Product Description
Camille Saint-Saens Romance Op. 36. Score - 10 pg. 93 ms. Duration - 3:41 Solo part - 2 pg. Piano part - 3 pg.
Level: Early Intermediate and up. An ideal selection for Valentine's Day, anniversaries or any occasion requiring well-crafted romantic music.
Romance
Op. 36
In the first place, Camille
Saint-Saëns composed Romance, Op. 36 specifically to express Romanticism. For
one thing, it is a one-movement composition that he in fact composed in 1874. A
point often overlooked: it is a masterpiece of the Romantic repertoire. Various
arrangements certainly abound. These above all highlight the solo instrument
with piano accompaniment. After all, it is a uniquely expressive recital
piece that demonstrates the mastery of the instrument. It is also a showcase
for musical phrasing and by all means, tone color as well.
Saint-Saëns
Background
Charles-Camille
Saint-Saëns (1835 1921) was by all means, in particular, a famous
French composer. He was also in like manner a brilliant organist and
significant musical mastermind of the Romantic era. Certainly, his most
famous compositions, in the long run, include his Piano Concerto No. 2
(1868), Cello Concerto No. 1 (1872), and the Danse macabre (1874).
Notwithstanding, we must also add the Violin Concerto No. 3 (1880),
Symphony No. 3 ("the Organ Symphony, 1886") and, it must be
remembered, Carnival of the Animals (1886) to the list.
Childhood
It is important to realize that
Saint-Saëns was certainly, in fact, a child musical prodigy. Consequently, with
this in mind he made his concert debut albeit at ten years old. Another
key point to remember is that he expressly studied at the Paris
Conservatoire, then in spite of reality conversely followed a traditional
career path as a church organist. Nevertheless, twenty years later, on
the other hand, he left to become a freelance pianist and composer
despite, as has been noted, his former employment situation. Furthermore, his
performances were after all markedly in demand - not only Europe but above all
in the Americas all in all as well.
Youth
A point often overlooked in that in
his youth, Saint-Saëns was certainly excited about the modern music of the
day. He was in essence fond of the music of his contemporaries, in
particular, Schumann, Liszt and for the most part Wagner. In contrast,
however, his own compositions seemed in fact largely confined within the
conservative classical tradition. Be that as it may, he was at the same time
nevertheless, in fact, a scholar of musical history.
Criticism
On the whole, his conservatism in
fact ultimately brought him into frequent conflict in his later years with
composers of the impressionist and in particular the
dodecaphonic schools of musical thought. A point often overlooked is
that contrary to some critics, he included neoclassical elements in his
music. Furthermore, in so doing he provided the most compelling evidence that
he predicted the techniques and works by Stravinsky and Les
Six. To put it another way, given these points, he was regarded, perhaps
for the most part unfairly so, as a non-progressive reactionary henceforth
around the time of his passing.
Legacy
To sum up, Saint-Saëns taught for a
short time in Paris, where his students included namely Gabriel Fauré. To
clarify, Maurice Ravel later studied with Fauré. In conclusion, both Ravel and
Fauré were powerfully influenced by Saint-Saëns, whom they respected as a
musical mastermind.
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