About this edition
Saint-Saëns's Third Symphony stands as one of the supreme achievements of late-Romantic French orchestral writing—a work the composer himself believed represented the summit of his art, famously declaring that he had "given everything to it I was able to give." The symphony's ingenious cyclical transformation of its opening theme, its integration of organ and four-hand piano into the orchestral fabric, and the radiant C major apotheosis of its finale combine to produce one of the most architecturally satisfying and emotionally overwhelming symphonies of the nineteenth century. Dedicated to the memory of Franz Liszt, who died only months after its 1886 London premiere, the "Organ" Symphony fuses Lisztian thematic metamorphosis with a distinctly French clarity of orchestration.
This volume reproduces the first edition full score issued by Durand & Schoenewerk of Paris in 1886 (plate number D.S. 3700), the house that served as Saint-Saëns's principal publisher throughout his career. As the original publication prepared under the composer's direct supervision and issued in the same year as the symphony's premiere, this edition carries unique authority for performers and scholars seeking to understand Saint-Saëns's intentions in their earliest engraved form. The Durand house remained custodian of the composer's catalog for decades, and its first editions are widely regarded as foundational source documents for the modern French orchestral repertoire.
About this edition:
- Format: Full orchestral conductor's score
- Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches
- Reproduced from a public domain historical source
- Source edition: Paris: Durand & Schoenewerk, [1886], plate D.S. 3700, first edition
- Publisher: Purple 4R Publishing
This edition makes a landmark public domain score accessible once again to conductors, orchestral musicians, students, and enthusiasts who wish to study and perform Saint-Saëns's masterpiece from its original published form. We're delighted to help bring this remarkable music back to your stand and your shelf.
