Saint Saens at about age 80 plays two of his Mazurkas

Two seldom-heard recordings of composer Charles Camille Saint Saens at about age 80, playing two of his own Mazurkas, recorded for Duo-Art piano. They are No. 3 (Op. 66) recorded September 1915, (Duo Art roll 5674) and No. 1 (Op.21) recorded November 1917, (Duo Art roll 5945). The earliest was recorded a month before he turned 80, and the second shortly after he turned 82. Since he died in 1921 before the invention of the radio, loudspeaker, or electronic recording, these reproducing piano rolls are almost the only records of his playing. The piano is a 1926/1933 Chickering Duo Art.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Saint
• Saens
• Mazurka
• Duo
• Art
• reproducing
• piano
• Chickering

[baraneumannova]

Hey! How can piano play without player? :O

[NikicaJEa]

I have the second mazurka for the next test of piano :P

[jsteeber]

Oddly enough, he (Camille Saint-Saens) DID record this material for Welte, much earlier, I suspect, unless it was somehow adapted from one maker to the other.  So much information has been lost. Performance was virtually identical, though perhaps a tad more introspective.

[wasabijoe323]

the second mazurka starts at 4:07

[gojewla]

Lol. Piano rolls are so clunky!

[RobinPratt]

A Chickering Duo-Art too!

[RobinPratt]

Nice!

[poopingeneral]

A very ecclesiastical taste of music. Definitely entertaining!

[pianoman1984]

just FANTASTIC!!