author
Camille Saint-Saëns
1835–1921
A brilliant French composer, pianist, and organist, he wrote with unusual clarity and sparkle across almost every major musical form. He is still especially loved for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, the "Organ" Symphony, and the opera Samson and Delilah.
4 Audiobooks
On the Execution of Music, and Principally of Ancient Music
by Camille Saint-Saëns
Musical Memories
by Camille Saint-Saëns
Rimes familières
by Camille Saint-Saëns
Portraits et souvenirs
by Camille Saint-Saëns
About the author
Born in Paris on October 9, 1835, Camille Saint-Saëns was a prodigy who showed remarkable musical gifts as a child. Over a long career, he became one of France’s most important musicians: a composer of symphonies, concertos, chamber music, sacred works, and opera, as well as a celebrated pianist, organist, and conductor.
Saint-Saëns was admired for the elegance and precision of his writing, and for helping raise the profile of French instrumental music at a time when opera dominated public taste. His music often balances classical poise with Romantic color, which helps explain why works like The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, and Symphony No. 3 remain so popular with listeners.
He died in Algiers on December 16, 1921, after a life that stretched from the age of Chopin to the dawn of modern music. Even now, his work feels vivid and approachable: refined, memorable, and full of personality.