Saint-Saëns: His Life And Music Quiz

Answer: 13

Saint-Saëns began learning to play the piano at an early age. He made his first public appearance in Paris at the age of ten, in a concert at which he played piano concertos by both Mozart and Beethoven. He was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire in 1848, aged just 13, where he also took lessons in organ and composition.

Answer: Franz Liszt

Liszt was already an internationally famous pianist and composer when he met the young Saint-Saëns. Liszt became an early supporter and friend, encouraging and praising Saint-Saëns as both a performer and composer. In turn, when he became an influential teacher and composer himself, Saint-Saëns helped to promote many of Liszt's later works.

Béla Bartók was also Hungarian but was not born until 1881. Greig was Norwegian and Rimsky-Korsakov was Russian.

Answer: Gabriel Fauré

Saint-Saëns taught piano at the École Niedermeyer between 1861 and 1866, his only teaching post. Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was a pupil there between 1854 and 1865, and was greatly influenced by Saint-Saëns' lessons, which ranged over much more than the keyboard lessons he was supposed to be giving. The two men remained good friends right until Saint-Saëns' death.

Answer: Le Rouet d'Omphale

Saint-Saëns wrote his op.30 orchestral piece "Le Rouet d'Omphale" ("Omphale's Spinning Wheel") in 1871. It is the first of four tone poems that he based on mythological subjects. "La jeurnesse d'Hercule" (1877) and "Phaëton" (1873) are two of the others, while the "Jota Aragonese" (1880) is based on a Spanish dance.

Answer: Danse Macabre

The 1874 tone poem "Danse macabre" (Op 40) is one of Saint-Saëns' most popular orchestral works. A solo violin represents Death's fiddle-playing, while a xylophone entertainingly evokes the sound of the dancing skeletons. At the end of the piece, an oboe imitates the sound of a cock crowing to herald the dawn, at which the skeletons scuttle back into their graves.

The other options are also musical works on supernatural themes. "Tam O'Shanter" is an overture by Malcolm Arnold, the "Mephisto Waltz" is a piano work by Liszt (actually one of several with that name) and "Robert le Diable" is an 1831 opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer.

Answer: Samson et Dalila

Saint-Saëns wrote twelve operas, but only "Samson et Delila" has remained in the repertoire since his death. It was first performed in Weimar in a German translation, largely due to the influence of Liszt. French audiences were apparently nervous about the subject matter and the opera was not performed in Paris until 1892, although it subsequently became popular around Europe and in America.

The other options are also operas based on Bible stories. "Mosè in Egitto" (1818) is by Rossini, "The Last Supper" (2000) is by Harrison Birtwistle, and "Nabucco" (1841) is by Verdi.

Answer: The Swan

Saint-Saëns composed his 14-movement "grande fantaisie zoologique" in 1886 in a version for chamber ensemble with two pianos. It is a witty and light-hearted set of animal portraits, and received several performances at private concerts, but Saint-Saëns was concerned that its publication would detract from his reputation as a serious composer. He therefore stipulated that it should only be published in full after his death. It has subsequently become one of his most popular works, and exists quite happily alongside his symphonies, operas and concertos.

He made an exception for the penultimate movement, "The Swan", which takes the form of a cello solo accompanied by the two pianos. It is certainly less "jokey" than the other movements and was published in a version for cello and solo piano.

Answer: Organ

Saint-Saëns' Symphony No. 3 in C minor, op 78, was commissioned by London's Royal Philharmonic Society, and first performed in that city in May 1886. It has a prominent part for organ, and soon became known as the "Organ Symphony". It has become his most popular and frequently performed symphony, and is always impressive when heard in a concert hall possessed of a large organ, such as London's Royal Albert Hall.

Answer: Edward VII

During his lifetime, the music of Saint-Saëns was extremely popular in Great Britain, and he made frequent visits to London as both performer and conductor. He was delighted to receive a commission to write a piece for the coronation of King Edward VII, and his "Coronation March" was played at the event itself in Westminster Abbey. In the same year, 1902, Saint-Saëns received an honorary Knighthood of the Royal Victorian order (CVO).

Queen Victoria's coronation was in 1837, when Saint-Saëns was only two. George V's was in 1910, for which Edward Elgar wrote his "Coronation March op 65". Henry V's coronation was very much earlier - in 1413.

Answer: Algeria

Towards the end of his life, Saint-Saëns (like many wealthy French citizens) would often spend the winter months in the more congenial climate of Algeria, usually in the capital city of Algiers. He died there of a heart attack in December 1921. His body was brought back to Paris for a state funeral, before being buried in the famous Montparnasse cemetery.

Algeria was a French colony between 1830 and 1962. The other options were all British colonies in Africa at various times during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.