Camille St Saens Research Paper

Camille Saint-Saens was one of the most conservative yet still famous composers in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.Born in Paris on October 9, 1835, Saint-Saens displayed the skills of a child prodigy at an early age.He began piano lessons with his aunt at the age of two, and started to write compositions a year later when he was three. At age 13, Saint-Saens was admitted into the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied organ and composition. He was able to memorize all of Beethoven's piano sonatas from heart. Besides his musical feats, Camille Saint-Saens also did well in academics, excelling in Latin and mathematics. Camille Saint-Saens first took up the position as an organist at a number of churches, one of the most famous being the Church of Madeleine. He worked as an organist for twenty years, until he switched to a teaching position. In 1861, he was hired at the Ecole Niedemeyer, where he taught piano. When the Franco-Prussian war broke out in 1870, Saint-Saens was briefly enlisted in the French Army. After his release, he helped to establish the National Society of Music(Societe Nationale de Musique), promoting French music. …show more content…
Famous music pieces included Danse Macabre, Symphony No. 3, and a number of piano and violin sonatas. His opera, Samson et Delia, did not gain a favorable reputation at first, but later on became popular. One of his most famous pieces, The Carnival of the Animals, gained a favorable reputation among young people. The Swan, was one of the most famous suites from Les Carnival des Animaux, and was later on adapted for ballet. The finale of Les Carnival Des Animaux was used for a scene in Fantasia