Symphony No. 1 (Saint-Saëns)
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| Symphony No. 1 | |
|---|---|
| by Camille Saint-Saëns | |
 | |
| Key | E♭ major |
| Opus | 2 |
| Period | Romantic |
| Genre | Symphony |
| Composed | 1853 |
| Movements | 4 |
| Scoring | Symphony Orchestra |
| Premiere | |
| Date | December 18, 1853 |
| Location | Société de Sainte-Cécile, Paris |
| Conductor | François Seghers |
Symphony No. 1 in E♭ major, Op. 2, by Camille Saint-Saëns is a symphonic work composed in June and July 1853 and premiered in Paris the same year.[1]
The work was composed by an 18-year-old Saint-Saëns who initially published it anonymously. The work's scoring for a large orchestra led the premier conductor, François Seghers, to incorrectly speculate that its composer was German.[2][3] At the work's first rehearsal, Hector Berlioz and Charles Gounod were heard commenting about the composition without realizing that the work's teenage composer sat only feet away.[4][5]
Several composers have been cited as possible influences on Saint-Saëns. The first movement shows the influence of Schumann, although the development departs from his usual model. The second movement is a march that resembles those of Bizet.[4] The large-scale orchestration is said to resemble that of Beethoven, Berlioz, and Gounod.[5]
