Symetrie SAINT-saens - Choeur De Sylphes - Vocal Score

Summary of this score

Far from being an isolated work in Camille Saint-Saëns's oeuvre, the Ch?ur de sylphes belongs to a small set created early in his career in the particular context of the Prix de Rome competition. Established in 1803 and abolished following the events of May 1968, this competition was for more than a century and a half the most coveted French prize in musical composition. Organized by the Institut, it guaranteed its laureates, if not a trouble-free future career, at least a grand entrance into the artistic world and several years of residency in Italy at the Villa Medici.

Between June 5 and 11, 1852, for his first participation in the competition, Saint-Saëns composed the Ch?ur de sylphes. Favorably received, it allowed the musician to be ranked first among the six candidates admitted to the final round. The competition was then organized in two stages: first a fugue and a choir with orchestral accompaniment on a set poem, then the composition of a large cantata for three solo voices. Saint-Saëns himself wrote two cantatas: Le Retour de Virginie (1852) and Ivanhoé (1864).

Drawn from a libretto by Étienne de Jouy and Nicolas Lefebvre, Zirphile et Fleur de myrte, the chosen excerpt (Act I, Scene 4) lends itself particularly well to the exercise: in a few pages, Saint-Saëns conveys an airy, wonderful atmosphere, full of lightness. The writing evokes, through its spirit and finesse, a certain Mendelssohnian heritage, and successfully illustrates the French academic ideal of elegance and clarity. Without seeking revolution, the work already reveals solid mastery of form and a strong sense of color, offering ensembles a piece as formative as it is charming.

Technical specifications

Musical Genre

Classical

Composer	Camille Saint-Saëns	Genre	classical score (choral music)
Instrumentation	choir with orchestral accompaniment	Language	French