The Cordova daily times., 1921-12-19
COMPOSER WAS WONDER CHILD
 IN EARLY LIFE

PARIS. Dec. l9. or Camille . Saint.Saens. the French composer who died suddenly at Algiers on Sat. urduy. the famous Wagner said some forty years ago: He Is the greatest living French composer He was the man of whom Liszt also once said; "I and Saint-Saens are the only two men left in Europe who know how to play the piano"
 Saints Saens was everywhere ac- knowlcdgcd as one of the greatest musicians of his time and his career overlappcd three generations of : music-lOvrs.
 Making his premier public appear ance as a pianist in Paris two years before the French Revolution of AS, !: he lived to experience the tragedies of the great European War into which his country was plunged in 1914, and though then eighty, he was still in possession of such vigorous energy that he undertook mission across the seas as the French gov ernments representative at the Pan ama-Pacific Exposition in San Fran cisco in 1915. and also to deliver d series of lectures in America as the First Delegate to the FrancO-Amer- iCan Commission for the Development of Political. Economic, Literary and I Artistic Relations"
 The early life of the great com poser was that of a "wonder-child." Born October 3. 1885 in Paris. it is said he was hardly out of his nurses arms before he developed a pas sionate interest in sounds My greatest pleasure" he said in his own account" was the symphony of the kettle on the hob"
 At two and ha,r years he played the piano; he played with taste and skill at five. He studied under Be hoist and Halcyy, devoting himself to piano, organ and theory to such purpose that he became prize win Ter in the Conservatoiro.
 His first symphony was written and performed when he was soycn- teen with success by the Societe de Saintc Cecilic He became or ganist of the Church of St Morri in 1853, and organist of the Madeleine in 1858. lie did some teaching also at that time. but gave most of his time to his beloved occupation of composing. His facility in that di- rection was the basis of many stories 1 There are few erasures on his manu- scripts He put ideas down rapidly on paper, chatting sometimes the while. and he needed no piano to as sist him He wrote his opera Pro serpine" without having an instru- l ment in reach
 As a student of the music of other masters. he was probably without a rival Yet one of the peculiarities of Saint-Saens and his work-it is said to be a distinction which he alone of recent composers of consequence | possessed his complete inde- | pendcnCe of Richard Wagner He alone. in the opinion of most authori- l ties. woulr have been what he has been if Wagner had never existed | And yet he helped France to under stand Wagner. As he himself said "I admire the works of Richard Wag- ner profoundly in spite of their oc- centricities. They are superior and powerful, which suffices me But | I have never belonged. I do not be- long. and I shall never belong to the Wagnerian religion"
 NJ. Saint-Sae most celebrated musical compositions are, with the dated of their publications: Les | Noces de Promethee." 1867; La Princesse Jaune." 1872: "Le Timbre d'Argent," 1877; Samson ct Della. 1877 "Etienne Mercel,' 1879; "Rouet d'Omphalc." "Danse Maca- brc." "Jeunessc dHercule," Symphon- ies on mi. en Ia. ct en ut. Henry { VIII" 1883; "Ascanio." 1890; "Phryne." 1893; "Choeurs d'Antigone," ," 1893; "Jayotte." 1896; "Dejanire, ]" 1898; Les Barbares," 1901; "Pary- satic," 1902; Helene" 1903; "L'An- cetre," 1906, and many concertos, sonatas, and quintettes
 More than ten pages of small print are necessary to catalogue all of his musical compositions. In addi-