Camille Saint Saens: A Former Musical Prodigy Who Did Unimaginable Works

Musical prodigies are prestigious gems and admired globally. We, as an audience, have witnessed significant personalities of musical prodigies in the early decade. They have worked in almost all the areas of the music industry. Still, one place which covers many prodigious musical talents from around the world is Composing. Several prodigious musical composers were highly appreciated and recognized for their work as prodigious composers, and one such musical prodigy is Camille Saint Saens.

Early Life of Camille

Camille was born in Paris in 1835. Camille’s father was an official in the French Ministry of Interior. He baptized his Camille in the nearby church and always thought of himself as a true Parisian. Camille’s father died of tuberculosis two months after Camille got baptized. Camille showed the signs of his prodigious talent at early as three, and he could pick out tunes on the piano. His Aunt taught him the basics of the piano. At the age of five, he performed for various small audiences; it wasn’t until he was ten that he made an official debut at the Salle Pleyel, including Beethoven and Mozart’s concerts. Music Critic Harold wrote for Camille that Camille was the most remarkable child prodigy in history. He further said that it has Mozart, which was quite a statement well more of a compliment that Harold gave.

Professor Pierre introduced him to composition. In school, Camille performed amazingly in all the subjects. His range of interests varied. Moreover, he had an interest in philosophy, archeology, astronomy, mathematics, French literature Greek and Latin. Camille joined Frances’s utmost music academy, Paris Conservatoire. During his early career as an organist, he earned a lot of recognition from famous composers like Giachino Rossini and Franz Liszt. He then becomes a high-profile organist. Even Liszt called him the most excellent organist in the world. Earlier, he supported the most modern-day music like Liszt but couldn’t get influenced by the Famous French Composer of his period Richard Wagner. Though in his later career life, he came out as an outspoken musical conservatism.

The career of Camille Saint Saens:

Camille’s career wasn’t an ordinary one. Being a prodigy himself, he was extraordinary, and so was his career. Saens wasn’t just a music composer who worked with prestigious French composers but also didn’t stick to composing. He did the unimaginable and wrote two comic operas, which did get the success, by the way. Camille wasn’t just a composer, organist, pianist, symphonist but an opera writer too. He amazed his England audience with his prodigious raw talent and understanding of music; people considered him to be the French greatest living Composer of that time.

Camille received immense recognition throughout the world. He became a French Chevalier of the Legion of Honour which is equivalent to an English knight. Camille even received awards globally. It holds the British Royal Victorian Order and doctorates from the University of Cambridge and Oxford. Moreover, Camille and his family recognized his prodigious talent at an early stage. They made him explore his prodigious talent, which helped him provide a platform to perform early on. Thus, he created a magical masterpiece as a composer, an organist, a pianist, and a symphonist.

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