Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer born in 1835 and died in 1921. He studied traditional composition in Paris but he was always enthusiastic for the most modern music.
In 1886 he composed a ‘grand zoological fantasy’ in 14 movements: The Carnival of the Animals. Saint-Saëns was so worried about the harm this funny piece of music might do to his reputation as a serious composer, that after two private performances he placed it under lock and key. Only one part survived and was released (estrenada) on its own: The swam
However, The Carnival of the animals is one of the most extraordinary examples of descriptive music.Through the composition we can imagine and almost see elephants, rats, donkeys and other animals moving and interacting with the nature with joy and freshness.
These are the movements:
1. Introduction and Royal March of the lion: after the introduction, a majestic march begins, with the lion as the king of the jungle. If we pay attntionwe can recognize his roar.
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2. Hens and roosters: we can "see" them clucking (cacareando) and pecking (picoteando).
3. Wild donkeys: two pianos remind us of two wild donkeys chasing each other in a high speed race.
4. Tortoises: calmness arrives with the turtles and a musical joke. We can visualize the turtles dancing the can-can at their own pace.
5. The elephant: a double bass and a piano with low and heavy music allow us to imagine the movements of an elephant.
7. Aquarium: Now we dive into one of the suite's highlights, which takes us to an aquarium. Two pianos describe the magical underwater atmosphere. We can almost see the shimmering fishes and the bubbles.
8. Characters with long ears: Two violins take turns imitating brays (rebuznos) by playing very high notes followed by low notes.
9. The cuckoo in the depths of the woods: Two pianos draw the mysterious atmosphere of the forest with soft chords. The clarinet reproduces the cuckoo’s calling.
10. Aviary: A transverse flute which represents the singing of birds while a string quintet imitates the movements of the wings. Two pianos simulate birds in the background wanting to join in.
11. Pianists: Camille portrayed the pianists as one more animal of this carnival, presenting them as piano students practicing scales.
12. Fossils: the author evokes the dinosaurs with a xylophone that suggests the sound of bones. There are also very popular melodies in his time, such as his piece Danse macabre, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and an aria from The Barber of Seville. Is he calling someone old? Maybe.
13. The swan: the elegance of the swan arrive and two pianos with arpeggiated chords represent the swan’s feet moving underwater.
14. Finale: The carnival comes to an end remembering some of the themes of the composition.
