sign in sign up
<<
Home , Piano, The Animals

2019-2020 Young People’s Series

The & Zoology of Carnival of the Animals Camille Saint‐Saëns first imagined his famous Carnival of the Animals in the 1860s while working part time as piano professor at a small music school in Paris. His idea was to create something fun on the side for which his students could perform the two solo piano parts. He wouldn’t finish writing the work however for another 20 years. After a difficult concert tour of Germany in 1885‐86, Saint‐Saëns took a vacation to the Austrian countryside. It was there while working on his Third that he finally decided to finish the Carnival. His first version of the work was written for just 11 players, including the two pianos and a few orchestral instruments. The work was given a handful of performances among Saint‐Saëns’ friends who hosted little private . It was well‐liked, and word about it spread around Paris. But Saint‐Saëns refused to have the music published or even to allow the Carnival to be performed in public. He thought if people heard it, they wouldn’t think of him as a “serious” any more. Before he died, however, Saint‐Saëns arranged to have the work published after his death. For a work that he didn’t see as “serious,” it would probably make the composer grumpy to know that it’s now one of his most famous works!

In the Carnival of the Animals, there are 14 short movements, or independent sections. Each movement highlights a different “animal” or group of animals. Let’s explore the animals and the music to each movement below.

Introduction and Royal March of the Lion The first movement of Carnival of the Animals is about the king of the jungle: the lion. Like humans, lions are mammals. But they are also carnivores, meaning they only eat meat. Lions are very big cats – some males can weigh over 500 pounds! Lions usually sleep during the day and hunt at night, which means they’re nocturnal. Unlike other cat species, male lions have something we all recognize: a mane. The mane of shaggy hair around the neck and torso serves to make the lion look bigger if threatened by another animal. A group of lions is called a pride, and lions are certainly proud animals, too!

Saint‐Saëns opens the Carnival of the Animals with a short introduction marked “Andante maestoso,” or “Majestically, at a walking pace” [Contest playlist, track 1]. While the pianos play a feverish open‐chord (a rapid alteration of notes back and forth), the strings make upward groaning sounds, like a yawning lion waking up from a nap! Then the introduction end abruptly with a brilliant played by both pianos. Now it’s time for the “Royal March of the Lion” [0:28]. While the pianos add rhythmic flare, the strings play a rather arrogant‐sounding march – the lion is coming!

Listen for the lion's roar in the piano [1:00], and later in the strings [1:27] as the pianos take over the march theme. You had better not make this angry!

Hens and Roosters People say chickens lay eggs, but it would be more accurate to say that hens lay eggs. Hens are female chickens, and roosters of course are the males. Both hens and roosters have funny looking combs on the tops of their heads, but the roosters have bigger ones. Roosters are also territorial and are known for their loud crowing, which they do to mark what’s “theirs.” Like most humans, chickens are omnivores, meaning that they will eat both animals and plants. A typical chicken diet consists of seeds, insects and the occasional small mouse, snake or lizard. They are the most populated bird species . In fact, for every human being on earth, there are about four chickens! Chickens live in flocks, which have a “pecking order,” where one rooster is always the “chief” of the flock.

The “Hens and Roosters” movement is marked “Allegro moderato,” or “Moderately fast.” It opens with the sounds of hens pecking at seeds on the ground, played by the piano and violins [Contest playlist, track 2]. Suddenly a rooster interrupts with a “Cock‐A‐Doodle‐ Doo!” in the piano [0:11]. The hens start pecking again, but the rooster interrupts at a higher pitch this time, again played by the piano [0:17]. The hens start to give a low warning call – trouble is coming! But the rooster isn’t scared. He crows over the top of them, this time in the [0:28].

clarinet (in ) It’s just one hen now making a frantic “buk buk buk buK‐KA!” sound now, probably as she being dragged to the chopping block. A final chord in the pianos the poor chicken like the swing of a farmer’s axe.

Wild Donkeys This movement isn’t about what we normally think of as donkeys – rather, Saint‐Saëns was writing about a species known as the “Mongolian wild ass,” also called dziggetai. These wild donkeys are mammals that live mainly in the Gobi Desert area of Asia. They are herbivores, meaning that they eat only plants – in this case mostly shrubs and grasses. In order to outrun predators, dziggetai have adapted to become very fast runners. Some can reach a top speed of nearly 40 miles per hour! Sadly, dziggetai today are an endangered species, which means there are very few of them left in the wild. The species is threatened not only by predators, but by poaching, land development, competition from grazing livestock and climate change.

There would have been more dziggetai in Saint‐Saëns’ time, and he likely saw one while traveling on a concert tour. Wherever he learned about them, it was their speed that impressed the composer. As a movement subtitle, Saint‐Saëns writes “animaux véloces,” meaning “Swift Animals.” The movement is for the two pianos only, and the composer asks them to play “Presto furioso,” or “Furiously fast.” They certainly do that – up and down, up and down the piano [Contest playlist, track 3]. And for an eye‐and‐ear‐blurring 40 seconds, they never stop!

In this movement, the two pianos actually play the same part throughout but an (eight notes) apart.

Tortoises Tortoises make up a family of turtles that live primarily on land. They are unique from other reptiles because of their hard, protective shells. Tortoises are herbivores and also have a very long lifespan – some live for over 150 years! While smaller tortoises are tiny enough to hold in the palm of your hand, others can be nearly feet long. That’s taller than most human beings! The larger the tortoise, however, the slower it tends to move on land. Giant tortoises are very slow – they average about 0.17 miles per hour. Saint‐Saëns was apparently a tortoise‐teaser – he uses this movement to poke fun at these gentle animals for their slowness. Here Saint‐Saëns has the strings play a famous tune known as the “Can‐Can” from the operetta Orpheus in the Underworld by another composer, Jacque Offenbach. Normally it is played very quickly and recklessly (imagine a dance line across the stage with people kicking up their legs). But here the melody is played very slowly and quietly, with a stately piano [track 4].

The movement is marked “Andante maestoso,” meaning “Majestically, at a walking pace.” It’s as if the composer wants to put us in the mind of the tortoise, where he imagines a proud (but sleepy) creature who dreams of dancing although she is moving very slowly – very slowly, indeed.

The Elephant Elephants are large herbivore mammals whose habitat includes parts of Africa and Asia. The largest male African elephants can be 13 feet tall and weigh as much as 15,000 pounds. That’s about of five small cars or two SUV’s! To support this massive weight, elephants have thick legs that look like pillars. They also have white tusks which they can use as tools and to defend themselves. Because of their large surface area, an elephant’s ears release body heat easily and are handy for keeping the animal cool. But what would an elephant be without its trunk? Elephants use their trunks to drink, breath, smell, touch, grab, lift, eat, “,” spray water to cool themselves, and a number of other things too. Sadly, many elephants have been killed by human beings out a desire for the ivory in their tusks. Today, the Asian elephant is an endangered species.

What kind of music should represent a big, heavy animal like the elephant? Saint‐Saëns has a waltz – a dance in three beats. Can you imagine an elephant dancing a waltz? Now listen to the music [Track 5]. If this made you laugh, than Saint‐Saëns got what he was going for. The movement is played by the doublebass and the piano.

double

Saint‐Saëns asks the musicians to play “Allegretto pomposo,” meaning something like “Pompously and playfully, at a medium speed.”

Kangaroos Kangaroos are very common in Australia. In fact, there are currently more kangaroos living in Australia than there are people! Kangaroos are herbivore mammals that are known for their large, powerful feet. They are unique in that they are the only large animals on Earth that get around by hopping. They can hop very fast, too – up to 44 miles per hour over short distances. Another interesting fact about kangaroos is that they are marsupials. This means that mother kangaroos carry their babies in a pouch on the front of their bodies. These baby kangaroos are called joeys.

Saint‐Saëns’ “Kangaroos” movement is written for just the two pianos. As you might imagine, the pianos make a lot of hopping sounds [Contest playlist, track 6]. Saint‐Saëns creates this “hopping sound” with two musical elements: grace notes and staccato. Grace notes are little notes that are played just before another note. In this case, the grace notes make it so that two very short notes are played closely together. Staccato photo by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos is an indication to the musicians that the notes should be played very shortly.

Aquarium Probably you’ve seen one of these at the zoo, or maybe you have one at home. Aquariums can be all sizes. A common home aquarium might hold 20 gallons or less. The largest aquarium tank in the U.S. – at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia – holds a whopping 6.3 million gallons! While there are many types and sizes of aquariums, they can generally be divided into two categories: freshwater aquariums and salt water aquariums. Freshwater aquariums exhibit animal and plant life that live in lakes and streams. They can be adjusted for both coldwater or tropical species. Saltwater aquariums, also called marine aquariums, hold sea creatures and other ocean organisms. While it is common to see fish in aquariums, they are also used to exhibit squid, octopus, eels, sharks, turtles, stingrays and a whole host of other animals as well as plants.

The dreamy “Aquarium” movement of Saint‐Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals is marked “Andantino,” meaning that it should be played slightly faster than a walking pace. The strings and play a winding melody that might evoke sea‐plants swaying back and forth in the underwater current [Contest playlist, track 7]. Saint‐Saëns asks the strings to play with mutes, which are little pieces of rubber that dampen the strings. The mutes give the instruments a more hushed tone, like a different color of sound. To this melody, a called the (see picture) adds little ringing notes that might depict flashes of light reflecting off the surface of the rippling water. The melody is accompanied by both pianos which play a series of swirling, squirting motives. Later, the pianos become the focus as they play a slowly descending figure that might sound like something drifting back and forth as it sinks to the bottom [0:29]. Near the end, the glockenspiel plays a series of rippling notes, a glissando, why the flute sustains low notes [1:30].

People with Long Ears This movement is really about donkeys – not the wild dziggetai this time, but the common domesticated donkey that most people are familiar with (also called a burro in Spanish). Donkeys are mammals and are herbivores that graze on grasses. They are closely related to horses, with whom they share a family and genus. Donkeys first became domesticated around 3000 BC. Today they are still used in poorer countries as beasts of burden – as animals that can carry or pull heavy loads. Donkeys are known for their stubbornness: they are much harder to convince than horses to do something they think is dangerous. They are also known for their loud “braying” voice, which can be heard as far as two miles. Donkeys have large ears, which help them to keep cool and have very good hearing.

In this movement, Saint‐Saëns is making fun of music critics. Music critics are reporters who write for magazines or newspapers about performances and new compositions. often have a love‐hate relationship with music critics because the reviews that the critics write can either make composers’ pieces sound wonderful or they can make them sound horrible. Saint‐Saëns was not well‐liked among music critics and did not often get good reviews of his new works. In exchange, Saint‐Saëns did not think highly of music critics. In the composer’s time, it was common to compare things that were foolish or senseless to the braying of a donkey. So here, he compares the music critics to donkeys themselves, calling them “People with Long Ears.”

violins

The movement is very short and written for just two violins. The violins play loud jumps between high and low notes, creating a “Hee‐Haw” sound throughout [Contest playlist, track 8].

Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods Cuckoos are a family of birds that are omnivores. They feed on insects, insect larvae and fruit. Many cuckoo species are brood parasites. This means that the female cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. The other birds end up raising and taking care of the young cuckoos along with their own offspring. While it might seem kind of mean, this practice helps cuckoos survive by spreading their eggs around to more nests and leaving the adults free to spend more time gathering food. Some cuckoos have a distinctive, two‐note call.

In this movement, the simple call of the cuckoo is only two notes. It is played by the clarinet, which plays the two note over and over again.

But Saint‐Saëns has done something witty again here – he has the pianos play a series of rich chords in beautiful harmonies underneath the clarinet [Contest playlist, track 9]. This is funny because, instead of sounding simple and mindless, now the cuckoo sounds really wise and eloquent!

Aviary An aviary is a man‐made place for captured birds to live. They are usually large enclosures with plants, trees and plenty of space for the birds to fly about. Many aviaries contain birds from other parts of the world that you wouldn’t normally see in nature near your home. You may have seen the wonderful aviary at our own San Antonio Zoo that has 53 different species of lorikeets from the south Pacific. Birds are popular among animal‐lovers because they are some of the most colorful animals in the world. They are also loved for their calls and songs, some of which seem to imitate music. With nearly 10,000 species in the world, there’s a lot for bird‐ lovers to see and hear!

Following symphonic tradition, Saint‐Saëns chose the flute to be the star in this movement. Composers have often chosen the flute to play bird parts for three reasons. First, the flute has a very pure sound, similar to the voices of birds. Next, they can play very high notes, also like the bird. And finally, they can play lots of notes very quickly in a way that imitates such things as birds chirping and fluttering. I think you will hear all of that in this short movement. The flute is accompanied by the pianos and strings, which use and trills to add their own fluttering and chirping sounds [Contest playlist, track 10]. The movement is marked “Moderato grazioso,” meaning that it should be played “Gracefully, at a moderate speed.”

Pianists The name of this movement is another joke, as you might have imagined. It pokes fun at the human nature of young people learning to play the piano and compares them to “animals” (although human beings really are animals, too!). Human beings are in fact omnivore mammals that fall under the order of primates. Primates have many advantages over other species, including forward‐facing eyes, large brains and opposable thumbs (which, ironically, might make playing the piano more difficult). Modern humans are a relatively new species to planet Earth, having only appeared in the fossil record between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago (compare that to turtles, which are believed to have existed on Earth for about 160 million years).

Learning to play the piano takes hours of practice, not just to learn different pieces of music, but also to develop coordination in the hands and fingers. Usually this means that , especially beginners, need to spend a lot of time practicing scales. This can be boring work often turns that young pianists don’t want to do but have to do for their lessons (or their parents make them!). This movement then depicts two young pianists who are clunking away at scales they don’t really want to play – and who are becoming more like animals as they play them! [Contest playlist, track 11] Later, they switch to practicing thirds and end on a series of unsettling chords [1:14].

Fossils Fossils are not a type of animal but are rather the remains of animals. There can also be fossils of the remains of plants and other organisms. Fossils form over long periods of time as the harder parts of an animal’s remains (like bones and teeth) slowly decay and are replaced by rock. The study of fossils is an important part of paleontology, which is the science of ancient life forms. Some very interesting fossils are of course those of the dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are believed to have “ruled” the Earth for 135 million years and have left us with a treasure trove of amazing fossils spread out all over the world. Using fossils, scientists have discovered over 1,000 different species of dinosaurs that once walked on land. The other neat thing about fossils is that they can be analyzed using scientific methods in order to know how old they are. This process is called radiometric dating. Fossils provide us with a wealth of information about life that existed and used to exist on Earth long ago.

For this movement, Saint‐Saëns borrowed a tune from one of his own pieces that the members of its first audiences would have known. It’s a melody from his Danse macabre (“Death Dance”), a tone poem for orchestra that often gets played around Halloween [YPC 3 playlist, track 18]. The story of Danse macabre is about dancing skeletons. Saint‐Saëns probably chose to use the tune because many fossils are skeletons of animals long dead, like those of the dinosaurs. The introduces the melody with its hollow, bone‐like sound, to which the pianos and strings respond [Contest playlist, track 12].

xylophone Later, Saint‐Saëns introduces tunes of what he must have considered to be “musical fossils.” These include the tune to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star [0:30], a French folk song called “Au clair de la lune” (“By the Light of the Moon”) [0:35], and another French song called Partant pour la Syrie (“Leaving for Syria”) [0:56] (both played by the clarinet). Halfway through Leaving for Syria, the tune changes to that of the aria Una voce poco fa (“A voice has just..”) from Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville [1:05].

The Swan Swans are large birds that are related to geese and ducks. Similar to their relatives, swans are waterfowl, meaning that they are good swimmers and have adapted to float easily on the water’s surface. Swans are also among the largest flying birds in the world. An adult male swan can weigh over 30 pounds and can have a wingspan of almost 10 feet. That’s the height of a basketball hoop! In the Northern Hemisphere, swans are known for their pure white feathers and slender, long necks. They also mate for life – when they choose a mate, they stay together until they die.

“The Swan” is easily the most famous movement of Saint‐Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. It features a solo cello accompanied by the two pianos. While the pianos create a rippling texture, the cello solo glides over the top, like a swan gliding on the water [Contest playlist, track 13].

cello The repeated motion in the piano has also been described as the swan’s churning feet, just out of sight under the water. of this movement have been made for many different instruments, and it has also been choreographed for ballet.

Finale At last we have arrived at the grand “Finale,” which begins in a very similar way to the opening “Introduction” [Contest playlist, track 14]. Saint‐Saëns introduces a lively new theme for this celebratory animal parade [0:16] in which many of the animals we are already met begin to reappear. First come the dziggetai, the wild Mongolian asses [0:35]. Then we hear the hens in the clarinet and violins [1:19], followed by the kangaroos in the pianos [1:28]. In a fitting way however, it’s the “donkeys” (“People with Long Ears”) that seem to get the last “Hee‐Haw” in before the end [1:46].

Today, the Carnival of the Animals is one of three most well know orchestral pieces for children, along with Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. For a piece that he didn’t even want to have published during his lifetime, Saint‐Saëns would probably be appalled by its current popularity! Fortunately for us, however, he did allow for it to be published and made known to the world after his death.