Symphony No. 1 (Saint-Saëns)

Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 2, by Camille Saint-Saëns is a symphonic work composed in June and July of 1853 and premiered in Paris the same year.^[1]

Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major
by Camille Saint-Saëns
Key	E-flat Major
Opus	2
Period	Romantic
Genre	Symphony
Composed	1853 (1853)
Movements	4
Scoring	Symphony Orchestra
Premiere
Date	December 18, 1853 (1853-12-18)
Location	Société de Sainte-Cécile, Paris
Conductor	François Seghers

Background

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]

Structure

The work consists of four movements:^[1][4]

1. Adagio - Allegro
2. Marche - Scherzo. Allegro scherzando
3. Adagio
4. Finale - Allegro maestoso