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The Genesis of Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 4
A substantial number of works from Saint-Saëns' youth are included among the autographs
that the composer bequeathed to the Paris Conservatory library. Four of these early works are
symphonic fragments dating from the 1850s when Saint-Saëns was still in his teens. The fragments in
B-flat major (B.N. Ms 858), D major (B.N. Ms 866), and A major (B.N. Ms 702) are of little interest; they
were most likely school exercises¹, classical in style and structure, and make frequent use of
sequence, facile diatonic melodies, and strong tonic-dominant relationships. Saint-Saëns might have
meant to include these fragments when he observed:
Many of my attempts are unfinished – to say nothing of those I destroyed – but
among them are songs, choruses, cantatas, and overtures, none of which will
ever see the light. Oblivion will enshroud these gropings after effect, for they
are of no interest to the public.²
Yet the fourth symphonic draft, Bibliothèque Nationale Manuscript 909, is indeed of interest
because, in 1875, 21 years after Saint-Saëns had put it aside, he returned to it and used its thematic
material in one of his finest works, the Piano Concerto No. 4. Nearly every bar of this fragment figures
prominently in the concerto, and it is possible to demonstrate that Saint-Saëns' initial ideas conditioned
many aspects of the finished work. By examination of this fragment, we can establish the composer's
point of departure and begin to reconstruct the compositional process which led him from the draft to
the finished concerto. We have in this document a unique opportunity among the works of Saint-
Saëns to penetrate the secrets of the composer's craft.
In spite of its significance and curious history, this draft has largely gone unnoticed by Saint-
Saëns scholars. The manuscript consists of 15 pages, numbered 1 to 16, with page 10 missing. On
the first page, almost illegible, the date May 19th, 1854 is written lightly in pencil. A virtually complete
introduction occupies the first nine pages. Page 9 verso, immediately after the introduction, is blank
and page 10, which would have begun the first movement proper, is missing altogether. Pages 11
through 16 contain a fragmentary draft for the body of the first movement and clearly belong with the
introduction because the tonality and the instrumentation, the hand and the pagination are the same.
1. See further this author’s doctoral dissertation, “The Symphonies and Symphonic Poems of Camill e Saint-Saëns,”
Yale University, 1973, pp. 45 and 46.
2. Camille Saint-Saëns, Musical Memories, trans. Edwin Gile Rich, Boston (c. 1919), p.13.
2
As in the two symphonies that remained unpublished during Saint-Saëns' lifetime, there is no thematic
relationship between the introduction and main portion of the movement³. On page 11, Saint-Saëns
sketched ideas for the piano concerto some time after setting aside the unfinished symphony. These
sketches will be considered à propos the fourth movement of the concerto.
The focal point of the present discussion is the introduction of the symphony which occupies
the first nine pages of the manuscript. Four notable events can be singled out in this introduction. The
first is a fugue that Saint-Saëns works out contrapuntally for 20 bars.
Example 1
3. This refers to the Symphony in A major (B.N. Ms 493) and the so-called Urbs Roma Symphony (B.N. Ms 492).
3
A chorale is the second important event in the introduction.
Example 2
It is constructed in four phrases, each three measures in length. The third phrase is nearly identical
with the first, and each phrase, except for the second, ends on the tonic. The chorale is stated by the
woodwinds, but the pauses at the end of each phrase are decorated with figuration scored for strings.
This figuration attempts to de-emphasize the square-cut aspect of the chorale, a technique that occurs
in other works of Saint-Saëns4.
4. See especially the early cantata, Mosie Sauvé des Eaux (B.N. Ms 869) and the Organ Symphony.
4
Following the chorale, Saint-Saëns presents a third musical event in which the first violins
introduce a melody in D-flat minor, based on the original fugue subject.
Example 3
This lyrical melody is supported by syncopated inner parts scored for strings, and each phrase ends as
the woodwinds echo the opening motive. These echoes serve as reminders that however lyrical the
melody might be, it had its origin as a fugue subject.
The fourth and last event in the symphonic introduction is an ostinato based once again on the
fugue subject.
5
Example 4
At this point in the Ms 909, Saint-Saëns calls for a stringendo, and the introduction rushes to a close on
a V7 chord.
We can understand this symphonic introduction better by referring to a portion of the finished
concerto, specifically the transition from the third movement to the fourth. In this passage, Saint-Saëns
preserves the same order of events as they occurred in the draft so that this transition is a near replica
of the original symphonic introduction.
Saint-Saëns made several changes, however, one of which concerns the chorale melody.
Only the first phrase of the chorale appears at this point in the concerto because Saint-Saëns
incorporated the entire chorale earlier in the second movement. Another change concerns the lyrical
theme in D-flat minor which is now scored for piano rather than strings. In revising this passage for
use in the concerto, Saint-Saëns wisely eliminated the woodwind echoes in order to emphasize the
purely melodic potential of his material. The passage leading to the dominant at the end of the
transition section has also been considerably revised and condensed; here Saint-Saëns avoided
several awkward harmonic progressions present in the draft and smoothed out the flow of ideas
leading to the close. The most significant revisions include changes in phrasing, in orchestration, and
in working out the inner parts.
When Saint-Saëns returned to this abandoned introduction in 1875, he created a work
that was constructed in a fairly novel manner for its time. The concerto, although essentially in
four movements, is cast in two large sections. Both sections make use of bridge passages
and transitions so that the two movements contained in each flow smoothly together. Saint-
Saëns twice returned to this design of “two plus two” movements in the First Violin Sonata, Op.
75, and in the Organ Symphony, Op. 78.
The themes which Saint-Saëns used in the Piano Concerto No. 4 are distributed in a
clear interlocking pattern.
6
Example 5
The first movement uses themes which reappear in the Scherzo, while the second movement utilizes
two themes which return in the Finale. These last two themes, entirely and directly derived from the
symphonic fragment, are referred to here as the chorale and lyrical themes. The themes used in the
first and third movements, however, are only partially and indirectly related to the draft, Ms 909. We
should note that the fugue subject itself, which unified the symphonic introduction, appears only once
in its original form, whereas the lyrical theme derived from it plays an essential role throughout the
concerto.
There also exists an important thematic relationship between the fugue subject in the draft and
the opening theme in the first movement. It seems fairly obvious that the static first-movement theme
in C minor (which is used in the manner of a ground bass throughout the opening movement) derives
from the fugue subject in Ms 909.
7
Example 6
The half-tones surrounding the initial G in the first movement theme have already shown to be
characteristic of the fugue subject, while the descending fifth from G to C is clear in both cases. More
important, the two themes sound very similar.
Unlike the fugue subject, the first movement theme is periodic and divided into two halves, the
first half repeated and re-scored before the second half is performed and repeated in turn. This
procedure, which is often found in the works of Saint-Saëns, occurs frequently throughout this
concerto.
In the first movement, the opening theme is repeated and varied at great length. There follows
a brief modulation to the dominant, where Saint-Saëns introduces a new theme, the potential of which
is realized only in the Scherzo. A meditative transition then leads to the second movement and a full
presentation of the chorale melody in A-flat major
.
The key of A-flat major is significant for two reasons. First, the chorale originally appeared in
this key in Ms 909. Although the submediant was common as a secondary key area in the 19th
century, it is highly probable that Saint-Saëns' choice of key for the second movement of the concerto
was determined by the chorale setting in the draft. This, when combined with the fact that the initial
theme of the first movement is derived from the fugue subject in the draft, makes it possible to
understand the first two movements of the concerto as a logical expansion of the symphonic fragment
(see Example 5).
8
Although Saint-Saëns maintained the original key of the chorale setting, he altered several
other aspects of the chorale before incorporating it into the piano concerto.
Example 7
9
The most significant changes occur in the second half of the chorale where the third phrase no longer
begins in the tonic, but on the dominant. This third phrase ends on the supertonic, where the last
phrase begins. It is characteristic of this new setting that each phrase begins where the preceding one
left off; this was not true of the draft version. Further, the last phrase enters a bar earlier to avoid the
rigid periodic structure which was so evident in the draft. In addition to these melodic, harmonic, and
rhythmic changes in the new chorale setting, there are also changes in orchestration because the
piano, rather than the strings, presents new figuration at the end of each phrase.
The structure of the second movement can be outlined as follows:
10
‘
Example 8
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 4, Second Movement
11
Although the chorale theme begins the movement – where it serves as the introduction – it returns only
once again, this time in a transformed state at measure 167. Here the chorale appears as the top note
of full chords scored for piano, and each phrase is interrupted by rapid scales in octaves, reminiscent
of the figuration which accompanied its first appearance. It is the lyrical theme, however, that
dominates the movement. Its first appearance is almost Chopinesque in its refinement and delicacy
(measure 140). One is struck by the poetic cast which this theme assumes throughout the movement
and by the new Romantic scoring for piano. Almost every event in this movement derives directly from
the abandoned symphony, and it is to Saint-Saëns' credit that he could transform the basic material of
the draft into a quiet moment of great beauty which far transcends his original conception.
The Scherzo requires little comment beyond mention that, in addition to incorporating one new
idea, it utilizes two themes from the first movement. Between the Scherzo and the Finale occurs the
transition which, as noted above, is based directly on the four events in Ms 909. A brief fanfare for
trumpets and horns is appended to this transition and leads directly into the last movement.
Saint-Saëns uses the chorale motive as the basis of his Finale. It is significant that he rejected
the idea of using the chorale in a grandiose, hymn-like fashion. Examples of such a treatment can, of
course, be found in works of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Berlioz, but they are generally
associated with symphonic Finales and not with piano concerti. Although Saint-Saëns reserved this
type of treatment for the hymn-like Finale of the Organ Symphony, he found a different solution for the
concerto.
In the last movement of the piano concerto, Saint-Saëns transforms the chorale motive by
casting it in a new rhythmic guise. The movement opens as the piano states the transformed theme in
single notes.
Example 9
12
Although I have discussed the concept known as thematic transformation in greater detail elsewhere5,
two features typically associated with this practice are in evidence here. The first involves employing
the same melodic material in different ways to achieve an effect of extreme contrast. In this work,
Saint-Saëns contrasts the meditative statement of the chorale theme in the second movement with the
forceful gesture of triumph at the end of the concerto. The other feature often associated with thematic
transformation is that of giving a new rhythmic outline to a fixed series of pitches, as in the example
above. Early instances of such practice occur in certain works of Beethoven and are found frequently
among the Romantics. Such treatment allows the composer to give a new dimension to his theme
even though the melodic series remains intact.
Indeed, many 19th century composers regarded a lyrical melody as an end in itself; it could be
embellished, varied, or transformed, but it had to remain recognizable. Further, fragmentation and
development, as it occurs in works of Haydn and Beethoven, tend to become less important than
lyricism and harmonic color in the 19th century. Thematic transformation grew out of these two
tendencies; it synthesized the composer's reverence for melody per se and provided new means of
variation and contrast.
Saint-Saëns began to experiment with thematic transformation as early as 1863 when he
composed a dramatic overture titled Spartacus. This work is a direct forerunner of his four symphonic
poems, three of which were complete before the Piano Concerto No. 4 was composed. However,
except for his treatment of the Dies Irae in the Danse Macabre, Saint-Saëns' early experiments with
thematic transformation were by no means distinctive. The transformations in the symphonic poems
are difficult to distinguish from simple variation of the sort found in Beethoven and Schubert. It is, in
effect, here in this last movement of the Piano Concerto No. 4, where Saint-Saëns fully realized the
artistic potential of thematic transformation as a technique.
Returning to the fourth movement of the concerto, one notes that a double presentation of the
transformed chorale motive is followed immediately by the same motive in a more energetic rhythmic
guise.
5. Daniel Fallon, “Saint-Saëns and the Concours de composition musicale in Bordeaux,” Journal of the American Musicological Society,
Vol. XXXI. No. 2, Summer 1978, especially pp. 318-324.
13
Example 10
Later in the movement, at measure 414, both rhythmic transformations are superimposed.
Example 11
Saint-Saëns casts the Finale of the concerto in a free sonata-rondo arrangement.
14
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 4, Last Movement
Example 12
15
In this movement, as elsewhere in the works of Saint-Saëns, the composer not only makes use of
thematic transformation, but also relies on symphonic development in a more traditional sense. In the
development section of the movement, Saint-Saëns fragments and combines materials from both the
chorale motive and the lyrical theme. The sketches on page 11 of Ms 909, which were later added to
the draft, all pertain to this development section and provide insight as to how it was conceived.
While the more lyrical portions of the Piano Concerto No. 4 were evidently composed rather
spontaneously, the development section was worked out in greater detail. Here Saint-Saëns sketches
several motivic details, a few points of imitation, and an occasional inversion. Such procedure is
typical of Saint-Saëns, and sketches of this type already exist for his Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major,
Op. 26. The sketches helped Saint-Saëns to recall various details of development, but they do not
allow us to trace his compositional process successively from sketch to sketch. Although less revealing
than those of Beethoven or Wagner, these sketches nevertheless merit close consideration.
There are three related sketches at the top of page 11 that never found their way into the
finished concerto (Examples 13, 14, and 15). The first begins with a V7 chord in the key of E-flat major
and ends with a tonic triad in this key.
Example 13
In this sketch, Saint-Saëns incorporates the fugue subject in the top voice which he presents over
vacillating seventh and diminished chords.
The melodic and harmonic plan of the second sketch is similar to that of the first.
6. See B.N. Ms 917/d.
16
Example 14
This sketch is written a fourth higher and was probably intended to follow immediately after the first.
The third sketch, in triple meter, is a variation of the second.
Example 15
Saint-Saëns may have intended to use one or all of these sketches in the concerto. A likely
spot would have been the transition from the first movement to the second, which begins in the
following manner:
Example 16
The sketches we have just seen would have fit perfectly into the overall harmonic plan of this transition,
which moves from C major to A-flat major. The half-step motion of the inner parts and placement of
17
the diminished chords are important similarities between the sketches and the concerto which should
not be overlooked. Saint-Saëns ultimately decided to include a iv triad in this progression before
moving to the dominant, and to abandon his initial idea of using the fugue subject in the top voice.
At the bottom of page 11 in the manuscript, Saint-Saëns apparently sketched a simple
cadential formula in C major with a veiled reference to the fugue subject on the third staff. This could
have been intended for use anywhere in the last movement.
Example 17
None of these sketches found its way into the finished concerto, but the remaining sketches all
relate to the development section of the last movement. There are three sketches for a brief fugato
based on the chorale motive (Examples 18, 19, and 20).
6
4
18
Example 18
The first sketch presents the fugato in G minor and its repetition in E-flat major exactly as it appears in
the concerto.
Example 19
The second sketch for this passage further develops repetition of the fugato in E-flat major already
outlined in the first. This sketch also found its way into the concerto virtually unaltered.
Example 20
19
In the third sketch, the fugato appears in C minor while the top voice inverts the subject. Saint-Saëns
repeats the inversion a measure later. Although this double inversion appears in the concerto, it was
altered slightly to flow smoothly into the next section. In the following example, I have presented this
sketch in a different format.
Example 21
Saint-Saëns frequently favors motives like this one that he can manipulate contrapuntally. Similar
passages occur in the Symphony No. 1 and in his symphonic poem Phaëton, Op. 39, the latter
composed two years before the Piano Concerto No. 4.
The last two sketches are the most interesting. In the first of these, Saint-Saëns alternates a
transformation of the chorale motive in the top voice with a transformation of the fugue subject in the
lower voice.
20
Example 22
The passage occurs in measures 493 to 501 of the concerto. This transformation and juxtaposition of
his basic thematic materials speaks well of Saint-Saëns' craft and imagination.
The last sketch is again contrapuntal and is based on a transformation of the original fugue
subject.
Example 23
Here the bottom voice transforms the fugue subject which is answered a fourth higher in the top voice.
This passage occurs, only slightly altered, at measure 501 in the concerto.
21
We have not yet considered why Saint-Saëns transformed this early symphonic fragment into
a piano concerto rather than revising it as a symphony. One reason seems to be that the fugue which
begins the draft might have made rather dull symphonic fare, although Berlioz had tackled this problem
in the first movement of Harold in Italy. The fugue in Saint-Saëns' draft, unlike the fugue which begins
his Symphony No. 2, is not sufficiently dramatic to lend itself readily to symphonic development. Even
the first movement of the concerto, based on a transformation of the fugue subject, differs from the
traditional symphonic first movement, and its success may have encouraged Saint-Saëns to
experiment further along these lines as he did in his next work for piano and orchestra, the Egyptian
Concerto.
Still another reason why Saint-Saëns might have revised the sketch as a piano concerto
concerns the lyrical theme presented in the second movement. This theme is beautifully poetic, a
quality that is best captured by the intimacy of a solo instrument. Finally, Saint-Saëns was aware that
by transforming themes, he would be able to spin out a Finale from the germinal ideas in the draft. In
this respect, he had the precedent of Liszt's two piano concerti. These might have been some of the
considerations that led Saint-Saëns to conclude that a piano concerto, rather than a symphony, would
be the best medium to express the essence of the fragment.
If Saint-Saëns had developed the material in Ms 909 as a symphony, the resulting work might
have resembled the Organ Symphony. Indeed the Piano Concerto No. 4 and the Organ Symphony
are sister works: both begin in C minor and end in C major; both are distinctive in their use of chorales;
in both compositions the distribution of the four movements into a pattern of “two plus two” is identical;
and finally, both works rely heavily on thematic transformation for their effectiveness, although the
transformations are carried out more systematically in the Organ Symphony.
In short, almost every bar of Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 4 is derived from ideas present
in an earlier symphonic draft. One is immediately struck by the economy of means in this concerto and
by Saint-Saëns' originality in handling this limited material. Drawing on a wide variety of techniques,
Saint-Saëns was able to expand upon and fully develop the potential latent in the early draft. What
might have been left as an abandoned symphony now takes on new significance as the genesis of a
fine and fully-developed work. Finally, by considering Saint-Saëns' point of departure, we are better
able to understand how he constructed his concerto – a work which in many ways is a unique example
of the piano concerto in the 19th century.
Daniel M. Fallon
1974; revised 2018