The Havanaise in E major (French: Havanaise en mi majeur), Op. 83, is a composition for violin and orchestra based on the habanera rhythm, written in 1887 by Camille Saint-Saëns for Cuban violinist Rafael Diaz Albertini. It is one of the standards of the classical concertante repertoire.
Contents
Structure
The composition consists of a single multi-tempo movement marked, Allegretto lusinghiero-Allegro-Tempo primo-Allegretto-Allegro non troppo-Più Allegro-Allegretto-Lento and lasts around nine and a half minutes in performance.
In popular culture
A minor variation on "Havanaise," as well as the original piece, make up the main theme of the film The Ninth Gate. A brief segment is played many times on the sound track of Rainer Fassbinder's film Effi Briest. The initial phrase also supplies the melody to the popular song Sugartime by Charles Phillips and Odis Echols.