Barcarolle op. 108

In 1842, Alexandre-François Debain first patented the harmonium, an instrument which aroused keen interest in the salons. In 1853, Saint-Saëns composed Trois Morceaux pour harmonium, which were often played by Antonio Jeanbernat. This musician from Barcelona also organised two festivals devoted to Saint-Saëns. By way of thanks, the composer made him the dedicatee of the Barcarolle for violin, cello, harmonium and piano, op. 108 (1898), in which the harmonium generally played long chords or the crotchet-quaver rhythmic cell. At the first performance, organised by the La Trompette musical society on 18 May 1898, Saint-Saëns played the part of the “expressive organ” (as it was called then), with Guillaume Rémy (violin), Jules Delsart (cello) and Louis Diémer (piano). Ten years later, he wanted to give this piece a new lease of life and wrote to Durand on 18 December 1908: “It may well deserve to be better known and I shall see if it’s not possible to give it a more practical form; the harmonium as a concert and salon instrument seems to me to have lost ground and I will attempt to do without it. Jambernat [sic] loved that instrument, which is why I used it.” He replaced the harmonium with a viola and declared to the publisher on 10 January 1909: “You were complaining to me that I had not given you any more works; here is one. A brand new Barcarolle, a reworking of an old one. I think it has found its true form now and will be more harmonious with a viola […]. No one knew that Barcarolle and this will have the effect of a new piece.” Saint-Saëns was combining pragmatism here with a good head for business.