and legendary figures
and stories in opera, only to turn around and use them himself. Saint-
Saëns ends with the famous quote that “in its essence, art does not
change; men only change their minds as to its methods and limitations.”
“The
J. Metronome”—This is a brief plea with the Académie des Sciences to
create a mathematically regulated metronome and to “induce the
government to see to it that all such instruments…should be tested and

stamped, as in the case of weights and measures.”
“Observations
K. of a Friend of Animals”—Through several stories and
anecdotes, Saint-Saëns testifies to what he believes constitutes
intelligence in animals. He also mentions his experiments, which
although less than scientific, he feels support his beliefs.
“Impressions
L. of America”—Saint-Saëns gives very favorable accounts of
his visits to the U.S., especially his stay in New York. He says if you’re
looking for the ancient and antique in America, you will be
disappointed. However, especially in Washington, D.C., the Greco-
Roman styled buildings are beautiful. In general he finds the modern
conveniences, skyscrapers, and transportation quite wonderful, and his
experiences with the public were very rewarding. The people “were
courteous and sympathetic,” although “the woman reigns even a little
too much.” Saint-Saëns also praises the American musical
establishments in Philadelphia (where he heard a fine performance of
Samson), and New York. He did complain of bad Chinese food, and the
poor treatment of lions, foxes, and bears in the zoos.
“Chopin”—The
M. composer suggests that Chopin’s illness, demeanor, and
attitude made him quite popular with the general public, who believed
“robust health was unfashionable” and that it was a “mark of bon ton
for the young to look pale and thin.” However, there were some who truly
appreciated his talent and understood his music: Liszt, Sand, Thomas,
and Viardot. Saint-Saëns believed that Chopin was above all a poet and
compared him to Musset, both of whom “sang of women and love.” In
closing Saint-Saëns calls for a critical edition of Chopin’s music to be
made to correct errors and use manuscripts and original editions as the
source.
“Charles
N. Gounod on Mozart’s Don Juan”—see #279.
“The
O. Origins of Samson and Delilah”—Saint-Saëns relates how the work
first was conceived of as an oratorio, but at the suggestion of the
librettist became an opera. He relates the stories of the initial
performances of selections of the work, and Liszt’s generous promise to
produce the finished product in Weimar.
“Modern
P. Music”—This is a speech originally delivered at Fontainebleau
(home of Nadia Boulanger’s famous school) on June 26, 1921. After
praising the Franco-American bonds, he admonishes young composers
to “avoid all straining after originality. Allow your personal contribution
to music to express itself naturally. By eagerly desiring to be original,
the result is very likely to be a blend of folly and bizarrerie He
continued to say that the “entire world of music is suffering from a like
disease: a craving for novelty at any cost.” Saint-Saëns also advised the
students to keep the past and tradition alive: “We do not keep a tree
alive by hacking away at its roots.”
“Gounod”—This
Q. is a brief address intended for the inauguration of a
monument to Gounod in the Parc Monceau. Saint-Saëns praises Gounod
for his perfection of form and the sincerity of faith in his sacred works,
singling out Mors et vita and the “St. Cecilia” Mass. He also praises
Gounod’s ability to write for the voice in a complementary fashion and
indicates that Juliette, Marguerite, and Mireille are also Gounod’s
children as well as those of the great poets. He closes by thanking
Gounod, who has “shown us the path to follow, guiding and
encouraging when the way was dark and uncertain.”
289. Saint-Saëns, Camille. Portraits et souvenirs. Paris: Société d’Édition Artistique,

1899. 246 p. ML 410.S15.A33.This volume is a collection of various writings by the
composer taken from journals including the Revue bleu, Nouvelle revue, Revue de
Paris and Revue de l’art ancien et moderne in the last decade of the nineteenth
century. He tells the reader in the introduction that “one will find a little bit of
everything in this volume, much less polemic here than in Harmonie et mélodie
[#284]. Anecdotes, souvenirs of a few great musicians whom I have known, a little
general criticism.” Here the reader is transported into Saint-Saëns’s artistic life and
made privy to some of his intimate confidences. The “Portraits” include the
composer’s thoughts on his dear friends Berlioz, Liszt, and Gounod, along with
Victor Massé and Anton Rubinstein. His “Souvenirs” include stories of Bizet, Louis
Gallet, and an “Engagement of an artist” among other things. In the third and final
section of the monograph, “Variétés,” Saint-Saëns offers essays on “Le defense de
l’Opéra-Comique,” “Le théâtre au concert,” and the “Illusion wagnérienne.” The
Contents:
“Hector
A. Berlioz”—Saint-Saëns believes Berlioz to be a paradox. As a
composer his most characteristic work is Roméo et Juliette, for it is in
this composition that “paradox and genius shine all at once.” But the
“paradoxical spirit of Berlioz” is found in his criticism, for here the
“past does not exist for him,” but the pages he wrote on Beethoven’s
symphonies and Gluck’s operas are incomparable.” Saint-Saëns
remarks that the two main things that worked against Berlioz were the
hostility of the Opéra and the coldness of the Société des Concerts.
Saint-Saëns was the recipient of Berlioz’s benevolence and friendship,
and he found him to be of a “superior nature.”
“Franz
B. Liszt”—This is a fine appreciation of the man and musician whom
Saint-Saëns admired a great deal. Indicating that Liszt’s “influence on
the destiny of the piano was immense,” Saint-Saëns compares this to the
influence Hugo had on the French language and Paganini’s influence on
the violin repertory. Interested in the orchestral possibilities of the piano,
Saint-Saëns praises the Sonata in B minor, but reserves some of his
more enthusiastic criticism for the orchestral works. According to Saint-
Saëns, Liszt “made expression the goal of his instrumental music.” He
also praises the oratorios Christus and St. Elizabeth, in which Liszt
creates a genre totally different from the classical models. Despite his
great admiration for Liszt’s music, Saint-Saëns recognizes that while his
output was immense it was also “uneven.”
“Charles
C. Gounod”—This is a lengthy article which discusses the life and
career of Gounod. Saint-Saëns mentions the early operatic works such
as Sapho, and the Nonne sanglante, and gives special emphasis to
Faust. Saint-Saëns offers personal recollections from his relationship
with the composer as well as insights into the creation and history of
various works. He also includes an examination of Gounod’s sacred
works including the “St. Cecilia” Mass, Redemption, and Mors et vita.
The musical discussions are descriptive rather than analytical, and while
Saint-Saëns gives a fine explanation of Gounod’s career, there is no
detailed biographical information.
“Victor
D. Massé”—This is a very brief mention of a composer who was once
a favorite at the Opéra-comique with works such as the Chanteuse
voilée, the Noces de Jeannette, and Galathée. Saint-Saëns believes him
to be a “very French musician” and one whose music possesses the
“diverse elements which contributed to form the French school.”
Unfortunately he is not more specific.
“Antoine
E. Rubenstein”—In this article Saint-Saëns recounts his friendship
with the famous pianist-composer. He mentions how they met, their
joint concerts, and how Saint-Saëns composed the G minor Piano
Concerto for him (in three weeks!). Compared to Liszt, the eagle,
Rubenstein was a lion. Whether playing Mozart, Chopin, or Beethoven,
“Rubenstein’s personality overflows.” As a composer, his orchestral
music is marred by inexperience, according to Saint-Saëns, but he finds
Lalla-Roukh and the “Ocean” Symphony to be fine works.
“Une
F. traversée en Bretagne”—Here Saint-Saëns tells of a boat crossing he
took in Brittany where, to his pleasant surprise, the captain of the vessel
was a rather accomplished oboe player who serenaded him on the trip.
When Saint-Saëns tried to pay for the crossing, the captain seemed
offended, for he felt this was a “service.”
“Une
G. engagement d’artiste”—The composer addresses the concept of
physical beauty, and how it often has very little to do with talent. He
uses as examples the famous actress Rachel, the ballerina Mlle.
Marquet, and an anonymous Spanish zarzuela singer.
“Georges
H. Bizet”—This is a very brief tribute to the composer whom Saint-
Saëns viewed not as a rival, but as a “brother in arms,” and according to
the senior composer, left behind works which are now the “glory of the
French school.”
“Louis
I. Gallet”—In this essay Saint-Saëns pays tribute to his friend and
collaborator, with whom he first worked in 1871 on Timbre d’argent.
Saint-Saëns describes the librettist as possessing a “penetrating
intelligence, and open to everything, a clear reason, natural spirit, talent,
erudition without pedantry, making an ideal collaborator.” The two men,

according to Saint-Saëns, shared the same tastes in art and literature.
One of Gallet’s sonnets, “Boutique japonaise,” is reproduced in the
essay.
“Docteur
J. a Cambridge (1893)”—This article is an account of Saint-Saëns’s
visit to Cambridge where he received an honorary doctorate in music
along with Max Bruch, Boïto, Tchaikovsky, and Grieg. He gives his
impressions of the college, its chapel services (“with good music very
well sung”), and the ceremony. He also critiques the concert, which
featured music of each of the honorees.
“Orphée”—Here
K. Saint-Saëns offers a brief and not too detailed account of
how Gluck’s Orphée was resurrected for Mme. Viardot. He indicates
that there are not only the two main editions (one in Italian for a
castrato, and the other in French for a tenor), but a third one Berlioz
attempted, which is a cross between the other two. Thanks to
Viardot, Saint-Saëns also had a hand in “arranging” some of the music
for her performance.
L. Giovanni”—Saint-Saëns praises Mozart’s opera for its “correctness
“Don
and delicacy of expression” and its “perfection of form.” He compliments
Mozart on his “impeccable writing” and “refined elegance.” Saint-
Saëns also mentions the singers whom he had heard in the opera, and he
comments on how Mozart handles some of the roles musically and
dramatically. While he believes that there is a French influence on Le
nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni is purely Italian, not only in language
but in style and character. Like Gounod, Saint-Saëns feels that “there
are Ionic columns in Mozart,” referring to the purity and charm of the
style.
“La
M. defense de l’opéra-comique”—This brief article serves as an apology
for the genre of the opéra-comique. Saint-Saëns reminds the reader that
the performers in this field (such as Caroline Duprez, Mme. Miolan-
Carvahlo, Roger, and Fauré) were great singers of the first order. For
those who believe that the opéra-comique is a “false genre” and that it
is ridiculous to mix dialogue and singing, Saint-Saëns points to
Beethoven’s Fidelio and Weber’s Freischütz. He also takes a
nationalistic attitude, saying that the Italian opera buffa and the gaiety
of Die Meistersinger are to their countries as the opéra-comique is to
France.
“Drame
N. lyrique et drame musical”—In this essay Saint-Saëns indicates that
“one has declared that all other music than that of the modern lyric
drama [is] unworthy of the attention of intelligent people.” While the
composer agrees that opera is a “transitory form,” he believes that the
genre does contain “all the manifestations of the dramatic art.” Saint-
Saëns goes further to say that “it is impossible to speak without singing,
not only in verse but in prose” because of the natural movement and
inflections of the voice. This “rudimentary song,” he says, “is the origin
of the vocal part of lyric drama.” But as much as Wagner would insist
that “lyric drama is the supreme expression of drama,” Saint-Saëns
believes that is incomplete. In closing the author compares the
Wagnerian cult with religion. Many go to Bayreuth knowing nothing of
music or even the German language, but they go there to be
“hypnotized.” The same holds true for religious services where people
await the word from above, chanted in a monotone style and in a foreign
language. Regarding well-performed Italian opera versus lyric drama,
Saint-Saëns says it is “better to eat dry bread than to starve to death.”
“Le
O. théâtre au concert”—Here the author laments that operatic selections are
programmed on concerts more as a rule than as an exception. This he
feels is catering to the taste of amateurs. He suggests a canon of
composers and works (many of which are vocal) as alternatives to
operatic excerpts. These include Haydn’s oratorios, Mendelssohn’s
Elijah, Beethoven’s Christus am Oelberg, and orchestral works by
Gounod, Massenet, David, Lalo, Delibes, Mmes. Grandval and Holmès,
Reyer, and many others. Saint-Saëns also complains that works by
Wagner appear on almost all concerts, but Berlioz is not given the same
honor!
“Illusion
P. wagnérienne”—”This is not a critique of the works or theories of
Wagner,” according to the author. However, he does take to task the
cult of Wagner, and those who consider him a “Messiah.” Saint-Saëns
points out some inconsistencies in Wagner’s philosophy, namely how it
is “contrary to good sense to put the drama in the orchestra when its
place is on the stage.” He also believes that Wagner’s “new system”
almost completely “annihilates the art of singing.” The author quotes
Wagner, who told Villot “that when I reread my old theoretical works I
was no longer able to understand them.” To Saint-Saëns this confusing
and complex style of writing not only by Wagner, but by his disciples,
is part of the problem.
“Le
Q. mouvement musical”—This article was written for Jules Comte,
director of the Revue de l’art ancien et moderne (November 12, 1897).
He requested Saint-Saëns to write on the current state of music. The
composer indicates that in the modern era instrumental music has been
freed from the domination of vocal music, thanks to Beethoven. He
complains that theatrical music has invaded the concert repertory,
chasing out the symphony, and that chamber music has been abused and
“prostituted” by the public. “Public taste, good or bad,” according to
Saint-Saëns, is a precious guide for the artist. He closes by saying that
“in the domain of art, theories are little things: works are everything.”
“Lettre
R. de Las Palmas”—In this letter to Madame J. Adam dated March 30,
1897, Saint-Saëns speaks primarily of two things: the challenges of
setting French texts to music, and the freedom from set forms in the
lyric drama. On the first topic Saint-Saëns quotes Gounod a great deal
and addresses the mute syllables common in French and how some
composers effectively use repetition of words not only for expression,
but to help create good melody.
290. Saint-Saëns, Camille. Problèmes et mystères. Paris, 1894.See above for the
annotation (#281) on this material, which was reprinted as a part of the Divagations
sérieuses of 1922. 291. Saint-Saëns, Camille. Rîmes familières. Paris: Calmann-Lévy,
1902. 22 p. PQ 2390.S68R5.This volume of poetry is composed of a “Prelude” (La
musique), and 18 poems which are labeled Strophes. Some of the more notable titles
are “A M. Gabriel Fauré,” “A Augusta Holmès,” and “A M. Jacques D***.” The
second section is comprised of six sonnets with titles such as “Charles Gounod,” “A
M.Henri Second,” “Cadix,” and “Le Fouzi-Yama.” The third group of nine poems is
entitled Poésies diverse and includes “Adieu,” “En Espagne,” “L‘Arabe,” and “Les
dieux.” The final section is Saint-Saëns’s one-act play Botriocéphale, which he
labels a “bouffonerie antique.” In general his writing style is straightforward,
simple, and honest. It is not verbose and flowery. He addresses subjects such as life,
death, and love in a solid and thoughtful fashion using ordinary language, much like
Robert Frost. These are the fruits of well-read and insightful person.292. Tiersot,
Julien. “Saint-Saëns écrivain: Sa bibliographie littéraire.” Revue de musicologie vols.
4 and 5 (1923/1924): 113–25; 165–70; 17–22. ISSN 0035– 1601.This multi-
installment article examines Saint-Saëns’s work as an author of articles appearing
between 1872 and 1919, in a great variety of journals including Renaissance
littéraire et artistique, Voltaire, Rappel, Revue de Paris, Echo de Paris, and the
Nouvelle revue, where his scientific article “La parenté des plantes et des animaux”
was published in 1906. Tiersot chronicles the great breadth of Saint-Saëns’s
writings, including his monographs, upon which he offers limited but often insightful
comments. He only lists the composer’s collections of poetry and theater works,
providing no commentary on them. However, the author does include an informative
bibliography of “brochures,” monographs, and “studies on Saint-Saëns inserted in
various works,” all of which are pre-1923. The second installment of this article
includes a more detailed examination of the composer’s early articles. Tiersot gives
many extracts from these writings which deal primarily with “Wagnerism” and the
young French school. The author lets Saint-Saëns’s own writings speak for
themselves, providing the reader with valuable information, but choosing not to
comment. While an important and pioneering article, it is not without inaccuracy. In
one instance, Tiersot indicates that Saint-Saëns wrote a musicological paper for a
conference in New York in 1915. The presentation to which he refers (“On the
Execution of Music, and Principally of Ancient Music”) was delivered by Saint-
Saëns in San Francisco at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915 (see
#151).
APPENDIX 1
Manuscript Sources for Selected
Compositions
INTRODUCTION
The following list of manuscript locations for the music of Saint-Saëns is a
compilation drawn from important and valuable work that has taken place over
the last three decades. Many secondary sources were instrumental in creating this
list. It is the intention of the present writer to offer this information for the first
time in one place in the hope that it will facilitate future study of the musical
sources of Saint-Saëns.
The information pertaining to the majority of the composer’s piano music has
come from Sabina Teller Ratner’s dissertation, “The Piano Works of Camille
Saint-Saëns” (#237). The third part of this valuable monograph is in fact a
thematic catalogue of the composer’s piano music which, when possible, offers
the location of manuscripts. In addition, the information from Ratner’s article on
the 68 manuscripts of keyboard music moved from the Conservatoire to the
Bibliothèque Nationale has been incorporated into the following list as well.
Other important secondary sources have been used, including David Fallon’s
doctoral dissertation from Yale (#223), his article in JAMS, “Saint-Saëns and the
Concours de composition musicale in Bordeaux” (#222), Frits Noske’s
monograph French Song from Berlioz to Duparc (#42), Susan Cotton Perry’s
dissertation on the organ music of Saint-Saëns (#233), and Elizabeth Harkins’s
dissertation on his chamber music (#243).
The following list is arranged alphabetically by the title of the individual
work, or collection, with a reference in the accompanying columns to the library
in which the manuscript is housed and the number assigned to it by that
institution.
Manuscript Sources for Selected Compositions

Title, opus number (date1) Location/ possession Assigned number
A la lune (1856) Pn2 911b
A quoi bon entendre les oiseaux des bois Pn 906d
(1868)
116 MANUSCRIPT SOURCES FOR SELECTED COMPOSITIONS

A Saint Blaise (1921) from Cinq poèmes de Pn 780
Ronsard
Adagio in E-flat for horn and piano (nd) Pn 896
Africa, op. 89, G minor (1891) BC3 581
Africa, op. 89 (1891)—sketches Pn 916 (10)
Africa, op. 89 (1891) Pn 2445
Africa, op. 89—arrangement for 2 pianos BC 580
(1891)
Aimons-nous (1892) Pn 2473
Aimons-nous—orchestral version (1919) Pn 2474
L’air de la pendule (1918)—for violin and Pn 726
piano
L’air de la pendule (1918)—for violin and
piano (sketch and partial manuscript, Musée
de Dieppe)
Album, op. 72 (1884) BC 582
Allegro animato for cello and piano Musée de Dieppe4 –
(incomplete)
Allegro d’après le 3e Concerto, op. 29—for BC 610
piano (ca. 1913)
Allegro appassionato, op. 70 (1884)—piano Pn 918
solo
Allegro appassionato, op. 70 (1884)— Pn 853
instrumental parts
L’amant malheureux (1921) from Cinq Pn 780
poèmes de Ronsard
L’amour blessé (1921) from Cinq poèmes de Pn 744
Ronsard
L’amour oyseau (1907) from Cinq poèmes Pn 796
de Ronsard5
Andante tranquillo (1879) NUML6 164
Andantino (1884) [unpublished] Pn 562
[Andantino]—no real title, fantasy on BC 618
Wagner’s Lohengrin—for piano (1859)
Angélus (1918)—orchestral version Pn 2475
Anwort (n.d.) Pn 910b
L’Arbre (1903) Pn 905
Ariel (l841) Pn 754
Au cimetière (1872)—from Mélodies Pn 799 and 925
persanes
Avril (1921)—from Vielles chansons Pn 808
MANUSCRIPT SOURCES FOR SELECTED COMPOSITIONS 117

Barcarolle (1897, unpublished)—for Pn 895
violin, cello, organ, and piano
Barcarolle, op. 108 (1898)—violin, cello, Pn 738
harmonium, and piano
Bénédiction nuptiale, op. 9—for piano solo BC 627
(ca. 1903)
Berceuse, op. 38 (1871)—violin and piano Pn 730
Bergeronnette (1850) Pn 529

La brise (1872)—from Pn 797
Mélodies persanes
La brise (1898)—from Pn 684
Mélodies persanes—
orchestral version
Cadence pour le Concert en BC 642
Ut mineur de Mozart, K. 491
(1911)—piano
Cadence pour le Concert no. BC 630
1 en Ut majeur de Beethoven,
op. 15 (191 5)—piano
Cadences pour le Concerto BC 640
en Mi b de Mozart, K. 482
(1911)—piano
Cadenza pour le Concerto en BC 629
Si b de Beethoven, op. 19
(1915)—piano
Cadenza pour le Concert en BC 631
Ut mineur de Beethoven, op.
37 (1915)—piano
Canon for two female voices DCLC7 ML96.S2
without text (1909)
Canzonetta toscana (1863) Pn 9126
Caprice Arabe, op. 96, A BC 589
(1894)
Caprice brillant for violin Sibley, Vault (Eastman ML 96 S15
and piano (1859)— School of Music)
unpublished
Caprice héroique, op. 106, BC 587
C# (1898)

Caprice sur des airs danois Pn 875, 550 and Rés. 2383
et russes, op. 91 (1887)—for
fl., ob., clar., and pno.
Caprice valse, op. 76—for BC 584
two pianos (1885)
Le Carnaval des animaux Pn 2456
(1886)
Cavatina, op. 144 (1915)— Pn 838
for tenor trombone and piano
Chanson a boire du vieux Pn 798
temps (1885)
Chanson de Fortunio (n.d.) Pn 911d
Chanson triste (1872)—solo Pn 793
song
La chasse du Burgrave Pn 529
(1854)
Chant saphique, op. 91 for Pn 850
cello and piano (1892)
Choeur de printemps from BC 620
Haydn’s Seasons—
arrangement for piano 4
hands (1855?)
La cignale et la fourmi Pn 911e
(1958)
Cinq poèmes de Ronsard Pn 780
(1921)
Les cloches (1853)8 Pn 872
Les cloches de la mer (1900) BC 2469
—orchestral version
Les cloches du Soir, op. 85, E- BC 596
flat (1889)
Concerto en Ut mineur de BC 626
Mozart—arrangement for
two pianos (ca. 1917)
Concerto pour piano, no. 1 in BC 622
D, op. 17—arranged for wind
instruments (1859)
Concerto pour piano, no. 1 in Pn 487
D, op. 17—for two pianos
(1858?)
D, op. 17 (1858)
G minor, op. 22 (1868)

Concerto pour piano, no. 3 in E Pierpont Morgan Library (NY) 10000 Gift 1969
flat, op. 29 (1869)
Concerto pour piano, no. 4, op. Pn 909
44 (1875)—first movement only
Concerto no. 5, op. 103— BC 586
arrangement for 2 pianos (ca.
1899)
Concerto no. 5, op. 103— Pn 916 (5)
sketches of the finale (1896)
Concerto no. 5, op, 103— Pn 916 (6)
sketches from 1894
Concerto no. 5, op. 103 in F for DCLC ML96.S2
Piano (no date) (holograph in ink
with corrections)
Courante; Les nuits de Rhein-du- NUML 214
bois (1858)
Dans ces beau moins (n.d.) BC 888a
Dans les coins bleus (1880) BC 800
Dans ton coeur (1872) BC 793
Danse macabre—for two pianos, BC 598
op. 40 (1875)
Danse macabre (1872)—the solo Pn 798
song version
Danse macabre, op. 40 (1874) Pn 500
El desdichado: bolero for 2 BC 822
voices (1871)
El desdichado: bolero for 2 voices BC 2477
—orchestral version (1873)
Désir d’amour (1901)— BC 2478
orchestral version
Désir de l’Orient (1871) BC 782
Deux fantasies écrite pour le Luth BC 632
(Vihuela) par D.Luis Milan de
Valence—arrangement for piano
(1898)
Deux melodies (1914) BC 787
Deux transcriptions sur Ascanio BC 605
—for piano (1890)
L’echo de la harpe (n.d.) BC 911f
Elégie, op. 143 (1915)—for Pn 741
violin and piano
L’elégie, op. 160 (1919)—for Pn 715
violin and piano

L’enlèvement (1865) BC 906b
L’enlèvement (1865)—orchestral BC 2479
version
Entr’acte de Proserpine—for two BC 604
pianos (1887)
L’étoile (1907) BC 775
Extase (1864) from Deux BC 2480
melodies
[Fantasy on Wagner’s BC 618
“Lohengrin”]—no real title (see
also Andantino above)—
arrangement for piano (1859)
Fantasie, op. 124 (1907)—for Pn 740
violin and harp
Les fées (1892)—with 4-hand BC 790 and 24812
piano accompaniment
Les fées (1892)—orchestral BC 24811
version
Le feu de ciel, op. 115— BC 624
arrangement for piano 4 hands
(ca. 1900)
La feuille de peuplier (1853) BC 791

La feuille de peuplier (n.d.)-orchestral BC 2482
versions
Feuillet d’album, B-flat (1909) BC 641
Feuillet d'album, op. 169 (1921) Pn 563
La fiancée du timbalier, op. 82 (1887)— BC 505
orchestral version
La fiancée du timbalier, op. 82 (1887)— BC 807
piano version
La fiancée du timbalier—arrangement for BC 601
solo piano, op. 82(1889)
Fière beauté (1893) Pn 2483
Fière beauté—orchestral version (1909) Pn 2484
Les fleurs (ariette) (1892) Pn 8011 and 8012
Le fleuve (1906) Pn 774
Fugue, op. 160, no. 1 (1920) BC 600
Fugue (1853)—for four parts, unpublished Pn 535 (1)
Gloire a la France (1909) DCLC ML96.S2

La gloire de Corneille, op. 126— BC 614
arrangement for piano (ca. 1908)
Le golfe de Baya (ca. 1874) Pn 907a
Grasselette et Maigrelette (from Cinq Pn 780
poèmes de Ronsard, no. 4, 1920)
Guitare (1851) Pn 906a
Guitares et mandolines (1890) Pn 779
Hail California—for two pianos (1915) BC 617
Henri VIII—Quartet arranged for piano (ca. BC 634
1883)
Heures passées (1865) Pn 91215
Honneur à l ’Amérique (1917) Pn 783
Hymne à la paix (for voice and orchestra, Pn 709
1919)
Hymne à la paix (sketch for voice and Pn 7781
piano, 1920)
Hymne à Victor Hugo—for 2 pianos, op. 69 BC 577
(1881 )
Idylle (l852) Pn 529 and 911c
La jeunesse d’Hercule, op. 50 (1877) Pn 512
La jeunesse d’Hercule, op. 50—for two BC 576
pianos (1877)
Jour de pluie (see Deux melodies, 1914, no. Pn 787
1 and no. 6, La cendre rouge)
König Harald Harfargar (nach Heine), op. BC 594
59 (1880)
Là-bas (l892) Pn 906e
Le lac (l850) Pn 529
Lamento (1850) Pn 529
Lever de soleil sur le Nil (for contralto and Pn 2485
orchestra, 1898)
Le libellule (1894) Pn 799
Le libellule (orchestral version, 1894) Pn 2486
Les noces de Prométhée, op. 19 (1867) Pn 523

Madeleine (1892) Pn 773
La mama (no date) Pn 24602
Marche du couronnement, op. BC 588
117—for piano solo (1902)

Marche du couronnement, op. BC 590
117 arrangement for piano 4
hands (1902)
Marche interalliée, op. 155— BC 609
short score (1918)
Marche interalliée, op. 155 BC 609
arrangement for piano 4 hands
(1918)
Marche militaire française/ BC 637
Final de la suite algérienne, op.
60 arrangement for piano (1907)
Marche religieuse, op. 107 Pn 915 (2)
(1897)
Mass, op. 4 (1855)9 Pn 521
Le matin (ca. 1864) Pn 906c
Mazurka, no. 1, op. 21 (1862) Pn 922a
Mazurka, no. 3, op. 66 (1882) Pn 569
Mélodie for violin and piano (c. Pn 854 (12)
1841–42)
Mélodie (with orchestra) Pn 907e
Mélodies persanes (1898) “La [see listing for individual songs]
brise” “La splendeur vide” “La
solitaire” “Sabre en main” “Au
cimetière” “Tournoiement:
Songe d’opium”
Minuet “d’Orfée” de Gluck— BC 633
arranged for piano (1873)
Minuet et valse, op. 56, F (1872) BC 608
Minuet et valse, op. 56, F (1878) BC 575
Minuetto de J. Haydn, from BC 591
Symphony no. 99 in E flat
arrangement for piano (1846)
Morceau, op. 94 for horn and Pn 663
piano (1887)
La mort d’Ophélie (ca. 1857) Pn 756
Ne l’oubliez pas (no date) Pn 806
Nocturne (1900) Pn 771
Nous qu’en ces lieux (ca. 1844) Pn 888d
La nuit, op. 114—arrangement NUML 166
for soprano soloist, women’s
choir, piano and flute obbligato
(1900)

Les nuits de Rhein-du-bois; NUML 214
Courante (1858)
Ode a Sainte-Cécile (1852) Pn 932
Offertoire pour le Toussaint: NUML 495
Justorum animae (n.d.)
Organ Symphony, op. 78 (1886) Bibl. de l’Institut de France10 2.500
Organ Symphony, op. 78 (1887) Pn 298
—arrangement for two pianos
Organ Symphony, op. 78 (1886) Pn 916/8
—sketches

Organ Symphony, op. 78 (1886)—sketches DCLC ML 96.S2
Où nous avons aimé (orchestral version, Pn 673
1918)
Ouverture d’un opéra-comique inachevé Pn 871/1
(pub. 1913)
Overture11 Pn 2492/1
Pallas Athène (soprano and orchestra, Pn 2457
1894)
Papillons (1918) Pn 747
Parysatis, ballet (3 movements)—for 2 BC 607
pianos (1902)
Le pas d’armes du roi Jean (1852) Pn 529
Le pas d’armes du roi Jean (orchestral Pn 2459
version, 1864)
Pas redouble, op. 86, B flat (1887) BC 579
Pas redouble, op. 86 (1887) Pn 922b
Peut-être (1893) Pn 748
Phaëton, op. 39 (1873) Pn 524.1 and 524.2
Piano Quartet, op. 41 (1875) Pn 723
Plainte (orchestral version, 1915) Pn 670
Le poète mourant (1851) Pn 529
Point d’orgue pour le Concerto en Sol de BC 592
Beethoven, op. 58 (1845)—piano
Point d’orgue pour le Concerto en Ré BC 644
mineur de Mozart, K. 466 (ca. 1870)—
piano
Point d’orgue pour le Concerto en Sol de BC 602
Beethoven, op. 58 (1879)—piano

Point d’orgue pour le Concerto a deux BC 643
pianos en Mi b de Mozart, K. 365/K. 316a
(1911)
Polonaise, op. 77, F minor (1885) BC 585
Pourqoui t’exiler (1858) Pn 9124
Prière, op. 158 (1919)—for cello and piano Pn 839
Primavera (text by Charles d’Orléans, no Pn 7491
date)
Primavera (text by Paul Stewart, 1893) Pn 779
Quartet, op. 41 (1875)—for piano, violin, Pn 723
viola, and cello
Quintette de “L’étoile du nord” BC 593
(Meyerbeer)— arrangement for piano
(1857?)
Reçois mes hommages (ca. 1844) Pn 888b
Le rendez-vous (1851) Pn 529
La retour de Virginie (1852) Pn 92
Rêverie (l85l) Pn 903 and 529
Rhapsodie auvergnate, op. 73, (1884) BC 583
[Rhapsodie d’Auvergne]
Rhapsodie d’Auvergne, op. 73 (1884) Pn 546
Romance, op. 27 (1866)—arrangement for Pn 667
violin and orchestra
Romance in D major, op. 51 (1877)—for Pn 847
cello and piano

Romance pour—(voice behind the scenes Pn 803
for voice and harp, 1892)
Romance sans parole (1871) Pn 919
Romanza (1890) Pn 908
Ronde (l885) Pn 8201
Le rossignol (1892) Pn 904
Le rouet d’Omphale—for piano solo, op. 31 BC 597
(1881)
Le rouet d’Omphale, scherzo for two BC 595
pianos, op. 31 (1871)
Le rouet d’Omphale (1872) Pn 501
Le rouet d’Omphale (n.d.)—sketches Pn 857/A
Ruhethal (1854) Pn 910a

“Sabre en main” (see Mélodies persanes, Pn 804
no. 4, 1872)
Les sapins (see Deux Mélodies, no. 2, Pn 787
1914)
Scherzo, op. 87 (1889) BC 578
Septet, op. 65 (1879–80)—2 vlns., vla, Pn 536
cello, bass, trumpet, and piano
Sérénade, op. 15, (1866)-version for piano Pn 898
and voice
Sérénade, op. 15 (1865)—for violin, organ, Pn 893
and piano
Si je l’Osais (1898) Pn 7782
Si vous n’avez rien a me dire (1870) Pn 7888
S’il est un charmant gazon (1915) (the first Pn 911a and 752
version of this is entitled Chason)
Six duos, op. 8 for harmonium and piano Pn 915 (1)
(1858) first movement only
Six études, op. 52 (1877) Pn 574
Six études, op. 111 (1899) BC 613
No. 1—Tierces majeures et mineures, G
sharp minor
No. 2—Trait chromatiques, A minor
No. 6—Toccata, F (d’après le Final de 5em
Concerto)
Six études, op. 111 (1899)
No. 3—Prelude et Fugue en mi bémole Pn 564
mineur
No. 4—Les cloches de Las Palmas Pn 566
Six fugues, op. 161 (1920)12 BC 636
Six fugues, op. 161 (1920) Pn 2467
No. 1—Allegro moderato
No. 2—Poco allegro grazioso
No. 3—Allegretto
No. 6—Maestoso, poco allegro
Soeur Anne (1903) Pn 777
Le soir (1841) Pn 907a and 24601
(in the hand of Saint-Saëns’s great-aunt,
Charlotte Masson)

Soir romantique (1907) Pn 779

La solitaire (see Mélodies persanes, no. 3, Pn 902
1872)13
Sonata no. 1 for cello and piano in C Pn 851
major, op. 32 (1872)
Sonata no. 1 for cello and piano in C Pn 844
major, op. 32 (1872)—first finale
Sonata no. 1 for cello and piano in C Pn 912 (1)
major, op. 32 (1872)—cello part
Sonata no. 1 for violin and piano in D Pn 499
major, op. 75 (1885)
Sonata no. 2 for cello and piano in F Pn 849
major, op. 123 (1903)
Sonata in D major for oboe and piano, op. Pn 841
166 (1921)
Sonata in E-flat major for clarinet and Pn 842
piano, op. 167 (1921)
Sonata in G major for bassoon and piano, Pn 843
op. 168 (1921)
Sonata in B-flat major for violin and piano Pn 854 (2)
(1842, unpublished)
Sonata for violin and piano (1850)— Pn 859
incomplete
Sonate en Si-b mineur de Chopin, op. 35 BC 606
arrangement for two pianos (ca. 1907)
Sonate de Liszt, B mineur—arrangement BC 625
for 2 pianos (1914)
Sonnet (Souvenir de Las Palmas) (1898) Pn 779
Souvenir d’Italie, op. 80 (1887) Pn 567
Souvenir d’Ismailia, op. 100 (1895) Pn 570
Spartacus Overture (1863) Private collection of Mme. Fauré-Fremiet
Le splendeur vide (see Mélodies persanes, Pn 810
no. 2, 1872)
Le splendeur vide (see Mélodies persanes, Pn 554
no. 2, 1910) (orchestral version)
String Quartet in E major (1851–53)— Pn 722
unpublished
String Quartet no. 2 in G major, op. 153 Pn 713
(1918)
String Quintet in A minor, op. 14 (1855– Pn 721, 249
56)
String Quintet in A minor, op. 14 (1855–56) Pn 875
— sketches

String Quartet no. 1 in E major, op. 112 Pn 737 and 891
(1899)
String Quartet no. 1 in E major, op. 112 Pn 892
(1899)—sketches
Suite, op. 90 (1891) Pn 561
Suite algerienne, op. 60—for two pianos BC 638
(1880)
Suite in D major, op. 49 (1863) Pn 810
Suite in D major, op. 49 (1863)14 Pn 554
Symphonie in B-flat (1848 ?)—fragment of Pn 858
a work supposedly composed at age 1315

Symphony in A major (c. 1850) Pn 493
Symphony in A major (c. 1850), Pn 702
“première morceau de la Symphonie en
LA, première version”
Symphony in A minor, op. 55 (1859) Pn 494 and 495
Symphony in A minor, op. 55 (n.d.)— Pn 913
arrangement for two pianos
Symphony in C minor (1854)—unfinished Pn 909
work
Symphony in E-flat major, op. 2 (1853) Pn 496
Symphony in E-flat major, op. 2 (1853)— Pn 917/d
sketches
Tandis que sur vos ans (1844) Pn 907a
Télesille (1849) Pn 529
Temps nouveau (see Vieilles chansons, Pn 749
no. 1, 1921)
Theme varié, op. 97, C (1894) BC 612
“Tournoiement: Songe d’opium” (see Pn 8043
Mélodies persanes, no. 6, 1872)
Transcription d’après Beethoven “Adagio BC 618
from the sixth quartet” for piano (1858)
Transcriptions d’après Bach (Second BC 603
collection for piano solo, 1872)
no. 7: Introduction et Air (extraits de la
15e Cantate)
no. 8: Fugue (extrait de la 15e Sonate de
violon)
no. 9: Largo (extrait de la 5e Sonate de
violon)

and Recitatif et air (extrait de la 30e
Cantate)
no. 10: Gavotte en Mi, tirée de la 6e
Sonate de violon
no. 11: Air extrait de la 36e Cantate
no. 12: Choeur extrait de la 30e Cantate
Trio in G major for violin, cello, and Pn 857
piano (1848)—incomplete
Trio no. 2 in E minor, op. 102 for violin Pn 548
and piano (1896)
Trio no. 2 in E minor, op. 102 for violin Pn 875
and piano (1896)—sketches
Trois preludes et fugues, op. 99 (1894)
no. 1: Fugue—mm. 1–56 Pn 915 (4) and 915 (5)
no. 2: Prelude—18 mm only Pn 915 (3) and 915 (5)
no. 2: Fugue—incomplete Pn 915 (5)
Trois preludes et fugues, op. 109 (1898) Pn 915 (3)
no. 1: Prelude and fugue
no. 2: Prelude—incomplete sketch
no. 2: Fugue
no. 3: Prelude—sketch of first 8 mm.
no. 3: Fugue
Troisième symphonie en ut mineur, op. 78 DCLC ML96.S2
(no date) (autograph sketches)
Urbs Roma, symphony (1856) Pn 491 and 492

Valse canariote, op. 88 (1890) Pn 559
Valse du “Prophète” (Meyerbeer)— BC 593
arrangement for piano (1857?)
Valse gaie, op. 139, B-flat (1912) BC 616
Valse langoureuse, op. 120, E (1903) BC 615
Variations sur “Ma belle nuit, 6 sois BC 623
plus lente” du “Desert” de Félicien
David—arrangement for piano
(1855?)
Variations sur un theme de Pn 916
Beethoven, op. 35 (1874)
Valse mignonne, op. 104 (1896) Pn 568
Valse nonchalante, op. 110— Pn 666
orchestral version of the piano piece
(1921)

Les vendanges (hymne populaire for Pn 668
unison voices and orchestra, 1898)
Le vent dans la plaine (1912) Pn 753
Vénus (duet for tenor and baritone, Pn 792
1896)
Vers la victoire, op. 152—a short BC 621
score sketch (ca. 1917)
Vers la victoire, op. 152— BC 611
arrangement for piano 4 hands (1917)
Vers la victoire, op. 152—piano BC 619
(1917)
Victoire (1918) Pn 786
Villanelle (see Vieilles chansons, no. Pn 809
3, 1921)
Violin Concerto no. 7, op. 20— Pn 917/d
sketches
Violons dans le soir (with violin Pn 795 and 924
obbligato, 1907)
Vive la France (1914) Pn 785
Voice by the cedar tree, A (1871, in Pn G5345
Songs from the Published Writings of
Alfred Tennyson, Poet Laureate, Set
to Music by Various Composers, ed.
by W.G.Cusius)
Wedding Cake Waltz, op. 76—for BC 584
two pianos (1885)
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
Carnet (workbook) of unidentified DCLC ML31 H43a no. 77 case
sketches; holograph in pencil; 10×17;
one volume; unpaginated; no date.
Notes
1. When possible the date of composition is given, when that was unavailable, the date of
publication has been given instead.
2. Pn is the abbreviation for the Bibliothèque Nationale.
3. BC is the abbreviation for the Bibliothèque du Conservatoire, Paris.
4. As the colleciton of Saint-Saëns material housed at the Musée in Dieppe is not yet
cataloged, there is currently no number for this MS.
5. According to Frits Noske (#42) this song was inserted in the cycle, Cinque poèmes
de Ronsard, in 1921.
6. NUML is the abbreviation for the Northwestern University Music Library, Evanston,
IL. I owe much thanks to Mr. Don L. Roberts, Head Music Librarian, and Ms. Margie
Wood for their assistance in consulting the manuscripts and rare books of Saint-Saëns
owned by the library.
7. DCLC is the abbreviation for the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
8. In his dissertation (#223), Fallon indicates that the date of 18 April 1853 has been
lightly penciled in the score by an anonymous hand.
9. According to David Fallon (see #222) the 1908 Catalogue générale et thématique
des oeuvres de Camille Saint-Saëns gives the date of 1856 for the composition of this
Mass, although the MS is undated.
10. According to Fallon, Saint-Saëns donated the manuscript of this symphony to the
Bibliothèque de l’Institut de France in 1918. He had been elected to the Institut in
1881.
11. David Fallon indicates (#223) that this overture without a title was first performed
in Bordeaux in 1860. He does not assign a date to the composition, nor any title.
12. Manuscripts for all six fugues are included in BC MS 636.
13. According to Frits Noske (#42), the title Mélancolie appears as the title in the
manuscript.
14. Fallon indicates that there is another manuscript of this suite in the private
collection of Madame Fauré-Fremiet (#223).
15. This information comes from David Fallon (#223).
APPENDIX 2
Manuscript Sources for Selected
Correspondence
Manuscript Sources for Selected Correspondence

Addressee and Date Library Location Numbers
Anonymous. (1885–1920) NUML LTR.S2, nos. 56–59 [4 letters];
nos. 62–65 [4 letters]; no. 73 [1
letter]; nos. 91–93 [3 letters]
Anonymous. (June 1, no year) DCLC1 Music Division Misc.
Manuscripts (XX Délibes)
Astruc, G. (1907–1916) Pn 137–152
Aguéant, Pierre (1918–1920) NUML2 LTR.S2, nos. 35–38 [4 letters]
Aussenac, M.A. (1917) Pn 153
Bellaigue, Camille (1890–1921) Pn 85–136
Blondel, R. (1907–1915) Pn 77–83
Boutarel, A. (1911) Pn 162
Broussan, L. (1910–11) Pn 70–73
Bruneau, Alfred (1904) NUML LTR.S2, nos. 81–2 [2 letters]
Cammillia[?] (1892) NUML LTR.S2, no. 60
Carré, Albert (1899–1911) NUML LTR.S2, nos. 39–51 [13 letters]
Carré, Léon (1899) DCLC Heineman Coll., ML 31 H43i
Cazaux (1892) Pn 58
Charpentier, Mme. [?] (1888) NUML LTR.S2, no. 74
Colonne, Eduard (1908) Pn 160
Coquelin, C. (1892–1907) NUML LTR.S2, nos. 83–87 [6 letters]
Damrosch, Walter (1906, 1920– DCLC Damrosch-Blaine Collection,
21)3 Box 6, Folder 21
Dubois, Théodore (1880–1921) Pn 200–218

female friend [anon.] (1913) NUML LTR.S2, no. 90
gentleman (1914) NUML LTR.S2, no. 88
132 MANUSCRIPT SOURCES FOR SELECTED CORRESPONDENCE

Halpérine-Kaminsky (1898– NUML LTR.S2, no. 75–77; [3 letters];
1914) nos. 78.1, 78.2, 79a; 79.b, 80 [5
letters]
Hippeau, E. (1882) Pn 55
Holmès, Augusta (1889) Pn 75
Imbert, H. (n.d.) Pn 5
Ketten, M. (190.?) NUML LTR.S2, no. 55 [1 letter]
Kufferalte, Monsieur (1914) NUML LTR.S2, no. 54 [1 letter]
Lamoureaux, Charles (1881– Pn W39 (68bis,173, 213), W39
1884) (224, 310)
Lemoine (1887) Pn 49
Malherbe, Charles (n.d.) Pn 31
Marie, G. (1892–1916) Pn 166–169, 171, 173–194
Martenot, R. (1904) Pn W46 (64)
Massenet, Jules (1896)4 DCLC ML94. M17
Peyton, Richard (1879?) NUML LTR.S2, no. 89
Philipp, I. (1871) Pn 16
Philippe, E. (1888) Pn 15
Picot, L. (1877) Pn 76 (copy)
Pierat, Madme (1915) DCLC ML 95.5 .S15
Pierre, C. (1890) Pn Rés. Vmc. 52 (3)
Pioche, G. (1909) NUML LTR.S2, no. 53 [1 letter]
Poincaré, Raymond (1893; 1913; NUML LTR.S2, nos. 29–33 [5 letters]
1921)
Porel, P. (1892) Pn 170, 172
Renaud, Armand (1892) NUML LTR.S2, nos. 52, 61 [2 letters]
Rétry, E. (n.d.) Pn 4
Reyer, E. (1887) Pn 30
Ropartz, Guy (n.d.) Pn 161
Saint-Foix Georges de (1912) Pn 165
Sarasate, Pablo de (1864) Pn 65
Sardou, Victorien (1900) NUML LTR.S2, nos. 25–28 [4 letters]
Schatté, A. (1893) Pn 59
Schmitt, F. (1900) Pn 154–155
Serres, Caroline de ([18]93) NUML LTR.S2, no. 94
Société de Concerts du Pn (11 and 12) 195–197, Ms 17668
Conservatoire (1871–1908)
Soudée, A. (n.d.) Pn 62
Thomas, A[mbroise] (1878– Pn 1–3
1881)
MANUSCRIPT SOURCES FOR SELECTED CORRESPONDENCE 133

Thorel, Mme. Edouard (1917 and NUML LTR.S2, nos. 22–24 [3 letters]
1920)
Thorel, René (1908–1920) NUML LTR.S2, nos. 1–21 [21 letters]

Torchet, J. (1885) Pn 60
Trélat, J. (1881–1899) Pn 156–159, 163, 164
Vallas, Léon (1919) Pn 84
Villon (1899–1901) NUML LTR. S2, nos. 66–72 [7
letters]
Wagner, E. (1918–1920) Pn 198, 199
Weckerlin (1888) Pn 19, 22
Correspondence from Various Individuals to Saint-Saëns
Sender of the Letter and Library Location Numbers
Date
Breton y Hernandez, Pn 1.la
Tomas (1913)
Fauré, Gabriel (nd) Pn 18
Godard, Benjamin (1887) Pn 7
Gounod, Charles (1892) Pn 38
Trélat, Marie (1893) Pn 2
Notes
1. DCLC is the abbreviation for the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
2. NUML is the Northwestern University Music Library (Evanston, Illinois). I am
extremely grateful to Mr. Don L.Roberts, Head Music Librarian, and Ms. Margie
Wood, Music Library Acquisitions, for their kind assistance in this and other
matters concerning the research for this volume.
3. This folder from the Damrosch-Blaine Collection contains seven letters from Saint-
Saëns, and one notated and autographed calling card.
4. This brief letter to Massenet is found inserted between pages 26 and 27 in the
monograph Massenet: L’Homme—Le Musicien by Louis Schneider, Paris,
1908.
APPENDIX 3
The Saint-Saëns Museum at the Château-
Musée in Dieppe
The Saint-Saëns Museum was originally and officially begun in 1889 when the
composer bequeathed a number of personal and family effects to the city of
Dieppe after the death of his mother. These first items consisted primarily of
furniture inherited from his parents and his great-aunt, Charlotte Masson. From
that time forward materials were deposited almost annually, and the museum
was opened on July 1, 1890 in a salle des bains chauds of the chateau. In 1904
the first catalogue général of the collection was issued by Ambroise Millet, the
first conservator, and lists various documents (letters, invitations, concert
programs), books, scores, manuscripts, objets d’art, furniture, and photographs.
Following the death of Saint-Saëns in 1921, his secretary Jean Bonnerot and
others continued to make contributions to this important collection.1 As of 1997,
according to the present curator of the Château-Musée de Dieppe, Pierre
Ickowicz, the collection contains about 15,000 letters to and from Saint-Saëns,
with only about 2,000 classified and inventoried, in addition to scores, books,
and the many objets d’art (furniture, paintings, busts, vases, medals, and the
like). Currently M. Ickowicz and Yves Gérard of the Conservatoire National
Supérieur de Musique de Paris are working diligently to organize the collection
for the use of serious researchers.2
It is the first curator, Ambroise Millet, whose Catalogue du Musée de Dieppe
of 1904 (#158) continues to be an important, general source of information
pertaining to the items housed in the Musée Saint-Saëns. The following list is
derived from Millet’s monograph, which although incomplete and at times quite
unspecific, nevertheless offers the researcher helpful information.3 These items
are listed in the categories defined by Millet himself, and when at all possible,
specific numbers are given. This section of the current book is meant to give the
researcher and student of Saint-Saëns a glimpse into the riches of the Dieppe
collection. Objets d’art, furniture, medallions, and the like are omitted here. The
present writer has chosen to concentrate upon correspondence, manuscripts, and
printed materials mentioned in Millet’s catalog.
THE SAINT-SAËNS MUSEUM AT THE CHÂTEAU-MUSÉE IN DIEPPE 135
Selected Materials in the Saint-Saëns Museum, Dieppe as listed in Ambroise Millet’s

Catalogue du Musée de Dieppe (1904)
Item Description Item Number
I. Numbered letters
Dossier de 20 lettres, se rapportant au musée
C. Saint-Saëns4 2095
Berlioz, Hector 2096
Bizet, Georges 2097
Clairin, Georges 2098
Delibes, Léo 2099
Fauré, Gabriel 2100
Gallet, Louis 2101
Gounod, Charles 2102
Lassalle, [Jean] 2103
Massenet, Jules 2104
Sanderson, Sibyl 2105
Thomas, Ambroise 2106
Vacquerie, Auguste 2107
Verdi, Giuseppe 2108
Viardot, Mme. 2109
Wagner, Richard 2110
II. Manuscrits de Camille Saint-Saëns: prose, poésie, musique
Album donné à Camille, 1842, quelques compositions. 2111
Cahier de 6 feuillets remplis; autre de 18 feuillets remplis. 2112
Grand cahier cartonné, une des premières partitions de Saint- 2113
Saëns, agé de dix-huit ans: final de la lre symphonie dans sa ler
version, 33 pages.
Super flumina Babylonis. Cahier, 34 p. sign. aut. 2114
Cahier pour instruments, violons, etc. 2115
Macbeth. Grand cahier de 24 feuillets. Partition autogr. 2116
Romance sans titre, 4 feuillets. Sign. aut. 2117
La Marquise de Présalé. Grande scène lyrique. Cahier de 6 feuil- 2118
lets, sans sign., ler avril 1857, dédié a Mme. Forgues; plus 3
autres feuillets doubles sous le même titre. Proserpine. Opéra
comique. Livret de A. Vacquerie. Partition originale avec sign.
aut. en un volume à la Bibliothèque publique.
Modifications apportée au livret de Proserpine, 3e et 4 e actes, 2119
par Louis Gallet et lettre autographe de Vacquerie, du 30 août
1877.
Valse, 1 grandes pages de musique; autre 2 pages. 2120
Improvisation, 1 grandes pages de musique sans paroles. 2121
Choeurs d’Antigone. 2122
136 THE SAINT-SAËNS MUSEUM AT THE CHÂTEAU-MUSÉE IN DIEPPE

Rimes familières, comprenant 16 pièces qui ont servi à 2123
l’impression, plus une a Jules Massenet, inédite.
Le Pays merveilleux, 2 pages. 2124
Botriocéphale, bouffonnerie comique, un faux-titre et de 10 2125
pages.
Problèmes et mystères, prose, 48 pages et notes détachées. 2126

Le Théâtre au concert, article de 15 pages, avec signature aut., 2127
publié dans la Nouvelle Revue de Mme. Adam.
A Léon L , une page de poésie: “A peine revenu..." Août 1889. 2128
Réponse a Louis Gallet, une page. Juillet 1889. 2129
Tantah (Égypte), poésie, 2 pages. 2130
La Libellule, duo pour deux voix de femme. Poésie de Camille 2131
Saint-Saëns, musique de Paul Roy. 9 pages. Sign. aut. de P.
Roy. Alger, le 12 mars 1893.
Fragments arrangés pour tableaux vivants, organisés par la 2132
princesse de Metternich, a l’occasion de la fête de la comtesse de
Pourtalès, a l’hôtel de la Monnaie. Le fragment: Antoine et
Cléopatre est de Camille Saint-Saëns, paroles et musique, 10
pages. Les autres fragments: Roméo et Juliette, Hamlet, Lady
Macbeth de divers auteurs, 15 pages.
Désir de l’Orient, une page de poésie avec sign. aut. 2133
Frédégonde, opéra, 3e acte, musique sans paroles, 35 grandes 2134
pages.
Fantasie pour orgue, dédiée a S.M. la reine Elisabeth de 2135
Roumanie, par Camille Saint-Saëns, membre de l’Institut, com-
mandeur de la Légion d’honneur, 10 grandes pages. Sign. aut.
1895.
La mort de Thaïs, dédiée a Mme. Jules Massenet. Musique sans 2136
paroles, 13 grandes pages. Sign. aut. octobre 1895.
Bibliographie musicale. La Musique française, par M. Lavoix 2137
fils; de la musique en France depuis Rameau: Lettres de
l’ouvreuse. Articles de 19 pages avec sig. aut. pour la Nouvelle
Revue de Mme. Adam.
Louis Gallet, article. 2138
A Jean Lassalle, pièce de vers. 2139
Discours pour l’inauguration du monument de Gounod. 1 p. aut. 2140
sign.
Ode a Berlioz, pour son centenaire. 3 pages. 2141
Vers sur Adolphe Adam, pour son centenaire, 14 juillet 1903. 1 2142
p. aut. sign.

Discours prononcè a l ‘inauguration du monument de Louis 2143
Gallet, a Valence.
Article a propos de la Juive d’Halévy. 7 p. aut. sign. Réponse de 2144
M.A. Vallette (Mercure de France), sur l’interrogation concer-
nant le traité de Francfort, 26 septembre 1897.
III. Partitions et pieces musicales manuscrites de divers
(alphabet-ized by composer):
Boëly, A.-J.-F. Préude pour l’orgue ou piano. Cahier de 4 2145
feuillets. 28 juillet.
Czerny, Carl. Prélude, moda fugo. Comp. o. 2 feuillets. 2146
Gigout, Eugène. Les modes de plain chant. 4 pages de musique. 2147
Gounod, Charles. Livret autographe de l’opéra Faust, actes III, 2148
IV et V, paroles par Michel Carré et Jules Barbier, avec
corrections, et la notation autographe de Gounod. (Don de
l’auteur.)

Gluck. Copie de l’ouverture d’Alceste et corrections. 2149
Haendel. Gavotta in Othon. 1 feuillet. 2150
Jaëll, Marie. Les Heures de Camille Saint-Saëns, huit quatrains, 2151
musique de Mme. Jaëll. 3 grandes pages.
Lecocq, Charles. Barcarolle et Les deux canards. 2152
Liszt, François. Valse mélancolique. 1 page avec sign. aut. 2153
Mauduit, organist de Saint-Severin au XVIe siècle. Chanson de 2154
Passerat, mise en musique par Mauduit. Copie par M. Périlhou.
Mortarino, Antonio. Compuesto por el Maest. D. Cahier. 2155
Morphy, Guillaume. Salmo, psaume 148. Laudate Dominum de 2156
Coelis. Hommage, souvenir d’un séjour a Madrid, 1897. 6
pages. Paroles et musique (Voir Valentia).
Mozart. Marche (Marcia), original. 3 pages. (Don de Mme. 2157
Viardot).
Pergolèse. Salve Regina. 2158
Saboly, Nicolas. Copie. 2159
Thomas, Ambroise. Grande page autographe de Françoise de 2160
Rimini, musique avec signature.
Valentia (Maestro Luys-Milan). Tiento pour luth (vilualo). Copie 2161
et dédicace par G. Morphy. 9 pages de musique. Erato fan-tazia.
Copie par le même. Dédiée à Camille Saint-Saëns. Madrid, 1897.
Zaluski, Comte. Prelude. 1 page de musique sign. aut. 2162
anonyme. Souvenir de Port-au-Prince (Haiti). 4 pages de 2163
musique. Pièce de musique chinoise et programme imprimé sur
soie. Shanghai’, 16 mars 1861. Signé: “A. Libon, donateur.”

Porté de musique mes musulmans de Biskra, au dos d’une carte 2164
de visite de cheik d’El Kantara. Ahmed ben Clibena.
IV. Manuscrits, pieces détachées de divers
Dossier contenant les pieces de poésie suivantes, détachées pour 2165
la plupart de la correspondance (simples, hommages, ou sol-
licitations de mise en musique).
1. Audigier (Georges), pièce de vers, 2 pages, Mont-Dore, 27
août ‘88.
2. Bartholomieu (Marcel), acrostiche sur le nom de Saint-Saëns,
1 page.
3. Bergerat (Caliban), pièces de vers.
4. Bouchor (Émile), pièces de vers.
5. Bouriant et Jouguet, fantasie archéologique en vers grecs et
strophes en français, sur le colosse de Memnon et Égypte, a
l’occasion d’une visite de Sanois (Saint-Saëns).
6. Boyer (Georges), Amour viril, pièces de vers.
7. Bussine et Lamarche (V. Lamarche).5
8. Buytion (O.), cantique suédois, chanté par un Dalécarlien,
traité en harmonie par Buytion.
9. Chapdelaine (Blida), sonnet.
10. Cherubini (Luigi), canon, copié par Gabriel Sizes.

11. Chil (Dr. Don Gregorio), éloge des Canaries et de Saint-
Saëns, 4 pages.
12. Cousteny (Horace), poëme sur la danse macabre.
13. Coquelin cadet, Mémée, romance.
14. Croze, 3 pièces de vers: A deux pleurer, et Au Pays de rêve.
15. Debelloca (E.), 3 pièces de vers.
16. Delibes (Léo), Comité des fêtes en son honneur. Signatures
autographes.
17. Elzéar (B.), pièces de vers.
18. Erler (Hermann), pièces de vers.
19. Flégier (Blanche), pièces de vers.
20. Forgues (Léon), 3 morceaux.
21. Gallet (Louis), 2 morceaux.
22. Garnier (Ch.), 1 morceau.
23. Goëlette (hirondelle de mer), pseudonyme de M.A. de G.
Réplique a poésie de Camille Saint-Saëns, dite a son
cinquantenaire.
24. Hémon (Camille), 1 pièce.

25. Hermel (Louise), ballade.
26. Hippeau, Au Pays du rêve, fantasie poétique, 2 pages.
27. Ivel (Jacques), Ballade du Cordier.
28. La Blanchère, le Sistre, pièce de vers.
29. La Case, la Vigne, pièce de vers.
30. Lamarche et Bussine, Complainte sur les mésaventures de
Camille Saint-Saëns, a propos de sa cantate de l’Exposition
universelle de 1867, 16 pages. Signatures autographes, 15
novembre 1867.
31. Lefèvre de la Pommeraye, poésie sur le premier nocturne de
Chopin, 4 septembre 1902.
32. Lefèvre (Émile), l’Imagination, poëme dédié, novembre
1902.
33. Legrand (Marc), Chanson Crétoise, d’après Hybrias.
34. Lemaire (Ferdinand), pièce de vers.
35. Lemoine (Émile), deux poésie, 100e de Samson et Dalila.
36. Mahot, pièces de vers.
37. Mouzin (A.), Moissonneuse provençale.
38. Orval (Jean), Cloches du soir.
39. Paysant (Achille), Au maître symphoniste, 5 lignes, 10
novembre 1901.
40. Perny (Mlle.), Donne-moi ta main, etc., ode 2 pages.
41. Perpina Garcia (Francisco), Déséo de amor, poésie espag-
nole mise en musique par Camille Saint-Saëns, 1 page.
42. Portugal de Féria (Ant.), Adamastor, d’après le Camoëns.
43. Renaud (Armand), Nuit persane en 4 parties.
44. Ricquebourg, Ideal, pièce de vers, 2 pages. Souvenir du cap
Saint- Jacques, Saïgon, février 1895. Le mort, Chanson, mars
1895.

45. Roy (Mlle.), pièce de vers.
46. Sauvaget, pièce de vers.
47. Second (Henri), 6 chansons, Chansons de mai, La mort de
vieux, La Saint-Printemps, Française, J’ai du vin a mettre en
bouteilles, La philosophies du champagne, 10 pages.
48. Sicard (D.), pièce de vers.
49. Spengler (Frédéric de), La charité, poésie, 7 pages.
50. Stuart (Paul), pièce de vers.
51. Sylvestre (Armand) pièce de vers.

52. Sylvestre (Pierre), Tota Pulchra est, poésie en l’honneur de
la Vierge, 2 pages.
53. Thomazeau (Maria), une Page d’hiver, Croquis d'été, Que
fait-il?, La Rosée, 6 pages.
54. Tranchant (Alfred), Le Souvenir de ma Thérèse, 4 colonnes.
Autre poésie, 1 page. Pièce de vers a Camille Saint-Saëns, à
l’occasion de sa présence à Dieppe, le 18 juillet 1897, jour de la
fête d’inauguration de la place qui porte son nom, 1 page.
55. Vacquerie (Auguste) et Gallet (Louis), modifications ap-
portées au livret de Proserpine.
56. Voisrenel, piece de vers.
V. Imprimés
Imitations de Jésus-Christ traduite en vers par Pierre Corneille. 2166
Oeuvres completes de Grécourt. Gravures d’Eisen, vol. I et II, 2167
1762.
Le Temple de Cnide par Montesquieu. Gravures de Moreau, 2168
d’aprfès De Launay, 1778.
Étrennes aux dames pour l’an 1882. 2169
Volume a la reliure en veau fleurdelisée. 2170
La Princesse jaune, opéra-comique de Louis Gallet, musique de 2171
Camille Saint-Saëns, représentée pour la première fois au théâtre
de l’Opéra-Comique, le 12 janvier, 1872, avec un son-net
autographe de L. Gallet.
Javotte, par L. Croze, musique de C. Saint-Saëns, 1896. 2172
Falstaff et Othello. Opéras de G. Verdi, en 2 volumes richement 2173
relies, avec le nom imprimé de C. Saint-Saëns.
Catalogue de ses oeuvres, Paris 1881, plaquettes in 4° reliée au 2174
chiffre C.S.S.
Autre Catalogue général et thématique de ses oeuvres, qui a vu 2175
le jour chez A. Durand et fils, en 1897, volume in 8°.
Harmonie et mélodie. Paris 1885, 1 vol. in 8°. 2176
Note sur les théâtres dans l’antiquité romaine, br. 2177
La Crampe des écrivain, comédie en un acte. Paris, Calmann- 2178
Levy, 1892. Exemplaire enrichi d’un article humoristique de Ch.
Lecocq. 6 pages autogr.
Problèmes et mystères. Paris, Flammarion, 1894, in 8°. Ex- 2179
emplaire couvert de nombreuses annotations marginales

manuscrites d’Aldophe Seghers,
auquel on a joint: Lettre ou-verte a
Zola, par Frédéric Bordes, dans la

Philosophie de l’avenir, 3 octobre
1893.
Rimes familières. Paris, Calmann- 2180
Lévy. 2e édition, 1902.
Le Roi Apépi, comédie en prose 2181
d’après une nouvelle de Victor
Cherbuliez. Paris, Calmann-Lévy.
Hélène, poème lyrique en un acte. 2182
Paris, Durand et Calmann-Lévy, in 8°.
Proserpine (Quelques mots sur.) 2183
Alessandria. Br. de 10 p.
Liszt (Frantz), article dans The Century 2184
Illustrated Monthly Mag-azine,
February 1893.
Charles Gounod et le “Don Juan de 2185
Mozart,” article dans la Vie
contemporaine, le novembre 1893.
Conseils pour l'étude du piano, dans El 2186
Museo Canario, febrero 7 1899.
Communication faite au Congrés 2187
international d’histoire de la Musique,
tenu a Paris, du 23 au 29 juillet 1900.
Souvenir de fêtes de Cambridge. 2188
Discours latin adressé a Camille Saint-
Saëns pour son intro-nisation du
doctorat, 1893.
Jubilé de Camille Saint-Saëns a l’ 2189
occasion du cinquantenaire de son
premier concert, salle Pleyel en 1846.
Beau volume con-tenant une
biographie très documentée du maître.
(Discours, réponses, etc., par L. de
Fourcaud et Th. Lindenlaub.)
Les poésies de Camille Saint-Saëns ont 2190
été l’object d’une spir-ituelle causerie a
l’Odéon, par le Dr. N.-M. Bernardin.
(Revue des cours et conferences, no. 1,
13 novembre 1902.)
Dossier comprenant de nombreux 2191
extraits de journaux sur des concerts et
fêtes ou représent- ations théâtrales des
oeuvres du maître, tant en France qu'à
l'étranger.
Deux chansons de Victor Saint-Saëns, 2192
père du compositeur, l’ une intitulée:
Encore, musique de Champein; l’autre:

L’Amour désolé, musique del signor
Campini, probablement le même que le
precedent. Elles ont été édité par
Champein fils, rue Richelieu, no. 23, à
Paris.
VI. Lettres adressées a Camille Saint-
Saëns. (Letters without specific MS
numbers, listed only by name as in
Millet’s monograph.)
Name of Author Comments
6
Adam, Juliette Arenberg, Prince d’ 67 lettres 35 pièces7 20 pièces 7 lettres
Audigier Augé de Lassus, librettiste
Barbier, P.-J. and P. Bartet, Mme.
Bellaigue, Camille, critique Benjamin-
Constant Bergerat, Caliban

Berlioz, compositeur
Bibesco, Princesse 36 pièces
Bizet, compositeur
Braun, director de la Nouvelle Revue d’Égypte 17 lettres
Bruck, Max
Bülow, Hans de, compositeur
Burgaud-Ducoudray
Cambon, Paul, ambassadeur
Carnot, famille 8 pieces
Carré, Albert
Carvalho, M. et Mme.
Castelbon de Beauxhostes, organisateur des representations aux 80 pieces
arènes de Béziers
Chabot, Albert
Chabrier, Emmanuel
Charpentier, Georges
Chazal, famille
Clairin, Georges lettres illustrées
Claretie, directeur de la Comédie-Française
Coche, Camille, maire de Dieppe
Cocquelin, les frères
Collin, famille
Colonne 20 lettres
Comettant, Oscar, compositeur

Cottinet, Edmond
Croze, J.-L., littérateur
Dagnan-Bouveret
Danbé
Dancla
Deguerry, l’abbé
Dein, Achille
Delaborde, vicomte Henri 8 lettres
Delibes, Léo, compositeur
Deschamps-Jehin, Mme.
Detroyat, Léonce 6 pièces
Diémer
Dieppe, Ville de
Dieulafoy, Mme. Jane, auteur de Parysatis 22 lettres
Dubois, Paul, sculpteur 10 pièces
Dukas, Paul 9 lettres
Dumas, Alexandre
Durand frères, éditeurs de musique, et famille 710 lettres
Enjolras, Lois
Erard, Mme.
Eu, comtesse d’
Fauré, Gabriel 25 pièces
Ferry, Jules
Flammarion 8 lettres
Flégier

Floquet, Charles
Forgues, Léon 7 pièces
France, Anatole
Franck, César, compositeur
Franck-Brentano
Fuchs, Mme.
Gallet, Louis, littérateur, le plus fécond librettiste de Camille Saint-Saëns 304 lettres
Ganderax
Garnier, Charles, architecte
Gérôme
Gevaert

Gheusi
Gigout, Eugène 6 pièces
Glaise, Léon et famille 4 pièces
Godard, Benjamin et Madeleine 4 pièces
Gounod, Charles, compositeur et famille 23 pièces
Grandval, vicomtesse de 64 pièces
Greffulhe, comtesse de 5 pièces
Gréville, Mme. Henri
Guilleman, Alger 6 pièces
Guilmant, Alexandre 5 lettres
Guiraud, Ernest
Guitaut, comtesse de 11 lettres
Halévy, Ludovic, compositeur 4 pieces
Héglon, Mme. 11 pièces
Hollmann, Joseph 5 lettres
Holmès, Augusta, compositeur 13 lettres
Hoskier, famille
Indy, Vincent d’, compositeur
Jacquet, Achille et Louis 37 pièces
Jaëll, Mme., compositeur 13 pièces
Janssen
La Blanchére, R.de l 5 pièces
Lalo, compositeur
Lamarch
Lamoureux
Lara, René 8 pièces
Larroumet 4 lettres
Lavalle, Cordiglia 12 lettres
Lavignac, Albert 7 lettres
Lecocq, Charles, compositeur 111 pièces8
Lecomte, Raymond 5 lettres
Lefèvre, famille
Legouvé 6 pièces
Lemaire, Ferdinand 7 pièces
Lemaire, Mme. Madeleine 13 pièces
Lemoine, Émile 18 lettres
3 poésie

Charles9
Leseurre, Albert et 15 lettres
Leygues, Georges 3 lettres
Liszt, Fr., compositeur 19 lettres
Lorrain, Jean 3 lettres
Loti, Pierre 4 lettres
Luigini 25 lettres
Malherbe, Charles 14 lettres
Malo, Hector
Mangeot, A. 8 pièces
Marie, Gabriel 9 pièces
Marmontel, père et fils 9 lettres
Massenet, Jules, compositeur, et Mme. Massenet 23 pièces
Maupeou, comtesse de 12 lettres
Melba, Mme.
Melchisèdec, Léon
Merson, Luc-Olivier
Messager, André 14 lettres
Metternich, princesse Pauline de 6 lettres
Meurice, Paul, littérateur 17 lettres
Mohammed, prince 3 pièces
Morphy, comte 9 lettres
Neidermayer10 13 lettres
Noë, comtesse de 4 lettres
Olonne, Max d’
Paladilhe
Parison, abbé
Parodi
Pasdelout
Périlhou 23 pieces
Planté, Francis 7 pièces
Pochet de Tinan, Mme. de volumineuse correspondance
Poincaré
Présidence de la République
Rambaud, Alfred 5 pièces
Reclus, Dr. Paul 6 pièces
Récy, René de 10 pièces
Regnault, Dr. Felix
Régnier, Henri
Reszké, Jean de

Reversaux, marquis de
Richard, Renée 5 lettres
Ricard, L. 4 lettres
Richepin
Ricquebourg 5 lettres
Ritt et Gailhard, Opéra 7 pieces
Roger-Miclos, Marie 7 lettres
Roujon 3 lettres
Rousseau, Armamd [Armand?] 3 lettres

Rubinstein, Anton
Rumeau, Mme. Thérèsa 6 lettres
Russie, cour de
Saint-Marceaux, Mme. de 7 lettres
Saint-Paul, marquise de 8 pieces
Sanderson, Sybil 3 lettres
Sanz, Elena
Sarasate 3 lettres
Sardou, Victorien 21 lettres
Second, Henri 4 lettres et vers
Ségur, comtesse Marie de 13 lettres
Ségur-Lamoignon, comte Edgar et vicomtesse de
Ségur-Reiset 10 pièces
Serres, Mme. Caroline de 17 lettres
Simon, Jules
Sizes, Gabriel (de Touluse) 38 lettres
Soubies, Albert 4 lettres
Souchon, Victor 5 lettres
Steck, Paul 16 1ettres et dessin
Stuart, Paul 8 pièces
Sully-Prudhomme
Sylvestre, Armand 7 lettres et vers
Taffanel et famille 17 pièces
Tattegrain, Francis et Georges 8 pièces
Théodorian, Jean 8 lettres
Thibaud, Alphonse 5 lettres
Thomas, Ambroise, compositeur et Mme. Ambroise Thomas 6 pieces

Thorel, René 5 lettres et vers pieces
Tiersot, Julien, biographe de Camille Saint-Saëns 18 pièces
Torchet, Julien 5 lettres
Tranchant, Alfred 33 lettres et vers
Tschaïkowski
Trédern, vicomtesse de 8 lettres
Trélat, Mme. Marie 7 lettres
Ugalde, Mme.
Urbaneck, Velebin 3 lettres
Vacquerie, Auguste 13 lettres
Vaucorbeil, M. et Mme. 6 pieces
Vaujany, l’abbé
Verdi, Giuseppe, compositeur 2 pieces
Vergnet 5 lettres
Viansei 3 lettres
Viardot, Mme. Pauline 30 pièces
Villers, comtesse de 24 pièces
Vizentini 5 lettres
Wolff, Johannes 12 pièces
Ysaïe 3 pieces
Notes
1. For this and more information see Pierre Ickowicz’s article “Camille Saint-Saëns au
Château-Musée de Dieppe,” in #113.
2. This information comes to the present writer from a personal letter from M.Yves
Gérard.
3. Yves Gérard also mentions his forthcoming monograph of approximately 500 letters
between Saint-Saëns and other “great composers,” which we eagerly await.
4. Millet (#158) lists this dossier of 20 letters without giving any specific names, dates,
etc.
5. This entry is erroneously labeled as number 8.
6. Millet puts the first names and titles in parentheses; the present writer has decided
for clarity to omit the parentheses.
7. Millet makes no indication as to what distinguishes between “lettres” and “pièces,”
and having not been able to study any of these items firsthand, I give the labels in this
list as those assigned by Millet. However, it is possible that “pièce” may refer to
poems, drawings, “cartes de visite” and the like.
8. According to Millet, these items include letters, poetry, and illustrations.
9. These are cousins of Saint-Saëns according to Millet.
10. If this is from the founder of the school at which Saint-Saëns taught, the spelling of
this name should be Niedermeyer.
APPENDIX 4
Selected Discography
(Works arranged by genre according to Grove vi and then by opus number.)
SYMPHONIES
Symphony no. 1, in E-flat Major, Op 2. Vienna Philharmonic, Georges Prêtre, conductor.

Erato: 1191–45695–2 (1991).
—— Orchestre National de l’O. R.T. F., Jean Martinon, conductor. EMI Czs 7 62643 2
(1989).
Symphony no. 2, in A minor, Op. 55. Vienna Philharmonic, Georges Prêtre, conductor.
Erato: 1191–45695–2 (1991).
—— Orchestra of Radio Luxembourg, Louis de Froment, conductor. Vox Allegretto:
ACD 8171 (1973–74).
—— Tapiola Sinfonietta, J.Kantorow, conductor. BIS 790 (n.d.).
(1989).
Symphony no. 3, in C minor, Op. 78, the “Organ” Symphony. Orchestra of Radio
Luxembourg, Louis de Froment, conductor. Vox Allegretto: ACD 8171 (1973–74).
—— Imrich Szabo, organ, CSR Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava), Stephen
Gunzenhauser, conductor. Naxos 8.550138 (1988).
—— David Goode, organ, BBC Philharmonic, Marin Alsop, conductor. BBC Music, vol.
8, no. 6 (1999).
(1989).
ORCHESTRAL WORKS WITHOUT SOLO

INSTRUMENTS
Rhapsodie brétonne, op. 7bis. Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, David

Robertson, conductor. Auvidis Valois V 4688 (1994).
Le rouet d’Omphale, op. 31. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Dutoit. London
425021–2 (1979).
—— CSR Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava), Stephen Gunzenhauser, conductor. Naxos 8.
550138 (1988).
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY 149
—— [version for 2 pianos, 4 hands by the composer.] Duo Egri & Pertis, piano.
Hungariton 31928 (2000).
—— Orchestre de Paris, Pierre Dervaux, conductor. Angel S 37009 (n.d.).
Phaéton, op. 39. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Dutoit. London 425021–2
(1979).
—— [version for 2 pianos, 4 hands.] Duo Egri & Pertis, piano. Hungariton 31928 (2000).
—— Orchestre de Paris, Pierre Dervaux, conductor. Angel S 37009 (n.d).
Marche Heroïque, op. 34. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Dutoit. London
425021–2 (1979).
Danse Macabre, op. 40. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Dutoit. London 425021–
2 (1979).
La jeunesse d’Hercule, op. 50. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Dutoit. London
425021–2 (1979).
Marche militaire française from Suite algérienne, op. 60. The London Philharmonic,
Geoffrey Simon, conductor. Cala: CACD 1015 (1993).
Suite algérienne, op. 60. “Marche Militaire Française,” and “Elégie.” Saint-Saëns, piano
with Gabrielle Guillaume, violin. His Master’s Voice, DB 704 (1919). This
recording, according to Sabina Teller Ratner’s dissertation, can be found at the
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
—— Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, David Robertson, conductor. Auvidis
Valois V 4688 (1994).
—— Swiss Italian Orchestra, Francis Travis, conductor. Chandos 9837 (2000).
CONCERTED WORKS
Tarantelle for Flute, Clarinet and Orchestra, op. 6. Susan Milan, flute and James
Campbell, clarinet, The London Philharmonic, Geoffrey Simon, conductor. Cala:
CACD 1015 (1993).
Piano Concerto, no. 1, in D major, op. 17. Stephen Hough, piano, City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo, conductor, Hyperion CDA67331/2 (2001).
—— Pascal Rogé, piano, Philharmonia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit, conductor, London 443
865–2 (1981).
J.Collard, piano, Royal Philharmonica, André Previn, conductor. EMIC 49757 (1988).
—— Gabriel Tacchino, piano, Orchestra of Radio Luxembourg, Louis de Froment,
conductor. Vox, CD3x 3028 (1974).
Violin Concerto no. 1, in A major, op. 20. Philippe Graffin, violin, BBC Scottish
Symphony Orchestra, Martin Babbins, conductor. Hyperion CDA67074 (1998).
Piano Concerto, no. 2, in G minor, op. 22. Stephen Hough, piano, City of Birmingham
—— Kathryn Stott, piano, BBC Philharmonic, Marin Alsop, conductor. BBC Music, vol.
8, no. 6 (1999).
—— Pascal Rogé, piano, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Dutoit, conductor,
London 443 865–2 (1981).
150 SELECTED DISCOG RAPHY
—— Arthur Rubenstein, piano, Orchestre de Société des concerts du Conservatoire,

Philippe Gaubert, conductor, RCA Red Seal 09026 63082– 2 (1999). [Works
recorded between 1939 and 1957 with interviews from 1963 and 1999.]
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, op. 28 for violin. Dong-Suk Kang, violin,
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit, conductor. Naxos 8.550752
(1993).
—— Kyung Wha Chung, violin, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Dutoit. London
425021–2 (1979).
—— Mischa Elman, violin, Percy Kahn, piano. Biddulph Recordings LAB 035 (1990).
[This recording of this arrangement for violin and piano was made between 1910 and
1911.]
—— Jean François Heisser and Georges Pludermacher, piano. Erato 4509– 03209–2
(1993). [This is a unique recording of Claude Debussy’s transcription of this work
for two pianists.]
Piano Concerto, no. 3, in E-flat major, op. 29. Stephen Hough, piano, City of Birmingham
—— Pascal Rogé, piano, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Dutoit, conductor,
London 443 865–2 (1981).
Cello Concerto no. 1 in A minor, op. 33. Julian Lloyd Webber, cellist, English Chamber
Orchestra, Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor. Philips: 432 084–2 (1990).
—— T.Thedéen, cello, Tapiola Sinfonietta, J. Kantorow, conductor. BIS 956 (1998).
—— Jacqueline Du Pré, cello, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim,
conductor. EMI CMS 7 63283 2 (1989).
Romance, op. 36 for horn and orchestra. Francis Orval, horn, Orchestra of Radio
Luxembourg, Louis de Froment, conductor. Vox, CD3x 3028 (1974).
—— Radovan Vlatkovic, horn, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Jean-Jacques Kantorow,
conductor. EMI Classic 7243 5 55587 2 5 (1995).
—— Gilbert Coursier, horn, Annie d’Arco, piano. Calliope CL 1819 (n.d.). [This is
version of op. 36 for horn and piano.]
Piano Concerto, no. 4, in C minor, op. 44. Stephen Hough, piano, City of Birmingham
—— Pascal Rogé, piano, Philharmonia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit, conductor, London 443
865–2 (1981).
conductor. Vox CD3x 3028 (1974).
—— Alfred Cortot, piano, London Philharmonica Orchestra, Charles Munch, conductor.
Philipps 456 754–2, 456 755–2, 456 756–2 (1999). [Recorded between 1929 and
1949; part of the series “Great Pianists of the 20th Century.]
Romance in C major, op. 48 for violin. Dong-Suk Kang, violin, Polish National Radio
Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit, conductor. Naxos 8.550752 (1993).
—— Olivier Charlier, violin, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Jean-Jacques Kantorow,
Violin Concerto no. 2, in C major, op. 58. Philippe Graffin, violin, BBC Scottish
Symphony Orchestra, Martin Babbins, conductor. Hyperion CDA67074 (1998).
Violin Concerto no. 3 in B minor, op. 61, for violin. Dong-Suk Kang, violin, Polish
National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit, conductor. Naxos 8.550752
(1993).
—— Philippe Graffin, violin, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martin Babbins,
conductor. Hyperion CDA67074 (1998).
Morceau de Concert in G major, op. 62, for violin. Dong-Suk Kang, violin, Polish
National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit, conductor. Naxos 8.550752
(1993).
Allegro appassionato for piano and orchestra, op. 70. Stephen Hough, piano, City of
Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo, conductor, Hyperion CDA67331/
2 (2001).
Rhapsodie d’Auvergne, op. 73. Stephen Hough, piano, City of Birmingham Symphony
Orchestra, Sakari Oramo, conductor, Hyperion CDA67331/2 (2001).
—— J.Collard, piano, Royal Philharmonica, André Previn, conductor. EMIC 49757
(1988).
—— Camille Saint-Saëns, piano, no orchestra or conductor mentioned. Telefunken TH
97009 (n.d.). [This is part of the “Collector’s Series, Historic Reissues reproduced
from original piano rolls from the Welte Archives.]
Wedding Cake Waltz, op. 76 for piano and orchestra. Stephen Hough, piano, City of
2 (2001).
Havanaise, op. 80 for violin and orchestra. Kyung Wha Chung, violin, Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Dutoit. London 425021–2 (1979).
Africa: Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra, op. 89. Stephen Hough, piano, City of
2 (2001).
—— Gwendolyn Mok, piano, The London Philharmonic, Geoffrey Simon, conductor.
Cala: CACD 1015 (1993).
—— J.Collard, piano, Royal Philharmonica, André Previn, conductor. EMIC 49757
(1988).
—— Laura Mikkola, piano, Tapiola Sinfonietta, J.Kantorow, conductor. BIS 790 (1996).
Saraband et Rigaudon, op. 93 for violin and orchestra. Tina Gruenberg, violin, The
London Philharmonic, Geoffrey Simon, conductor. Cala: CACD 1015 (1993).
Morceau de Concert, op. 94 for horn and orchestra. Francis Orval, horn, Orchestra of Radio
—— Radovan Vlatkovic, horn, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Jean-Jacques Kantorow,
Piano Concerto, no. 5, in F major, op. 103. Gabriel Tacchino, piano, Orchestra of Radio
—— Pascal Rogé, piano, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Dutoit, conductor,

London 443 865–2 (1981).
Concerto no. 2 in D Minor for Cello and Orchestra, op. 119. M.Kliegel, cello, Bournemouth
Sinfonietta, J.Monnard, conductor. Naxos 8553039 (1995).
—— Steven Isserlis, cello, NDR-Sinfonieorchester, Hamburg, Christoph Eschenbach,
conductor. RCA Red Seal 09026–6351802 (2001).
Caprice andalous in G major, op. 122, for violin. Dong-Suk Kang, violin, Polish National
Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit, conductor. Naxos 8.550752 (1993).
Fantasie for Violin and Harp, op. 124. Ruggiero Ricci, violin, Susanna Mildonian, harp.
Vox, CD3x 3028 (1974).
La muse et le poète, op. 132, for violin, cello, and orchestra. Ruggiero Ricci, violin,
Georges Mallach, cello, Orchestra of Radio Luxembourg, Louis de Froment,
—— Steven Isserlis, cello, Joshua Bell, violin, NDR-Sinfonieorchester, Hamburg,
Christoph Eschenbach, conductor. RCA Red Seal 09026–6351802 (2001).
Morceau de concert pour harpe et orchestre, op. 154. Marielle Nordmann, harp,
Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, conductor. EMI Classic 7243
5 55587 2 5 (1995).
Cyprès et Lauriers, op. 156 for organ and orchestra. J.P.Kemmer, organ, Orchestra of Radio
MILITARY BAND
Sur les bords du Nil, op. 125, arranged by the composer for piano 4 hands. Duo Egri & Pertis,
piano. Hungariton 31928 (2000).
CHAMBER MUSIC
Suite for Cello and Piano (orchestra), op. 16. M. Kliegel, cello, Bournemouth Sinfonietta,
J.Monnard, conductor. Naxos 8553039 (1995).
Piano Trio no. 1 in F major, op. 18. Rebecca Hirsh, violin, Caroline Dearnely, cello, John
Lenehan, piano. Naxos 8.550935 (1993).
Romance for flute and piano in D-flat major, op. 37. Jean-Claude Gérard, flute, Leonard
Hokansen, piano. Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm MDG 304 0395–2
(1991).
Berceuse in B-flat major, op. 38. Philippe Graffin, voilin, Pascal Devoyon, piano.
Hyperion CDA67100 (1999).
Sonata no. 1 for cello and piano, op. 42. L. Tooten, cello, B.Rawitz, piano. Pavane 7407
(1998).
Allegro appassionato for cello and orchestra (or piano), op. 43. Julian Lloyd Webber,
cello, English Chamber Orchestra, Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor. Philips 432084–
2 (1990).
—— L.Tooten, cello, B.Rawitz, piano. Pavane 7407 (1998).
—— M.Kliegel, cello, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, J.Monnard, conductor. Naxos 8553039

(1995).
Septet for piano, trumpet, and strings, op. 65. The Guilet String Quartet, Harry Glantz,
trumpet, Philip Sklar, bass, Manahem Pressler, piano. Heliodor 25012 (1966?).
—— [This is an arrangement of movements 2 and 4 from the Septet for trumpet, piano,
and strings, op. 65 made by the composer for two pianos.] Duo Egri & Pertis, piano.
Hungariton 31928 (2000).
Romance for horn [or cello] and piano, op. 67. Barry Tuckwell, horn, Vladimir
Ashkenazy, piano. London CS 6938 (n.d.).
—— Steven Isserlis, cello, NDR-Sinfonieorchester, Hamburg, Christoph Eschenbach,
conductor. RCA Red Seal 09026–6351802 (2001). [This is the version for cello and
orchestra.]
Violin Sonata, no. 1, op. 75 in D major. Philippe Graffin, violin, Pascal Devoyon, piano.
Caprice sur des airs danois et russes, op. 79. Jean-Claude Gérard, flute, Ingo Goritzki,
oboe, Ulf Rodenhäuser, clarinet, Leonard Hokansen, piano. Musikproduktion
Dabringhaus und Grimm MDG 304 0395–2 (1991).
—— Samuel Baron, flute, Ronald Roseman, oboe, Joseph Rabbai, clarinet, Gilbert Kalish,
piano. Desto DC 7146 (n.d.).
Piano Trio no. 2 in E minor, op. 92. Rebecca Hirsh, violin, Caroline Dearnely, cello, John
Lenehan, piano. Naxos 8.550935 (1993).
Violin Sonata no. 2, op. 102 in E-flat major. Philippe Graffin, violin, Pascal Devoyon,
piano. Hyperion CDA67100 (1999).
String Quartet in E minor, no. 1, op. 112. Medici Quartet, Koch International GmbH, 3–
6484–2 (1997).
Sonata no. 2 for cello and piano, op. 123. L.Tooten, cello, B.Rawitz, piano. Pavane 7407
(1998).
—— Steven Isserlis, cello, Pascal Devoyon, piano. RCA Red Seal 09026– 6351802
(2001).
Triptyque, op. 136 for violin and piano. Philippe Graffin, violin, Pascal Devoyon, piano.
Élégie for violin and piano, op. 143. Philippe Graffin, violin, Pascal Devoyon, piano.
Cavatina for trombone and piano, op. 144. Jacques Toulon, trombone, Annie d’Arco,
piano. Calliope CAL 1819 (n.d.).
String Quartet in G minor, no. 2, op. 153. Medici Quartet, Koch International GmbH, 3–
6484–2 (1997).
Élégie for violin and piano, op. 160. Philippe Graffin, violin, Pascal Devoyon, piano.
Sonata for oboe and piano, op. 166. Maurice Bourgue, oboe, Annie d’Arco, piano.
Calliope CAL 1819 (n.d.).
—— Ingo Goritzki, Leonard Hokanson, piano. Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm
MGD 304 0395–2 (1991).
Sonata for clarinet and piano in E-flat major, op. 167. Maurice Gabai, clarinet, Annie
d’Arco, piano. Calliope CAL 1819 (n.d.).
—— Joseph Rabbai, clarinet, Gilbert Kalish, piano. Desto DC 7146 (n.d.).
—— Ulf Rodenhäuser, clarinet, Leonard Hokanson, piano. Musikproduktion
Dabringhaus und Grimm MGD 304 0395–2 (1991).
Sonata for bassoon and piano in G major, op. 168. Maurice Allard, bassoon, Annie
d’Arco, piano. Calliope CAL 1819 (n.d.).
—— Dag Jensen, bassoon, Leonard Hokanson, piano. Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und
Grimm MGD 304 0395–2 (1991).
PIANO MUSIC (FOR ONE AND TWO PERFORMERS)
Duetto, op. 11, for piano 4 hands. Duo Egri & Pertis, piano. Hungariton 31928 (2000).
Mazurka in G minor for piano, op. 21. Camille Saint-Saëns, piano. Laserlight Digital 14
206 (1995).
Variations sur un theme de Beethoven, for two pianos, op. 35. Philippe Entremont and
Gaby Casadesus, pianos. CBS Masterworks M 35851 (1980).
—— Duo Egri & Pertis, piano. Hungariton 31928 (2000).
—— Marie-José Billard and Julien Azaïs, pianos. Philips 6525 005 (197?).
Six Études, op. 52. Piers Lane, piano. Hyperion CDA67037 (1997).
König Harald Harfagar, op. 59 for piano 4 hands. Duo Egri & Pertis, piano. Hungariton
31928 (2000).
Minuet et Gavotte, op. 65, for two pianos. [This is an arrangement of movements 2 and 4
from the Septet for trumpet, piano, and strings, Op. 65 made by the composer.] Duo
Egri & Pertis, piano. Hungariton 31928 (2000).
Mazurka for piano, op. 66. Camille Saint-Saëns, piano. Laserlight Digital 14 206 (1995).
Polonaise for two pianos, op. 77. Philippe Entremont and Gaby Casadesus, pianos. CBS
Masterworks M 35851 (1980).
Scherzo for two pianos, op. 87. Marie-José Billard and Julien Azaïs, pianos. Philips 6525
005 (197?).
Suite in F major for piano, op. 90. Camille Saint-Saëns, piano. Classics Record Library WV
6633 (n.d.). [This is a recording only of the Gavotte from this suite.]
Caprice arabe, op. 96, for two pianos. Duo Egri & Pertis, piano. Hungariton 31928
(2000).
Theme Varié, op. 97. Piers Lane, piano. Hyperion CDA67037 (1997).
Berceuse, op. 105, for piano 4 hands. Duo Egri & Pertis, piano. Hungariton 31928 (2000).
Caprice héroïque for two pianos, op. 106. Marie-José Billard and Julien Azaïs, pianos.
Philips 6525 005 (197?).
Six Études, op. 111. Piers Lane, piano. Hyperion CDA67037 (1997).
Valse langoureuse, op. 120. Camille Saint-Saëns, piano. Allegro Records LEG 9021
(196?).
Six Études pour la main gauche seule, op. 135. Piers Lane, piano. Hyperion CDA67037
(1997).
ORGAN MUSIC
Bénédiction Nuptuale, op. 9. Hans Fagius, organ. BIS CD 556 (1992).

Trois preludes et fugues, op. 99. Hans Fagius, organ. BIS CD 556 (1992).
—— Claude Girard, organ. Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec S0120512 (1992). [This is a
recording of the third prelude and fugue from op. 99.]
Fantasie in D-flat major, op. 101. Hans Fagius, organ. BIS CD 556 (1992).
Trois preludes et fugues, op. 109. Hans Fagius, organ. BIS CD 556 (1992).
—— no. 1. Vincent Genvrin, organ. Edition Hortus 011 (1996). [This is a recording of
op. 109, no. 1 only.]
Fantasie in C major, op. 157. Hans Fagius, organ. BIS CD 556 (1992).
—— Vincent Genvrin, organ. Edition Hortus 011 (1996).
CHORAL MUSIC
Oratorio de Noël, op. 12. Ute Selbig (sop.), Elisabeth Wilke (ms.), Anette Markert
(contralto), Armin Ude (ten.), Egbert Junghanns (bar.), Jutta Zoff (harp), Michael-
Christfried Winkler (org.), Dresden Kreuzchor,
Dresden Philharmonic, Martin Flämig, conductor. Laserlight Digital 15273 (1990).
—— The Madrigal de Lyon chorus, Orchestre de Chambre de Lyon, Sylvain Cambreling,
conductor. Arion ARN 68059 (1988).
Le Deluge, op. 45, “Prelude.” Saint-Saëns with Gabrielle Guillaume, violin. His Master’s
Voice, DB 705 (1919). This is a recording of the “Prelude” only. According to
Sabina Teller Ratner’s dissertation, this recording can be found at the Library of
Congress, Washington, D.C.
Messe de Requiem, op. 54. Tinuke Olafimihan, soprano, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, alto,
Anthony Roden, tenor, Simon Kirkbride, bass, The Hertfordshire Chorus, Harlow
Chorus and the East London Chorus, The London Philharmonic, Geoffrey Simon,
conductor. Cala: CACD 1015 (1993).
—— Cynthia Richards, soprano, Kathryn Weld, alto, John MacMaster, tenor, Nathaniel
Watson, baritone, Fairfield County Chorale, Horace Mann Glee Club, Amor Artis
Gregorian Soloists and Orchestra, Johannes Somary, conductor. Premier Recordings
PRCD 1025 (1992).
—— Danielle Galland, soprano, Jeannine Collard, alto, Francis Bardot, tenor, Jacques
Villisech, bass, Ensemble Choral Contrepoint, Orchestre Lyrique de l’O. R.T. F,
Jean-Gabriel Gaussens, conductor. RCA Red Seal 650 002 (n.d.).
Laudate Dominum, op. 149. Choeur Sacrum, Andris Veismanis, conductor. Editions
Hortus 011 (1996).
OPERA
La princesse jaune, op. 30. Maria Constanza Nocentini (soprano), Carlo Allemano (tenor),
Swiss Italian Orchestra, Francis Travis, conductor. Chandos 9837 (2000).
Samson et Dalila, op. 47. Placido Domingo (tenor), Elena Obraztsova (mezzo), Renato
Bruson (bass), Choeur et Orchestre de Paris, Daniel Barenboim, conductor. Deutsche
Grammophon, 413 299–2 (1979).
—— Olga Borodina (mezzo), José Cura (tenor), Jean-Philippe LaFont (baritone), London
Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis, conductor. Erato 3984–24756–2 (1998).
—— Camille Saint-Saëns, piano. Allegro Records LEG 9021 (196?). [This is an
arrangement of the Act I finale played by the composer.]
Henri VIII, 1883. Philippe Rouillon (baritone), Michele Command (soprano), Lucie
Vignon (mezzo), Alain Gabriel (tenor), Philippe Bohée (baritone), Alexandre Laiter
(tenor), Gérard Serkoyan (bass), Orchestre Lyrique Français, Choeurs du Théâtre des
Arts de Rouen, Alain Guingal, conductor. Chant du Monde, LDC 278 1083 (1991).
——, [selections only]. A.Mogrelia (conductor), Razumovsky Sinfonia. Naxos NXIN CD
553338 (1995).
SONGS WITH OPUS NUMBERS
Mélodies persanes, op. 26. Anne-Marie Rodde, soprano, Noël Lee, piano. Etcetera KTC
1160 (1994).
—— François Le Roux, baritone, Graham Johnson, piano. Hyperion CDA 66856 (1997).
SONGS WITHOUT OPUS NUMBER IN

ALPHABETICAL ORDER
À quoi bon entendre, 1869. John Aler, tenor or John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van
Buskirk, piano. Newport Classics NCD 60110 (1989).
—— Anne-Marie Rodde, soprano, Noël Lee, piano. Etcetera KTC 1160 (1994).
À Saint Blaise, 1907. Didier Henry, baritone, Angeline Pondepeyre, piano. Numerique
Digital REM 311193 (1993).
L’Amant malheureux, 1921. Didier Henry, baritone, Angeline Pondepeyre, piano.
Numerique Digital REM 311193 (1993).
L‘Amour oyseau, 1907. Didier Henry, baritone, Angeline Pondepeyre, piano. Numerique
Digital REM 311193 (1993).
Aimons-nous, 1891. John Aler, tenor or John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van
L’Amour blessé, 1907. Didier Henry, baritone, Angeline Pondepeyre, piano. Numerique
Digital REM 311193 (1993).
L’Attente, 1855. Didier Henry, baritone, Angeline Pondepeyre, piano. Numerique Digital
REM 311193 (1993).
Ballade douzieme (Le pas d’armes de Roi Jean), 1852. José van Dam, baritone, Jean-
Philippe Collard, piano. EMI Classics 7 54818 2 (1992).
Le bonheur, 1868. John Aler, tenor or John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van Buskirk,
piano. Newport Classics NCD 60110 (1989).
Chanson a boire de vieux temps, 1885. John Aler, tenor or John Ostendorf, bass-baritone,
John Van Buskirk, piano. Newport Classics NCD 60110 (1989).
—— Didier Henry, baritone, Angeline Pondepeyre, piano. Numerique Digital REM
311193 (1993).
Le Chant de ceux qui s’en vont sur la mer, 1868. John Aler, tenor or John Ostendorf, bass-
baritone, John Van Buskirk, piano. Newport Classics NCD 60110 (1989).
Le Cigale et la Fourmi (n.d.). François Le Roux, baritone, Graham Johnson, piano.
Hyperion CDA 66856 (1997).
Claire de lune, 1865. John Aler, tenor or John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van Buskirk,
—— José van Dam, baritone, Jean-Philippe Collard, piano. EMI Classics 7 54818 2
(1992).
311193 (1993).
La Cloche, 1855. Anne-Marie Rodde, soprano, Noël Lee, piano. Etcetera KTC 1160
(1994).
Les cloches de la mer, 1900. José van Dam, baritone, Jean-Philippe Collard, piano. EMI
Classics 7 54818 2 (1992).
Le Coccinelle, 1868. François Le Roux, baritone, Graham Johnson, piano. Hyperion CDA
66856 (1997).
Les cygnes (duet), 1891. John Aler, tenor and John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van
Dans ton coeur, 1872. François Le Roux, baritone, Graham Johnson, piano. Hyperion
CDA 66856 (1997).
Dans les coins, 1880. John Aler, tenor or John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van
Danse macabre, 1872. José van Dam, baritone, Jean-Philippe Collard, piano. EMI
Classics 7 54818 2 (1992).
L’Étoile, 1907. Didier Henry, baritone, Angeline Pondepeyre, piano. Numerique Digital
REM 311193 (1993).
L’Extase, 1860. John Aler, tenor or John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van Buskirk,
(1992).
311193 (1993).
Les Feés, 1892. Anne-Marie Rodde, soprano, Noël Lee, piano. Etcetera KTC 1160
(1994).
Feuille de peuplier, 1853. Anne-Marie Rodde, soprano, Noël Lee, piano. Etcetera KTC
1160 (1994).
Fière beauté, 1893. Didier Henry, baritone, Angeline Pondepeyre, piano. Numerique
Digital REM 311193 (1993).
Une flûte invisible, 1885. Anne-Marie Rodde, soprano, Noël Lee, piano. Etcetera KTC
1160 (1994).
Grasselette et Maigrelette, 1920. Didier Henry, baritone, Angeline Pondepeyre, piano.
Guitare, 1851. John Aler, tenor or John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van Buskirk,
Guitares et mandolines, 1890. Didier Henry, baritone, Angeline Pondepeyre, piano.

Le lever de la lune, 1855. José van Dam, baritone, Jean-Philippe Collard, piano. EMI
Classics 7 54818 2 (1992).
Maria Lucrezia, 1868. John Aler, tenor, and John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van
Marquise, vous souvenez-vous?, 1869. François Le Roux, baritone, Graham Johnson,
piano. Hyperion CDA 66856 (1997).
Mort d’Ophélie, 1857. John Aler, tenor, and John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van
Nocturne, 1900. François Le Roux, baritone, Graham Johnson, piano. Hyperion CDA
66856 (1997).
Le pas d’armes de Roi Jean, 1852. José van Dam, baritone, Jean-Philippe Collard, piano.
EMI Classics 7 54818 2 (1992).
311193 (1993).
Pastoral (duet), 1855. John Aler, tenor, and John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van
Peut-être, 1870. John Aler, tenor, and John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van Buskirk,
Rêverie, 1851. José van Dam, baritone, Jean-Philippe Collard, piano. EMI Classics 7
54818 2 (1992).
311193 (1993).
Le Rossignol, 1892. John Aler, tenor, and John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van
311193 (1993).
Si vous n’avez rien a me dire, 1870. John Aler, tenor, and John Ostendorf, bass-baritone,
John Van Buskirk, piano. Newport Classics NCD 60110 (1989).
(1992).
Sonnet, 1898. José van Dam, baritone, Jean-Philippe Collard, piano. EMI Classics 7
54818 2 (1992).
Suzette et Suzon, 1888. John Aler, tenor and John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van
311193 (1993).
Temps nouveau, 1920. François Le Roux, baritone, Graham Johnson, piano. Hyperion
CDA 66856 (1997).
Tristesse, 1868. John Aler, tenor and John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van Buskirk,
311193 (1993).
Le vent dans la plaine, 1912. Didier Henry, baritone, Angeline Pondepeyre, piano.
Viens (duet), 1855. John Aler, tenor and John Ostendorf, bass-baritone, John Van Buskirk,
Violons dans le soir, 1907. Didier Henry, baritone, Angeline Pondepeyre, piano.
WORKS WITHOUT OPUS NUMBERS ARRANGED

ALPHABETICALLY
Andromaque (incidental music), 1903. Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, David

Robertson, conductor. Auvidis Valois V 4688 (1994).
Ave Maria (n.d.). Choeur Sacrum, Andris Veismanis, conductor. Editions Hortus 011
(1996).
Ave Verum, 1865. The Madrigal de Lyon chorus, Orchestre de Chambre de Lyon, Sylvain
Cambreling, conductor. Arion ARN 68059 (1988).
Caprice sur des air de ballet d’Alceste de Gluck (n.d.). Jean François Heisser and Georges
Pludermacher, piano. Erato 4509–03209–2 (1993). [This is a unique recording of
Claude Debussy’s transcription of this work for two pianists.]
Carnaval des animaux, 1886. Philippe Entremont and Gaby Casadesus, pianos. CBS
Masterworks M 35851 (1980).
Fantasie in E-flat major, 1857. Hans Fagius, organo. BIS CD 556 (1992).
Javotte (ballet), 1896. Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, David Robertson,
conductor. Auvidis Valois V 4688 (1994).
Legendes de St. François d’Assise (n.d.). Vincent Genvrin, organ. Edition Hortus 011
(1996). [This is a transcription of a piano composition by Franz Liszt.]
Quam dilecta, 1915. The Madrigal de Lyon chorus, Orchestre de Chambre de Lyon,
Sylvain Cambreling, conductor. Arion ARN 68059 (1988).
Spartacus, overture. Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, conductor.
EMI Classic 7243 5 55587 2 5 (1995).
Symphony in A major, ca. 1850. Tapiola Sinfonietta, J.Kantorow, conductor. BIS 956
(1998).
Symphony in F major, “Urbs Roma,” 1856. Tapiola Sinfonietta, J.Kantorow, conductor.
BIS 790 (n.d.).
(1989).
Veni Creator, 1858. Choeur Sacrum, Andris Veismanis, conductor. Editions Hortus 011
(1996).
Index of Authors and Editors
Note: Numbers refer to items, not pages.

Aguétant, Pierre:83 Casella, Alfred: 103
Allorge, Henri:258 Castera, R.de: 157
Anonymous: 84 Cellier, Alexandre: 227, 242
Ashbrook, William: 173, 174 Cellier, Laurent: 105
Athénius: 86 Cellier, Rémi: 106
Aubry, G.Jean: 87 Chantovoine, Jean: 107, 108, 186, 277
Augé de Lassus, Lucien: 52, 88, 175 Cleva, Fausto: 187
Coeuroy, A.: 6
B., G.: 89 Cohen, H.Robert: 7
Bailbé, Joseph-Marc: 2 Collet, H.: 188
Barzun, Jacques: 3 Combarieu, Jules: 57, 58, 189, 190
Baumann, Émile: 53, 90 Cooper, Jeffrey: 8, 9
Bellaigue, Camille: 91 Cooper, Martin: 10
Bender, Gabriel: 218 Cortot, Alfred: 228
Bernard, Robert: 92 Croze, J.L.: 160
Bernier, Conrad: 93 Cullin, Olivier: 191
Bertier de Sauvigny, Emmanuel de: 260
Blakeman, Edward: 261 Dandelot, Arthur: 11, 109, 110, 265
Blier, Steven: 176 David, Marc: 192
Blondel, C: 54 Debussy, Claude: 193, 194, 195
Bondeville, Emmanuel: 94 della Corta, Andrea: 161
Bonnerot, Jean: 55, 56, 95, 96, 97, 98, 177, Delage, Roger: 111
178, 179, 180, 219, 220, 262 De La Grange, Henry: 196
Borne, Fernand Le: 99 De Van, Gilles: 12
Boschat, Adolphe: 100, 101, 181, 263 Destranges, Étienne: 197, 198
Bouillon, Elisabeth: 182, 183 Dietrich, Charles: 13
Briquet, Marie: 264 Dubcek, Marina: 199
Brody, Elaine: 4 Dumaine, Robert: 112
Brook, Donald: 5 Dumesnil, René: 14, 15
Bülow, Hans von: 184 Dupuit, Jean-Sébastien: 113
Busoni, Ferruccio: 156 Durand: 59, 162, 221
Busser, Henri: 185
Ecorcheville, Jean: 163
Calvocoressi, Michail Dimitrij: 102 Eigeldinger, Jean-Jacques: 16
161
162 INDEX OF AUTHORS AND EDITORS
Ellis, Katherine: 17 Landormy, Paul: 34, 35, 36

Emmanuel, Maurice: 114, 266 Lara, René: 69
Eyer, Ronald: 200 Lay, Jacques: 127
LeBas, Georges: 270
Fallon, Daniel: 222, 223 LeBoucher, Maurice: 128
Fannière, Edouard: 115 Ledbetter, Steven: 206
Fauquet, Joël-Marie: 18, 19 Lefevre, Maurice: 70
Fauré, Gabriel: 116 Lehrer, Charles David: 37
Fauré, Michel: 20 Lindenberger, Herbert: 38
Favre, Georges: 21 Lindenlaub: 71
Ferrare, Henri: 267 Locke, Ralph: 39, 207, 208
Finscher, Ludwig: 22 Lyle, Watson: 129
Flynn, Timothy: 23
Fogel, Susan Lee: 201 MacDonald, Hugh: 245
Fourcaud, Louis de: 60 Mahling, Christoph-Hellmut: 254
Freuhwald, Scott: 117 Malherbe, Charles: 72, 209
Fulcher, Jane Fair: 24 Marty, Georges: 224
Mason, Daniel Gregory: 73
Gallet, Louis: 62, 202 McAllister, Elaine: 271
Ganache, Edouard: 118 Medek, Tilo: 225
Gérard, Yves: 25, 119, 268 Ménétrier, Alexandre: 130
Gigout, Eugène: 120 Messager, André: 210
Goubault, Christian: 26 Millet, Ambroise: 158
Gounod, Charles: 203 Montargis, Jean: 74
Grace, Harvey: 229 Morel, Fritz: 232
Gut, Serge: 27 Myers, Rollo: 40
Hamburger, Klara: 269 Nectoux, Jean-Michel: 272, 273

Hanschin, Jacques: 121 Neitzel, Otto: 76
Harding, James: 122 Noske, Frits: 41, 42, 255
Harkins, Elizabeth: 243 Nussy Saint-Saëns, Marcel: 211
Hervey, Arthur: 28, 64, 65
Hippeau, Edmond: 66, 204 Paquette, Daniel: 131
Holoman, D.Kern: 29 Parker, D.C.: 77, 166, 167
Huebner, Steven: 30 Payne, Donald: 246
Huré, Jean: 230 Périchard, Gaston: 132
d’Indy, Vincent: 31 Perry, Susan Cotton: 233
Philipp, Isidore: 234, 235, 236
Kestner, Joseph: 205 Pichot, Georges: 168
Klein, Hermann: 123 Pillois, Jacques: 256
Koechlin, Charles: 124 Pistone, Daniele: 27, 43
Platzbecker, Heinrich: 78
Lacroux, Jean: 125 Pollei, Paul Canon: 247, 248
Ladjili, Myriam: 32 Poueigh, J.: 79
Lalo, Pierre: 33, 67, 126, 164, 165, 231, Pougin, Arthur: 169
244 Prod’homme, J.G.: 44, 133, 134, 135, 274
Laloy, Louis: 68
INDEX OF AUTHORS AND EDITORS 163
Quittard, Henry: 170 Zyiguilsky, Alexandre: 217
Randles, Kathleen Martha: 257

Rath, Edward Albert: 249
Ratner, Sabina Teller: 136, 137, 138, 212,
237, 238, 250
Rees, Brain: 139
Richard, Albert: 275
Roger-Miclos, M.: 239
Rohozinsky, L.: 45
Rolland, Romain: 140
Rosen, Charles: 46
Sachs, Leo: 141

Saint-Saëns, Camille: 278, 279, 280, 281,
282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289,
290, 291
Savari, Pauline: 171
Scherer, Barrymore Laurence: 213
Scherperel, Loretta Fox: 240
Seré, O.: 79
Servières, Georges: 47, 142, 143, 144
Sizes, Gabriel: 145
Smith, Rolland: 48, 241
Stegeman, Michael: 146, 147, 148, 149,
150, 226, 251
Stevenson, Robert: 151
Stojowsky, Sigismund: 214
Striffling, Louis: 49
Studd, Stephen: 152
Thiel, Wolfgang: 153

Thorel, René: 80, 172
Tiersot, Julien: 50, 292
Vallas, Léon: 276

Vauzanges, Louis: 154
Viardot, Paul: 155
Viardot, Pauline: 81
Vierne, Louis: 215
Walsh, T.J.: 51
Weingartner, Felix: 82
Wells-Harrison, S.: 252
Wendt, Charles: 253
Wild, Nicole: 216
Index of Composers
Note: Numbers refer to items, not pages.

Adam, Adolphe: 33 Bülow, Hans von: 65, 70, 184
Alkan, Charles: 1 Busoni, Ferruccio: 156
Auber, D.F.E.: 1, 28, 65, 69
Auric, Georges: 14, 15 Cahn, Sammy: 207
Canal, Marguerite: 14
Bach, J.S.: 20, 28, 44,48, 65, 66, 77, 89, Castillon, Alex: 27, 35
91, 105, 117, 121, 140, 151, 164, 172, Chabrier, Emmanuel: 1, 4, 30, 35, 44
193, 236, 259, 278, 284, 286N, 288E Chadwick, Arthur: 206
Beethoven, Ludwig van: 28, 40, 44, 58, 66, Charpentier, Gustave: 24, 30, 35, 50
67, 72, 91, 105, 117, 120, 129, 130, 140, Charpentier, Marc-Antoine: 179
141, 146, 164, 211, 231, 236, 244, 259, Chausson, Ernest: 19, 27, 30, 33, 35
278, 284, 286Q, 288D, 289A, 289E, Cherubini, Luigi: 19
289M, 289O, 289Q Chopin, Frédéric-François: 53, 114, 151,
Berlioz, Hector: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 17, 28, 249, 288, 288F, 288M, 289E
29, 33, 40, 41, 42, 44, 49, 53, 57, 65, 66, Couperin, Louis: 20
70, 100, 101, 108, 117, 121, 154, 172,
187, 282, 282V, 284, 286M, 286Q, David, Félicien: 29, 32, 44, 213, 257, 259,
289A, 289K, 289O 284, 289O
Bernstein, Leonard: 207 Debussy, Claude: 5, 20, 26, 36, 44, 50, 68,
Bizet, Georges: 1, 13, 28, 32, 33, 35, 38, 87, 94, 103, 108, 123, 124, 126, 148,
50, 70, 94, 152, 172, 187, 257, 289, 193, 194, 195, 202, 257, 266, 285
286Q, 289H Delage: 257
Böely, Alexandre: 1 Delibes, Léo: 13, 35, 38, 289O
Boïto, Arrigo: 115, 289J d’Indy, Vincent: 6, 27, 29, 30, 36, 50, 68,
Bordes, Charles: 10, 35 87, 123, 141, 161, 276, 285, 288
Bordin, Alexander: 44 Dubois, Theodore: 28, 35, 44, 50, 141
Boulanger, Lilli: 14, 44 Duparc, Henri: 6, 35, 41, 42, 44, 255
Boulanger, Nadia: 14, 288P Dupin, Paul: 6
Brahms, Johannes: 29, 121, 129 Dupré, Marcel: 48
Bréville, Pierre de: 35 Dukas, Paul: 5, 26, 29, 33, 35, 36, 54, 202
Bruch, Max: 57, 115, 289J Dvorák, Antonin: 29, 253
Bruckner, Anton: 29, 121
Bruneau, Alfred: 24, 28, 30, 35, 50, 61, 83, Elgar, Edward: 29
123, 134, 270, 274
164
165
Fauré, Gabriel: 4, 6, 19, 20, 26, 28, 33, 35, 278, 282U, 284, 286L, 288, 288C, 288M,
36, 44, 50, 81, 87, 88, 120, 123, 124, 288O, 289B, 289E
136, 141, 155, 185, 232, 255, 272, 273, Lully, Jean-Baptiste: 278
286B, 291
Fétis, François-Joséph: 286I Magnard, Albéric: 35
Franck, César: 1, 5, 10, 14, 19, 26, 27, 28, Mahler, Gustave: 29
29, 31, 32, 33, 35, 41, 44, 47, 50, 53, 68, Massé, Victor: 289, 289D
77, 87, 103, 107, 141, 152, 240, 276, 285 Massenet, Jules: 15, 28, 30, 35, 47, 49, 50,
60, 108, 185, 216, 260, 270, 282, 282BB,
Gigout, Eugène: 61, 120 286S, 289O
Glass, Philip: 38 Méhul, Étienne-Nicolas: 2, 28, 44, 213
Glazunov, Alexander: 57, 115 Mendelssohn, Felix: 29, 53, 89, 140, 218,
Gluck, Christoph Willibald: 38, 53, 149, 228, 235, 236, 265, 278, 288I, 289O
155, 190, 192, 282, 286O, 289A, 289K Messager, André: 33, 75, 210
Godard, Benjamin: 28, 35 Messiaen, Olivier: 257
Gossec, François-Joseph: 44, 218 Meyerbeer, Giacomo: 2, 28, 50, 278, 282,
Gounod, Charles: 1, 10, 28, 29, 30, 33, 35, 282CC, 286T, 288I
41, 53, 65, 66, 70, 77, 81, 99, 108, 109, Milhaud, Darius: 6, 15, 44, 124, 257
117, 152, 155, 169, 171, 172, 175, 185, Monteverdi, Claudio: 130, 286I
203, 212, 216, 259, 260, 270, 271, 278, Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: 20, 28, 44,
279, 288, 286Q, 288B, 288N, 288Q, 53, 57, 58, 60, 89, 91, 105, 117, 121,
289C, 289L, 289O, 289R, 291 129, 140, 146, 151, 169, 171, 172, 192,
Grandval, Mme.: 289O 218, 224, 231, 235, 236, 244, 259, 278,
Grieg, Edvard: 115, 289J 279, 286Q, 288N, 289E, 289L
Guilmant, Alexandre: 48, 240
Niedermeyer, Louis: 43
Halévy, Fromental: 50
Handel, G.F.: 164, 194, 284 Offenbach, Jacques: 28, 282, 282DD, 284,
Haydn, Franz Joseph: 105, 117, 121, 130, 286U
231, 265, 282T, 286K, 286Q, 289O Onslow, Georges: 1, 19
Holmès, Augusta: 291, 289O Ortigue, Louis d’: 19
Honegger, Arthur: 6
Paganini, Niccolò: 278, 288C, 289B
Ibert, Jacques: 15 Paladilhe, Émile: 35
Palestrina, Pierluigi da: 165, 259
Koechlin, Charles: 27, 124 Pierné, Gabriel: 123
Poulenc, Francis: 15
Lalo, Edouard: 4, 19, 28, 29, 30, 33, 44, Puccini, Giacomo: 270
47, 50, 253, 289O
Lecocq, Charles: 25, 270 Rabaud, Henri: 6
LeFlem, Paul: 6 Rameau, Jean-Philippe: 20, 33, 91, 148,
Leleu, Jeanne: 14 278, 288, 288E
Leoncavallo, Ruggiero: 270 Ravel, Maurice: 5, 6, 10, 14, 15, 20, 26,
Liszt, Franz: 29, 34, 41, 48, 57, 65, 70, 77, 27, 33, 36, 44, 48, 50
79, 94, 99, 100, 109, 114, 117, 129, 132, Reber, Henri: 19, 284, 286Q
138, 143, 152, 171, 172, 193, 212, 218, Reyer, Ernest: 30, 47, 154, 289O
228, 234, 237, 248, 249, 258, 260, 269, Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolay: 44
166 INDEX OF COMPOSERS
Ropartz, Guy: 6, 27, 35

Rossini, Giachino: 2, 50, 192, 282AA,
286R
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques: 33, 35, 49
Roussel, Albert: 6, 10, 36, 124, 257
Rubinstein, Anton: 289, 289V
Sarasate, Pablo de: 278

Satie, Erik: 6, 10, 24, 36
Schmitt, Florent: 6
Schubert, Franz: 29, 81, 254, 255, 256
Schumann, Clara: 249
Schumann, Robert: 29, 53, 79, 94, 114,
146, 228, 253, 254, 255, 265, 278
Serres: 35
Sibelius, Jan: 29
Six, Les: 10, 14, 36
Spohr, Louis: 29
Strauss, Richard: 29, 77, 79, 207, 285
Stravinsky, Igor: 14, 36, 44, 124, 130, 285
Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Il’yich: 29, 115, 271,

289J
Thomas, Ambroise: 81, 288M
Verdi, Giuseppe: 38, 70, 77, 172, 187

Vierne, Louis: 63, 215
Wagner, Richard: 14, 15, 26, 30, 31, 33, 34,

40, 44, 57, 58, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 77, 79,
94, 105, 107, 114, 117, 121, 124, 138,
146, 152, 163, 183, 185, 187, 192, 196,
210, 214, 258, 259, 270, 277, 278, 283,
284, 286E, 286I, 288I, 289N, 289O,
289P
Weber, Carl Maria: 154, 288D, 289M
Widor, Charles-Marie: 35, 48, 61, 83, 134,
240
Index of Compositions
The following compositions are either mentioned in the title of the monographs
or articles examined in the present study, or they are included in the body of an
annotation.
Bach, J.S. Cahn, Sammy
Prelude and Fugue, BWV 48:552 “Be my love”: 207
St. Matthew Passion: 151 Chadwick, Arthur
Well-Tempered Clavier: 286G Judith: 206
Beethoven, Ludwig van Charpentier, Gustave
Christus am Oelberg: 289O Louise: 24, 278
Fidelio: 289M Charpentier, Marc-Antoine
Piano Concerto no. 2 in C minor: 120 Medée: 179
Piano Sonata op. 52:236 Chopin, Frédéric-François
Piano Sonata op. 106:120 Ballade in F major: 288F
Symphony no. 9:72
Berlioz, Hector David, Félicien
Benvenuto Cellini: 3 Desert, Le: 213
Damnation de Faust: 2 Perles d’Orient: 257
Enfance du Christ, L’: 3 Debussy, Claude
Harold in Italy: 3 “Dialogue de la vague et de la brise”
Lélio: 101 266
Requiem: 282, 282V, 286M Debussy, Claude (Cont.)
Roméo et Juliette: 289A “Jardins sous la pluie”: 266
Symphonie fantastique: 3, 34 Pelléas et Mélisande: 15, 126, 266
Te Deum: 101 Prelude a l’après-midi d’un faune: 103
Troyens, Les: 3, 13, 101, 187 Trois chansons de Bilitis: 257
Bernstein, Leonard Delage, Maurice
West Side Story: 207 Quatre poèmes hindous: 257
Bizet, Georges Delibes, Léo
Adieux de l’hôtesse arabe: 257 Lakmé: 13
Carmen: 13, 15, 187, 202 d’Indy, Vincent
Pêcheurs des perles: 13 “Mountain” Symphony: 29, 141
Bruneau, Alfred Dukas, Paul
Penthesilée: 274 Ariane et Barbe-Bleue: 15
Rêve, Le: 270
Fauré, Gabriel
167
168 INDEX OF COMPOSITIONS
Penelope: 15, 21 Esclarmonde: 13

Requiem: 141 “La mort de Thaïs”: 60
Franck, César Roi de Lahor, Le: l80, 2l6
Béatitudes, Les: 141 Thaïs: 13
Symphony in D minor: 29, 141 Méhul, Étienne-Nicolas
Joseph: 2, 213
Gluck, Christoph Willibald Mendelssohn, Felix
Armide: 286O Elijah: 278, 289O
Orphée: 282, 282X, 286O, 289K Midsummer Night’s Dream, A: 278
Gounod, Charles Rondo capriccioso: 236
Faust: 169, 288B, 289C Messiaen, Olivier
Mireille: 175 Hatawi: 257
Mors et Vita: 288Q, 289C Meyerbeer, Giacomo
Nonne sanglante, La: 289C Africaine, L’: 13, 286T
Redemption: 289C Huguenots, Les: 2, 259, 278, 286T
Sappho: 289C Pardon de Ploërmel, Le: 175, 286T
St. Cecilia Mass: 288Q, 289C Polyeucte: 216
Prophète, Le: 286T
Haydn, Joseph Robert le Diable: 8l, 155
Seven Last Words: 282T, 286K Tribut de Zamora, Le: 216
Milhaud, Darius
Lalo, Edouard Chansons de négresse: 257
Symphonie espagnole: 167 Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Leoncavallo, Ruggiero Don Giovanni (Don Juan): 169, 279,
Pagliacci: 270 288N, 289L
Liszt, Franz Magic Flute: 72
Christus: 286L, 289B Marriage of Figaro: 60, 72, 289L
Fantasia and Fugue on “Ad Nos”: 48 “Or sai ch l’onore” (from Don
Faust Symphony: 269 Giovanni): 279
Jeux d’eau de la Villa d’Este: 56 Piano concerto in B-flat major: 60
Mazeppa: 99 Jupiter Symphony: 224
Mephisto Waltz: 286L Mussorgsky, Modest
Préludes, Les: 99 Boris Godounov: 201, 259
St. Elizabeth: 269, 286L, 289B
St. Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Offenbach, Jacques
Birds: 48 Daphnis et Chloé: 286U
Sonata in B minor: 289B Contes d’Hoffmann Les: 202, 286U
Tasso: 286L Ortigue, Joseph d’
Valse mélancolique: 171 String Quartet no. 6:19
Massé, Victor Puccini, Giacomo

Chalet, Le: 34 Bohème: 270
Chanteuse voilée: 289D Turandot: 39
Galathée: 289D
Noces de Jeannette, Les: 34, 289D Reber, Henri
Zampa: 34 String Quartet, op. 5:19
Massenet, Jules Rodgers, Richard
INDEX OF COMPOSITIONS 169
King and I, The: 39 Deluge, Le: 48, 65, 76, 79, 90, 91, 93,
Rossini, Giacchino 215, 286E
Italiana in Algiers, L’: 213 Elevation ou communion for organ: 240
Moïse: 2, 213 “Enlèvment, L": 256
Rubinstein, Antoine (Anton) Étienne Marcel: 5, 7, 12, 58, 66, 76,
Lalla-Roukh: 289E 184, 286E
Ocean: 289E Fantasie for harp and flute, op. 124:137
Fantasie in D-flat for Organ: 229, 240
Saint-Saëns, Camille Fantasie in E-flat for Organ: 229
Africa: 32, 234, 239 Feu céleste, Le: 20, 261
Allegro appassionato for cello: 242 “Feuille de peuplier, La”: 256
Allegro de concert for violin and piano Fiancée du Timbalier, La: 166
(1913): 245 Saint-Saëns, Camille (Cont.)
Ancêtre, L’: 5, 21, 25, 52, 175 Foi, La: 21, 25
Antigone: 76 Frédégonde: 76, 98, 202, 261
“Antwort”: 255 Havanaise: 167
Ascanio: 5, 36, 58, 98, 105, 177, 209, Hélène: 21, 25, 186, 288G
210 Henri VIII: 5, 7, 12, 20, 36, 57, 58, 66,
“Attente, L’”: 256 74, 76, 91, 195, 203, 204, 210, 216,
“Bacchanale” from Samson et Dalila: 286F
111, 191 Hymne a Pallas Athéné: 211
Barbares, Les: 5, 12, 20, 98, 189, 190, Hymne a Victor Hugo: 286C
193, 194, 214 Introduction et rondo capriccioso: 65,
Brunhilda: see Frédégonde below. 166, 167
Caprice brillant: 137, 245 Javotte: 76, 210, 270
Caprice für les Airs de Ballet Jeunesse d’Hercule, La: 5, 76, 100, 269
d’Alceste: 228 König Harald: 144, 228
Caprice heroïque: 228 “Lever de la lune, Le”: 254
Carnaval des animaux, Le: 100, 219, Lyre et la harpe, La: 36, 65, 72, 76, 91,
226, 270 93, 270
Cello Concerto no. 1 in A minor: 5, Mélodies persanes: 32, 50, 58, 65, 170,
129, 253 255, 257
Cello Sonata no. 1 in C minor: 242 Malade Imaginaire, La: 179
Cello Sonata no. 2 in F major: 105, 242 Marche nuptiale for organ: 128
Chanson napolitaine: 235 Marche religieuse for organ: 233, 240
Christmas Oratorio: see Oratoire de Mass: 215
Noël below. “Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix” from
“Cignale et la fourmi, La”: 255 Samson et Dalila: 50, 197, 207
“Cygne”: 100 Morceau de Concert for horn: 128
Cyprès et Lauriers: 233 Muse et la poète, La: 105
“Dagon se révèle” from Samson et Noces de Prométhée, Les: 48, 69
Dalila: 111 Oratoire de Noël: 65, 76, 93, 215
Danse macabre: 5, 72, 76, 79, 166, 238, “Organ” Symphony: see Symphony in
256 C minor, the “Organ” below
Déjanire: 7, 12, 21, 25, 76, 90, 98, 181, Parysatis: 90, 186, 194, 211
186, 211, 286E “Pas d’armes du roi Jean, Le”: 255
Phaëton: 5, 76
Phryné: 5, 52, 60, 76, 91, 98, 270
170 INDEX OF COMPOSITIONS
Piano Concerto no. 1 in D major: 247, Symphony no. 1 in E-flat major: 62

248 Symphony no. 3 in C minor, the
Piano Concerto no. 2 in G minor: 5, “Organ”: 5, 29, 62, 65, 67, 79, 85, 90,
129, 166, 247, 248, 289E 91, 94, 128, 129, 141, 221, 231, 261,
Piano Concerto no. 3 in E-flat: 76, 247, 269
248 Timbre d’argent, Le: 5, 7, 65, 66, 76,
Piano Concerto no. 4 in C minor: 5, 90, 286D, 289I
103, 129, 166, 247, 248 Trois morceaux: 240
Piano Concerto no. 5 in F major: 5, 36, Trois rhapsodies sur des cnatiques
247, 248 bretons: 48, 50, 128, 240
Piano Quartet in B-flat major: 242 Urbs Roma Symphony: 222
Piano Trio in F major, op. 18:129, 166, Variations sur un theme de Beethoven:
242 228
Piano Trio in E minor, op. 92:90, 242 “Veni creator” (for choir): 269
“Plainte”: 255 Violin Concerto n. 1 (op. 20): 288H
Preludes and Fugues, op. 99 for Violin Concerto no. 3 (op. 61): 5, 76,
Organ: 233, 240 166, 245, 252, 288H
Preludes and Fugues, op. 109 for Violin Sonata no. 1:128
Organ: 233, 240 “Voici le printemps” from Samson et
Princesse jaune, La: 12, 50, 66, 286E Dalila: 197
“Printemps qui commence” from Schubert, Franz
Samson et Dalila: 50, 197 Erlkönig: 81
Promised Land, The: 98, 105 Krähe, Die: 256
Proserpine: 5, 58, 62, 76, 198, 286E Schumann, Robert
Requiem: 65, 90, 215 Genoveva: 278
Rhapsodie d’Auvergne: 50, 234 Strauss, Richard
Romance for flute (op. 37): 60, 128 Rosenkavalier, Der: 207
Rondo capriccio: 288H
Rouet d’Omphale, Le: 5, 73, 76, 111, Thomas, Ambroise
166, 238, 268 Françoise de Rimini: 216
“Ruhenthal”: 255
Samson et Dalila: 2, 5, 7, 12, 13, 20, Verdi, Giuseppe
21, 28, 32, 38, 50, 57, 62, 65, 66, 69, Aïdo: 38, 39, 216
76, 79, 81, 111, 143, 166, 170, 176, Nabucco: 201, 2l3
180, 183, 184, 187, 188, 191, 196, 197, Otello: 187
199, 200, 201, 205, 206, 207, 208, 210, Rigoletto: 185
212, 213, 217, 231, 270, 282I, 282J,
288L Wagner, Richard
Sept Improvisations for Organ: 227, Lohengrin: 72
229, 233, 240, 288O Meistersinger, Die: 289M
“Sommeils des fleurs, Le”: 254, 255 Parsifal: 33
Souvenirs d’Ismailia: 235 Ring Cycle: 265, 284
Spartacus Overture: 222 Tristan und Isolde: 58, 284
String Quartet no. 1 in E minor: 242 Weber, Carl Maria von
Suite algérienne: 32, 50, 76, 98, 170, Dernière pensée: 288D
282I Freischütz, Der: 289M
Suite for Cello and Piano: 242, 250
Symphony in A major: 137

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CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS

ROUTLEDGE MUSIC BIBLIOGRAPHIES

Maurice Ravel (2003)Stephen Zank

ISBN 0-203-49491-1 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-58495-3 (Adobe eReader Format)

Introduction: The Enigma of Camille Saint-Saëns 1

Appendix 1. Manuscript Sources for Selected Compositions 115

Index of Authors and Editors 161

The materials included in this monograph represent an overview of writings

multifaceted nature of this grand homme of French music. He was described by

While serving at La Madeleine, Saint-Saëns held the only teaching position of

MUSICAL STYLE AND INFLUENCE

Formal innovation is not the only interesting aspect of Saint-Saëns’s music.

This finale, like so many other compositions of Saint-Saëns, demonstrates the

Haydn, a composer admired by Saint-Saëns, and one whose works he often

THE PRESENT STATE OF SAINT-SAËNS RESEARCH

[#197], and Un partition méconnue: “Proserpine” de Camille Saint-Saëns (1895)

have broken ground on Saint-Saëns’s concerti [#251], brought previous

ground-breaking study on Berlioz and his period of activity, this important

2080646508. ML 270.1.F380.The author examines the music and world surrounding

nineteenth-century music in general. This monograph examines the beneficial

featured Saint-Saëns’s cantata Les noces de Prométhée, and he was a featured

52. Augé de Lassus, Lucien. Saint-Saëns. Paris: Delagrave, 1914. 271 p. ML

61. Funérailles de Saint-Saëns: Discours prononcés le 24 octobre 1921 au cimetière du

Strauss, Saint-Saëns’s music represents a calmness and tranquility of harmony, with

113. Dupuit, Jean-Sébastien. Un maître de musique a Dieppe: Camille Saint-Saëns.

works of Berlioz, Wagner, and Massenet. Acknowledging Saint-Saëns’s place in the

142. Servières, Georges. Saint-Saëns. Paris: Alcan, 1923. 207 p. ML 410.S15C3.This

Saëns’s legitimate worry—that Wagner could hinder the independent development

150. Stegemann, Michael. “Camille Saint-Saëns, Germanophilie: Hintergründe einer

156. Busoni, Ferruccio. “Reminiscences of Saint-Saëns.” In The Essence of Music and

VOCAL MUSIC: OPERAS, DRAMATIC MUSIC,

include works lists, Studd does mention Saint-Saëns’s reconstruction in his

202. Gallet, Louis. “Saint-Saëns et Brunhilda (Frédégonde).” Le ménestrel (February 24

of Gounod’s contributions, a lamentable era for sacred music. Composers of

218. Bender, Gabriel. “L’oeuvre symphonique de Saint-Saëns.” Le guide du concert 3

KEYBOARD MUSIC: ORGAN AND PIANO

theoretical analyses, discussions of editions, and in many instances a comparison of

242. Cellier, Alexandre. “La musique de chambre de Saint-Saëns.” Le guide du concert 3

dynamics, texture, and rhythmic momentum. According to the author, Saint-Saëns

VOCAL MUSIC: MELODIES AND CHORAL

254. Mahling, Christoph-Hellmut. “Bemerkungen zum Liedschaffen von Camille Saint-

is one of the items bequeathed by Saint-Saëns to the Musée du Chateau at Dieppe

277. Chantovoine, Jean. “Saint-Saëns écrivain.” Le guide du concert 3 (1922): 44–47.The

believes have neither melody, harmony, nor instrumentation, in short, nothing,

section “Problèmes et mystères” is divided into seven chapters in which Saint-Saëns

the pope’s restrictions on the use of instruments, citing the mention of

283. Saint-Saëns, Camille. Germanophilie. Paris: Dorgon-Ain, 1916. 96 p. ML

demonstrates the dramatic power of the historic opera, stating that

work’s genesis, which he shares. He believes that the orchestral version

government to see to it that all such instruments…should be tested and

289. Saint-Saëns, Camille. Portraits et souvenirs. Paris: Société d’Édition Artistique,

erudition without pedantry, making an ideal collaborator.” The two men,

Manuscript Sources for Selected Compositions

Manuscript Sources for Selected Compositions

Manuscript Sources for Selected Compositions

Title, opus number (date1) Location/ possession Assigned number

Title, opus number (date1) Location/ possession Assigned number

Title, opus number (date1) Location/ possession Assigned number

Title, opus number (date1) Location/ possession Assigned number

Title, opus number (date1) Location/ possession Assigned number

Title, opus number (date1) Location/ possession Assigned number

Title, opus number (date1) Location/ possession Assigned number