Camille Saint-Saëns's Barcarolle in F major, Op.108 is a chamber composition for a quartet consisting of violin, cello, harmonium (or organ) and piano, composed in 1898, the work also exists in a version for violin, cello, viola and piano created by the composer in 1909.
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Background
The Barcarolle was Saint-Saëns's second attempt at composing for this combination of instruments, with an 1897 attempt being abandoned after five and a half pages. In 1865 he had composed the Serenade Op. 15 for a similar combination with a viola rather than a cello as the fourth instrument. In the first performance, which took place at the musical society "La Trompette" on the 18th of May 1898, the piano was played by Louis Diémer, the cello by Jules Delsart, the violin by Remy, with the composer playing the harmonium.
Structure
The composition is structured as a single movement marked Alegretto moderato. Performance time is around 8 to 10 minutes.