I.3 - Symphonies (3): Symphony No. 3

Camille Saint-Saëns’s Third Symphony, known as the “Organ Symphony,” marks the beginning of a complete historical-critical edition of the French composer’s instrumental works.

“I have given everything I could in this work. […] What I have done here, I will never do again.” Camille Saint-Saëns was justifiably proud of his Third Symphony in C minor, Op. 78, dedicated to the memory of Franz Liszt. Known as the “Organ Symphony” because of its original instrumentation, it was—like Beethoven’s Ninth—commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society in London and premiered there on May 19, 1886. The Paris premiere followed on January 9, 1887, and confirmed the composer’s reputation as “probably the most significant, certainly the most original French symphonist” of his time, as Ludwig Finscher writes in the MGG. In fact, the work stands to this day as a unique example in the history of the genre in France—a good half-century after Hector Berlioz’s *Symphonie fantastique* and a good half-century before Olivier Messiaen’s *Turangalîla Symphony*.

One might think that such a famous, frequently performed, and dozens of times recorded work would hold no more secrets, but far from it: In the first historical-critical edition of the symphony, countless inconsistencies and errors in the Durand edition—which had been in common use until then—were uncovered and corrected. The examination and evaluation of the sources ranged from two early sketches now preserved in Paris and Washington (in which the symphony was still in B minor!) to the autograph and a proof corrected by Saint-Saëns himself, all the way to the first and subsequent editions of the score and parts. Added to these were the versions for piano four hands (by Léon Roques) and for two pianos (by the composer himself). Finally, further crucial insights were found in his previously unpublished correspondence, comprising thousands of letters. Among the insights revealed by this edition is the fact that, at the time of its London premiere, the symphony likely looked quite different from how it does today…

No less fascinating than the work itself is the history of its creation and reception, which is traced in the extensive foreword. With his symphony, Saint-Saëns found himself caught in the midst of the controversy that divided French musical life in the 1880s and 1890s between supporters and opponents of Wagner. Yet the work masterfully strikes a balance between tradition and modernity, as one critic noted at the time: “Monsieur Saint-Saëns’s Symphony in C minor builds a bridge from the past to the future, from immortal riches to progress, from the idea to its realization.”

On March 19, 1886, Saint-Saëns wrote to his client, the Royal Philharmonic Society:

“Work on the symphony is in full swing. But I warn you: it will be monstrous. Here is the exact instrumentation: 3 flutes / 2 oboes / 1 English horn / 2 clarinets / 1 bass clarinet / 2 bassoons / 1 contrabassoon / 2 natural horns / [3 trumpets / Saint-Saëns forgot to include them in his list.] 2 chromatic horns / 3 trombones / 1 tuba / 3 timpani / organ / 1 piano played four-handed, and the strings, of course. Fortunately, there are no harps. Unfortunately, it will be difficult. I’m doing what I can to mitigate the difficulties.
As in my 4th Concerto [for Piano] and my [1st] violin sonata [in D minor, Op. 75], at first glance there are only two movements: the first Allegro and the Adagio, the Scherzo and the Finale, each attacca.
This accursed symphony has shifted up a semitone; it wouldn’t stay in B minor and is now in C minor.
It will be a joy for me to conduct this symphony. Whether it will be a joy for the others to hear it? That is the question. They wanted it this way; I wash my hands of it.I’ll bring the carefully corrected parts with me, and if I get one more good rehearsal in addition to the dress rehearsal, everything will go well.”

We don’t know when Saint-Saëns first conceived the idea of adding an organ and a piano to the standard orchestral instrumentation. The idea of adding an organ part to a secular orchestral work intended for the concert hall was quite original—and not without controversy. On the other hand, Franz Liszt—whose work is so closely related to Saint-Saëns’s symphony—had already demonstrated in his symphonic poem *The Battle of the Huns* (1856/57) that the organ could easily hold its own as an orchestral instrument. There was also a model for the four-hand piano part that Saint-Saëns likely knew and may have deliberately used as a template: The “Fantaisie sur la Tempête” from Berlioz’s lyrical monodrama *Lélio, ou le retour à la Vie*, Op. 14bis (1831). The name of the organist at the premiere is unknown, as is also the case for many later performances; since the organ part is not a solo part but is intended to be part of the orchestra.

In fact, the subsequent success of the symphony seems to have marked a kind of breakthrough for the composer, who was, after all, already over 50 at the time. “My dear author of a splendid symphony,” wrote Saint-Saëns’s friend and student Gabriel Fauré: “You can never, ever imagine what a delight I had last Sunday [at the second performance on January 16, 1887]! And I did, after all, have the score and didn’t miss a single note of this symphony, which will outlive both of us by far, even if we were to add our lifespans together!”

_{@Bärenreiter-Verlag}