"Valse Canariote" (Opus 88) for String Quartet - YouTube Mike Magatagan

Camille Saint-Saëns was something of an anomaly among French composers of the nineteenth century in that he wrote in virtually all genres, including opera, symphonies, concertos, songs, sacred and secular choral music, solo piano, and chamber music. He was generally not a pioneer, though he did help to revive some earlier and largely forgotten dance forms, like the bourée and gavotte. He was a conservative who wrote many popular scores scattered throughout the various genres: the Piano Concerto No. 2, Symphony No. 3 ("Organ"), the symphonic poem Danse macabre, the opera Samson et Dalila, and probably his most widely performed work, The Carnival of The Animals. While he remained a composer closely tied to tradition and traditional forms in his later years, he did develop a more arid style, less colorful and, in the end, less appealing. He was also a poet and playwright of some distinction. Composed on La Palma in April 1890, the Valse canariote by Camille Saint-Saëns was dedicated to Mademoiselle Candelaria Navarro Sigala (1870-1945), a young pianist from one of the wealthiest families in the Canary Islands. Before introducing the actual waltz rhythm, the work begins with a solemn, slow introduction in common time above which the composer has noted “O Canaria! Gran Canaria!”. This leads into the first waltz section marked vivace. With six melodic sections alternating in irregular sequences and a varied harmonic trajectory (Aminor, C major, A major, F major, E major, E flat major, B major, G major), this waltz is undoubtedly the composer’s most sophisticated work in this genre. According to Sabina Teller Ratner, Saint-Saëns’ melodic writing in this piece shows, as often in his work, a liking for symmetry and balance. Four years after the composition of the Valse canariote, Camille Saint-Saëns wrote to his publisher, Durand: “I met up again with Señorita Candelaria Navarro who is married, extremely well married at that, and mother to a pretty little girl of two months; she played my waltz in an entirely satisfactory fashion, although it didn’t equal the marvellous performance by Madame de Guitaut; she has neglected her piano a great deal since she married, but she has started singing instead, and her voice is mellow and agreeable.” (10 January 1894). Source: Bru Zane Mediabase (http://www.bruzanemediabase.com/eng/W...). Although originally composed for piano, I created this interpretation of the "Valse Canariote" (Canary Island Waltz) in A Minor (Op. 88) for String Quartet (2 Violins, Viola & Cello). Download the sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/13216/scor...

"Valse Canariote" (Opus 88) for String Quartet - YouTube
0 Likes	0 Dislikes
4 views views	1,253 followers
Music	Upload TimePublished on 30 May 2019