| Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major | |
| Composer: | Camille Saint-Saëns |
| Key: | E-flat Major |
| Opus: | 2 |
| Period: | Romantic |
| Genre: | Symphony |
| Movements: | 4 |
| Scoring: | Symphony Orchestra |
| Premiere Conductor: | François Seghers |
| Premiere Location: | Société de Sainte-Cécile, Paris |
Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 2, by Camille Saint-Saëns is a symphonic work composed in June and July of 1853 and premiered in Paris the same year.[1]
The work was composed by an 18 year old Saint-Saëns who initially published it anonymously. The work's scoring for a large orchestra led the premier conductor, François Seghers, to incorrectly speculate that its composer was German.[2] [3] At the work's first rehearsal, Hector Berlioz and Charles Gounod were heard commenting about the composition without realizing that the work's teenage composer sat only feet away.[4] [5]
Several composers have been cited as possible influences on Saint-Saëns. The first movement shows the influence of Schumann, although the development departs from his usual model. The second movement is a march that resembles those of Bizet. The large-scale orchestration is said to resemble that of Beethoven, Berlioz, and Gounod.
The work consists of four movements: