Camille Saint-Saëns

Camille Saint-Saëns was born in Paris on 9 October 1835. He died in Algiers on 16 December 1921. His place in this catalogue rests on a documented relationship with Gran Canaria, not on Canarian origin.

The ULPGC University Library holds the score of Valse Canariote in Memoria Digital de Canarias and describes a notable connection with the social and cultural life of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. According to that source, he made seven visits to the city in the early twentieth century, premiered piano pieces there and took part in benefit concerts for Hospital de San José and the Philharmonic Society.

The university source also records the inauguration of the Claretian organ, performances in the cathedral and a sonata with the Gran Canarian violinist José de Avellaneda. These facts explain his inclusion through an Atlantic and local music history without assigning an island identity unsupported by the sources.