Camille Saint Saen's The Swan

I have been loving Camille Saint Saen's The Swan recently. Something about that piece of music really resonates with me. I just can't get enough of it! It is so peaceful and dreamlike.

While learning about this piece of music I found out that The Swan is just one part of Camille Saint Saen's Carnival of the Animals.

I watched a really informative video on YouTube where I learned about each piece included in Carnival of the Animals. The suite is made up of 14 movements:

1. Introduction and March of the Lions

2. Hens and Roosters

3. Wild Donkeys Swift Animals

4. Tortoises

5. The Elephant

6. Kangaroos

7. Aquarium

8. Characters with Long Ears

9. The Cuckoo

10. Aviary

11. Pianists

12. Fossils

13. The Swan

14. Finale

The funny part is that Camille Saint Saen wrote Carnival of the Animals as a joke. It wasn't a serious work, but it became his most famous musical accomplishment. He lived at a time when a lot of musical innovation was happening. Music was rapidly evolving, or, in Camille Saint Saen's opinion rapidly devolving. I have only read briefly about the composer, but the impression I have is that he was a stickler for 'proper,' tried and true, old-fashioned music techniques and theory. You know, the way music was taught when he was a youngster at conservatory. Doesn't every generation say something like that? 

Anyway, how ironic that his least serious music became just about the only music that he is remembered by.

I have been listening to Carnival of the Animals on SoundCloud and becoming familiar with each part. My favorite's are The Swan and Fossils. My 8 year old likes Aquarium and March of the Lions the most.

A trick that works for me to be able to listen to music on SoundCloud advertisement free is, that I go to the SoundCloud website in my mobile browser. I don't sign in to any account. I use the search tool to search for specific music that I am looking for, sometimes by title, sometimes by composer. I can play the music in the background or while my phone screen in off. The only trouble is that sometimes the next song that plays automatically is not my choice, and I have to get back on the page and turn it off.

When I am absent mindedly listening to the whole Carnival of the Animals suite and The Swan comes on and I think to myself, "Boy, this music is so nice!" And then I pay attention and I realize, "Oh, this is The Swan, of course, I think it is so nice!" And I chuckle to myself. 

Are you familiar with The Swan by Camille Saint Saen? If not, I encourage you to give it a listen and let me know what you think!

Here is the YouTube video that I found to be so informative:

 (in case the link doesn't work the title is, "Listener's Guide to Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint Saen," on the YouTube channel Odd Quartet.)

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