The Carnival of the Animals: The Aquarium
BackLe Carnaval des Animaux' (The Carnival of the Animals) is a musical suite of fourteen movements by the French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns.
Le Carnaval was composed in February 1886 while Saint-Saëns was vacationing in a small Austrian village. It was originally scored for a chamber group of flute, clarinet, two pianos, glass harmonica, xylophone, two violins, viola, cello and double bass, but is usually performed today with a full orchestra of strings, and with a glockenspiel substituting for the rare glass harmonica.
Saint-Saëns, apparently concerned that the piece was too frivolous and likely to harm his reputation as a serious composer, suppressed performances of it and only allowed one movement, Le Cygne, to be published in his lifetime. Only small private performances were given for close friends like Franz Liszt.
Saint-Saëns did, however, include a provision which allowed the suite to be published after his death, and it has since become one of his most popular works. It is a favorite of music teachers and young children, along with Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf and Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.
Strings without double-bass, two pianos, flute, and harmonica: This is one of the more musically rich movements. The melody is played by the flute, backed by the strings, on top of tumultuous, glissando like runs in the piano. The first piano plays a descending ten-on-one ostinato, while the second plays a six-on-one. These figures, plus the occasional glissando from the harmonica, are very evocative of a peaceful, dimly-lit aquarium. This intermittent section where the pianos play high sixteenths is reminiscent of parts of Tchaikovsky's ballet, The Nutcracker.
Channel: Travel & Events
Uploaded: April 25, 2007 at 5:48 am
Author: MindwalkerStudios
Length: 00:02:40
Rating: 4.82
Views: 192822
Tags: Carnival Animals Aquarium Camille Saint-Saëns
Video Comments:
duecemontague (December 1, 2008 at 3:27 pm)
the new brad pitt movie, strange case of Benjamin trailer uses this song
ReturnToSender1991 (November 29, 2008 at 6:25 am)
you can hear this music in 1 dutch tv show
3 movies and about 7 trailers
3 movies and about 7 trailers
Samara996 (November 28, 2008 at 3:46 am)
hah, it reminds me of harry potter xDD
bomberchicken (November 29, 2008 at 5:06 am)
same here!
YafaiGirl (November 26, 2008 at 2:07 pm)
This is so creepy and beautiful and magical
deltoro720 (November 26, 2008 at 1:09 pm)
What orchestra is this?
I really love their interpretation. It's the best I've heard.
I really love their interpretation. It's the best I've heard.
sienixsieni (November 26, 2008 at 1:03 pm)
this is not used in beauty and the beast animate film by disney, the beginning sounds similar but it's not the same piece.
eeekspordwed (November 30, 2008 at 4:40 am)
yeah this is true. but it did inspire the intro based on alan menken and other sources
CubicalGirl (November 25, 2008 at 1:31 am)
Is this song the same one in the Episode of The Simpsons where Marge goes back to some fair/carnival place she always went to as a child.
danielmesic (November 26, 2008 at 5:22 pm)
Yes, it is:))