French Composer Camille Saint-Saëns Was Born On This Day in 1835

French composer Camille Saint-Saëns was born on this day in 1835.

Born in 1835 in Paris, Saint-Saëns was raised by his widowed mother and her aunt, who introduced him to the piano and gave him his first lessons. Young Camille was exceptionally gifted, developing perfect pitch at the age of two. His first public concert was when he was five, accompanying a Beethoven violin sonata on the piano.

Saint-Saëns went on to study the organ and composition at the Conservatoire de Paris. He won many top prizes and eventually gained an introduction to the celebrity pianist and composer Franz Liszt, who went on to become one of his closest friends and supporters. Liszt described Saint-Saëns as "the greatest organist in the world". Camille's Symphony No. 3, adapted the virtuosity of Franz Liszt's style, and was his most performed work.

Saint-Saens' other signature works include The Carnival of the Animals, Danse Macabre, Samson and Delilah, his 1st Cello Concerto and his 3rd Organ Symphony- which was used as the main theme in the 1995 film Babe. Some of his best later works include the Piano Concerto No. 5 (1895) and the Cello Concerto No. 2 (1902). His major contributions to the violin repertoire include 3 concertos, 2 sonatas - and the evergreen bravura works Havanaise and Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso.

For income, Saint-Saëns worked playing the organ at various churches in Paris. In 1857, he took up the eminent position of organist at the Église de la Madeleine. His weekly improvisations stunned the Parisian public.

SAINT-SAËNS | CELLO CONCERTO NO. 1 IN A MINOR | MSTISLAV ROSTROPOVICH | CARLO MARIA GIULINI & THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA