Camille Saint-Saëns

Carnival of the Animals, The (Le Carnaval des Animaux), No. 13: The Swan (Le Cygne)

Following a disastrous concert tour of Germany in 1885-86, Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) withdrew to a small Austrian village, where he composed THE CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS (LE CARNAVAL DES ANIMAUX) in February 1886. From the beginning, the composer regarded the work as a piece of fun. He wrote to his publishers Durand in Paris that he was composing a work for the coming Shrove Tuesday, and confessing that he knew he should be working on his Third Symphony, but that this work was "such fun" ("... mais c'est si amusant!"). He had apparently intended to write the work for his students at the École Niedermeyer, but it was first performed at a private concert given by the cellist Charles Lebouc on Shrove Tuesday, 9 March 1886. No. 13, THE SWAN (LE CYGNE) is the most popular movement from the suite, and is particularly well-known as a vehicle for cello soloists. A beautiful melody that will flow in the legato style, this solo is one that relies on tone quality. Versions for Alto Saxophone and Bassoon, both transcribed by J. Michael Leonard, are from the publisher.