Carnival of the Animals, A “Zoological Fantasy” by Camille Saint-Saëns

 If you’re looking for great classical music that is accessible and FUN to listen to with kids, you’ll want to start with the Carnival of the Animals, a suite of 14 short, humorous animal-themed movements written by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns.

Why is this music great for kids, you ask?

1. We’ll start with the obvious: It’s about animals. Kids (usually) love animals!
2. It consists of 14 short movements that range in length from 1 - 4 minutes, perfect for kids’ short attention spans!
3. Each unique movement contains captivating music that not only reminds us of the animal(s) it represents, but also creates perfect opportunities for introducing basic musical concepts such as forte and piano, high and low, staccato and legato, and instrument identification.

A fun bit of history about the piece:

Camille Saint-Saëns wrote this piece in 2 days (while taking a break from composing his much more serious 3rd Symphony), in preparation for a private concert on Shrove Tuesday 1886, hosted by renowned cellist Charles Lebouc. It was meant to be a “piece of fun” and in fact, Saint-Saëns decided not to publish the piece during his lifetime because he felt it would detract from his image as a serious composer. If only he knew how much delight it would bring to his audiences, not to mention how it would become one of the works he is best known for! It was only performed in private chamber music settings during his lifetime and was always well-received by the eminent musicians and composers of his day. Oftentimes it was performed with the musicians wearing masks of the animals they were representing! He did relent to publishing just one movement, “The Swan”, as a stand alone piece during his lifetime.

In order, the fourteen movements are: 1) Introduction and Royal March of the Lion, 2) Hens and Roosters, 3) Wild Donkeys and Swift Animals, 4) Tortoises, 5) The Elephant, 6) Kangaroos, 7) Aquarium, 8) Characters with Long Ears, 9) The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods, 10) Aviary, 11) Pianists, 12) Fossils, 13) The Swan, and 14) Finale. 

Now, we’ll list some of our favorite movements and give you some ideas on how to actively listen with your child.

Royal March of the Lion - You’ll definitely want to do some marching (as per the title) and listen for the roars (represented by the rapid swelling notes on the bass register of the piano). (Check out the first episode of our podcast where we introduce this piece of music, learn about Forte, and practice steady beat.)

Hens and Roosters - Peck peck peck! Perfect time to introduce the concept of “staccato” - short, detached sounds, in this instance played by piano and strings.

Wild Donkeys - Super fast, relentless piece played by 2 pianos. Introduce the term “presto” and run around like crazy! Play a game of “Freeze Dance” by pressing pause for “freeze” moments and resuming the running around like crazy when the music plays.

Tortoises - A great contrast to “Wild Donkeys” you can practice moving your body in slow, controlled ways while you listen to this. The humor in this movement comes from the “Can-Can” (or “Galop Infernal”) melody being played comically slowly. Introduce the term “Adagio” (musical term for slow!).

The Elephant -  Listen to the low sounds of the double bass. Stomp your feet and swing your pretend trunks. Practice making low sounds with your voice and listen to the difference between men’s voices (lower) and women’s voices (higher).

Aviary - Listen to the high sounds of the flute, and fly around like birds! We love pairing this movement with the Elephant, to contrast high and low.

Aquarium - This one includes the unique instrument: glass harmonica, which contributes to the “magical” sound (it reminds us of the opening music from Beauty and the Beast -- magical indeed!).

Fossils - Just a really fun piece of music to listen and dance to, featuring a conversation between the piano and the xylophone. Saint-Saëns included lots of musical “quotes” in this movement from other pieces - these quotes were noted by Leonard Bernstein to be the “fossils of his time”. Listen carefully for the “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” theme in the middle!

The Swan - The only movement that Saint-Saëns allowed to be published during his lifetime! Possibly the most famous, and for good reason -- a gorgeous melody played on a gorgeous instrument (the cello). Teach the concept of “legato” as you listen to the long, smooth melody lines. (We love to contrast this one with the staccato sounds in “Hens and Roosters”)

We explore all of these movements (and more) in depth in our Carnival of the Animals music course. Through engaging video instruction we get kids (and their grownups) listening, moving, and playing along with this great music in creative ways. We are joined by several beloved puppet friends including Forte the Lion, Staccato the Chicken, and Presto the Wild Donkey. We also teach additional animal songs that were inspired by the movements from the piece. This popular music course is available inside our Membership, or as a separate bundle purchase.