Description
On June 7, 1899, the celebrated composer Camille Saint-Saëns, on board the Italian passenger-cargo ship Duchessa di Genova, arrived in Rio de Janeiro from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. In Brazil, he was engaged to give three concerts at the ancient Theatro São Pedro de Alcântara in Rio (June 18, 25, and July 2) and two other concerts at former Salão Steinway (current Salão do Conservatório at Praça das Artes) in São Paulo (July 5 and 8). Saint-Saëns was acclaimed by the local press as the leading composer of French modern classical music and the most prominent artist ever visiting the country. His concerts were an authentic milestone in the Brazilian History of Music. His choice to visit exclusively Brazil -not Argentina, as some authors wrongly refer to- was considered a privilege and highly appreciated by the government, diplomatic corps, social and artistic personalities, and the audience who packed the concerts. President Campos Sales received Saint-Saëns with state honors. Based on an exhaustive investigation into coeval Brazilian and French newspapers, this paper will address the complete programs of the five concerts Saint-Saëns gave during his first trip to Brazil, inquiring into his artistic exchanges with Brazilian or Brazilian-settled musicians, reception in press, besides presenting a still unveiled autograph melody and lyrics that the composer dedicated to Viscount Henri-Frédéric-Marie de Lavaur de Sainte-Fortunade, France's plenipotentiary minister in Brazil, who hosted him during his stay in Petrópolis.
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