Camille Saint-Saëns, a legendary figure of Romanticism, composed more than 150 mélodies, reflecting his love of poetry and the French language.

At the heart of this catalogue, four cycles stand out, falling perfectly within the golden age of French song (1870-1920). The first cycle, the 'Mélodies persanes' (1870), sets to music the loveliest poems by the Parnassian poet Armand Renaud (Nuits persanes). 'La Cendre rouge' (1914) bears witness to a close collaboration with Georges Docquois, the 'Cinq mélodies de Ronsard' and 'Vieilles Chansons', composed the very year of his death (1921) are settings of Renaissance poets: Ronsard, Belleau, de la Fresnaye, and d'Orléans.

"May music and poetry someday understand that they would be well advised to lean on each other! May poets learn music and musicians study poetry! They have everything to gain. Musicians must be firmly convinced of the truth that a beautiful verse is not a simple pretext for music; it is a diamond that the musician must set as best he can, to show it to full advantage. As for poets, one day they will notice that music makes possible all sorts of combinations that are forbidden to them without it." Camille Saint-Saëns