What is the meaning of The Swan Saint-Saëns?
Le cygne illustrates the fleeting nature of beauty with its interpretation of the legend of the “swan song”: A popular (albeit erroneous) belief among the ancient Greeks and Romans, who regarded the swan as the most beautiful of animals, was that the mute swan is silent until its final moments of life, during which it …
What was the purpose of the Carnival of the Animals?
Crossover Appeal of The Carnival of the Animals The Carnival of the Animals is commonly programmed by orchestras to introduce classical music to a variety of audiences, particularly children. In 1949, Odgen Nash wrote poems to accompany each of the movements and now both are often performed together.
What is the 13th and penultimate most well known movement of Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals composed in February 1886?
He relented only for the famous cello solo The Swan, which forms the penultimate movement of the work, and which was published in 1887 in an arrangement by the composer for cello and solo piano (the original uses two pianos).
What is the story of The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns?
Written in 6/4 time and marked Andantino Grazioso (which means slowly and gracefully), The Swan layers shimmering arpeggios underneath a song-like melody to portray the legend of the “swan song”: a popular Ancient Greek and Roman belief that the swan, the most beautiful of all animals, remained silent until its final …
Why did Camille Saint-Saëns write The Swan?
The Carnival of the Animals, composed in 1886, was originally written as a joke and Saint-Saëns worried that it might damage his reputation. He banned complete performances and only allowed one movement, The Swan, to be published while he was alive.
What is Camille Saint Saens known for?
Camille Saint-Saëns, in full Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns, (born October 9, 1835, Paris, France—died December 16, 1921, Algiers [Algeria]), composer chiefly remembered for his symphonic poems—the first of that genre to be written by a Frenchman—and for his opera Samson et Dalila.
When was The Swan by Saint-Saëns written?
February 1886
“The Swan” from The Carnival of the Animals Composed February 1886 as Le carnaval des animaux.
