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{{Short description|1886 musical suite by Camille Saint-Saëns}}
{{About|Saint-Saëns's 1886 suite|Christopher Wheeldon's 2003 ballet to Saint-Saëns's music|Carnival of the Animals (ballet)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{italic title}}
[[File:Saint-Saëns-circa-1880.jpg|thumb|upright|200px|alt=The composer as a middle aged man with neat beard|Saint-Saëns circa 1880]]

'''''The Carnival of the Animals''''' ({{langx|fr|'''Le Carnaval des animaux'''}}) is a humorous [[Suite (music)|musical suite]] of 14 [[movement (music)|movements]], including "[[Le cygne|The Swan]]", by the French composer [[Camille Saint-Saëns]]. About 25 minutes in duration, it was written for private performance by two pianos and chamber ensemble; Saint-Saëns prohibited public performance of the work during his lifetime, feeling that its frivolity would damage his standing as a serious composer. The suite was published in 1922, the year after his death. A public performance in the same year was greeted with enthusiasm, and it has remained among his most popular. It is less frequently performed with a full orchestral complement of strings.

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== History ==
Following a disastrous concert tour of Germany in 1885–86, Saint-Saëns withdrew to a small Austrian village, where he composed ''The Carnival of the Animals'' in February 1886.<ref>Stegemann, p. 42</ref> From the beginning he regarded the work as a piece of fun. On 9 February 1886 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 [[Symphony No. 3 (Saint-Saëns)|Third Symphony]], but that this work was "such fun" ({{lang|fr|"...&nbsp;mais c'est si amusant!"}}). He had apparently intended to write the work for his students at the [[École Niedermeyer de Paris]],<ref name=ss/> but it was first performed at a private concert given by the cellist [[Charles Lebouc]] on 3 March 1886:
{{blockindent|Monsieur Lebouc managed to assemble a definitive line-up of eminent performers: Messieurs Saint-Saëns, [[Louis Diémer|Diémer]], [[Paul Taffanel|Taffanel]], {{ill|Charles Turban|lt=Turban|fr}}, [[Jean-Pierre Maurin|Maurin]], Prioré<!--Charles Prioré-->, de Bailly<!--Émile de Bailly--> and Tourcy who, after a very interesting program, took part in the first performance of a very witty fantasy burlesque, composed for this concert by Saint-Saëns and entitled the ''Carnival of the Animals''. This zoological fantasy was received with great enthusiasm.<ref name=Blakeman>Blakeman, p. 117</ref>|}}

A few days later, a second performance was given at [[Émile Lemoine]]'s chamber music society [[La Trompette (musical society)|La Trompette]], followed by another at the home of [[Pauline Viardot]] with an audience including [[Franz Liszt]], a friend of the composer, who had expressed a wish to hear the work. There were other performances, typically for the French mid-Lent festival of [[:fr:Mi-Carême|Mi-Carême]]. All those performances were semi-private, except for one at the Société des instruments à vent in April 1892, and "often took place with the musicians wearing masks of the heads of the various animals they represented".<ref name=Blakeman/> Saint-Saëns was adamant that the work would not be published in his lifetime, seeing it as detracting from his "serious" composer image. He relented only for the famous cello solo ''[[Le cygne|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).

Saint-Saëns specified in his will that the work should be published posthumously. Following his death in December 1921 it was published by Durand in Paris in April 1922; the first public performance was given on 25 February 1922 by the [[Concerts Colonne]], conducted by [[Gabriel Pierné]].<ref name="Ratner2002">Rattner, pp. 185ff</ref> It was rapturously received. ''[[Le Figaro]]'' reported:
{{blockindent|We cannot describe the cries of admiring joy let loose by an enthusiastic public. In the immense oeuvre of Camille Saint-Saëns, ''The Carnival of the Animals'' is certainly one of his magnificent masterpieces. From the first note to the last it is an uninterrupted outpouring of a spirit of the highest and noblest comedy. In every bar, at every point, there are unexpected and irresistible finds. Themes, whimsical ideas, instrumentation compete with buffoonery, grace and science. ... When he likes to joke, the master never forgets that he is the master.<ref>Banès, Anton. [https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k293138r/f5 "Les Concerts"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627134456/https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k293138r/f5 |date=27 June 2021 }}. ''Le Figaro'', 27 February 1922, p. 5</ref>|}}

''The Carnival of the Animals'' has since become one of Saint-Saëns's best-known works, played in the original version for eleven instruments, or more often with the full string section of an orchestra. Frequently a [[glockenspiel]] substitutes for the rare [[glass harmonica]].<ref name="gram">Nicholas, Jeremy. [[iarchive:Gramophone2019-10/page/115/mode/2up|"The Gramophone Collection"]], ''Gramophone'', October 2019, pp. 116–121</ref><ref>[https://imslp.org/wiki/Le_carnaval_des_animaux_(Saint-Sa%C3%ABns%2C_Camille) "Le carnaval des animaux (Saint-Saëns, Camille)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619072111/https://imslp.org/wiki/Le_carnaval_des_animaux_(Saint-Sa%C3%ABns,_Camille) |date=19 June 2021 }}, IMSLP. Retrieved 27 June 2021</ref>

== Music ==
The suite is scored for two [[piano]]s, two [[violin]]s, [[viola]], [[cello]], [[double bass]], [[flute]] (and [[piccolo]]), [[clarinet]] (C and B{{music|b}}), [[glass harmonica]], and [[xylophone]].<ref>Saint-Saëns, title page</ref> There are fourteen movements, each representing a different animal or animals:

=== I. ''Introduction et marche royale du lion'' (Introduction and Royal March of the Lion) ===
{{Listen
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|filename=Saint-Saens - The Carnival of the Animals - 01 Introduction et marche royale du lion.ogg
|title=I. Introduction and Royal March of the Lion
|description=Performed by Neal and Nancy O'Doan (piano) and the [[Seattle Youth Symphony]] under [[Vilem Sokol]]
}}
[[String section|Strings]] and two [[piano]]s: the introduction begins with the pianos playing a bold tremolo, under which the strings enter with a stately theme. The pianos play a pair of [[glissandos]] going in opposite directions to conclude the first part of the movement. The pianos then introduce a march theme that they carry through most of the rest of the introduction. The strings provide the melody, with the pianos occasionally taking low chromatic scales in octaves which suggest the roar of a lion, or high ''ostinatos''. The two groups of instruments switch places, with the pianos playing a higher, softer version of the melody. The movement ends with a fortissimo note from all the instruments used in this movement.

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=666]]

=== II. ''Poules et coqs'' (Hens and Roosters) ===
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Violins, viola, two pianos and clarinet: this movement is centered around a "pecking" theme played by the pianos and strings, reminiscent of chickens pecking at grain. The clarinet plays a small solo above the strings; the piano plays a very fast theme based on the rooster's crowing cry.

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=667]]

=== III. ''Hémiones (animaux véloces)'' (Wild Asses (Swift Animals)) ===
{{Listen
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Two pianos: the animals depicted here are quite obviously running, an image induced by the constant, feverishly fast up-and-down motion of both pianos playing figures in octaves. These are [[dziggetai]], donkeys that come from Tibet and are known for their great speed.

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=668]]

=== IV. ''Tortues'' (Tortoises) ===
{{Listen
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Strings and piano: a satirical movement which opens with a piano playing a pulsing triplet figure in the higher register. The strings play a slow rendition of the famous "Galop infernal" (commonly called the [[Can-can]]) from [[Jacques Offenbach|Offenbach's]] comic opera ''[[Orphée aux enfers]]'' (Orpheus in the Underworld).

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=669]]

=== V. ''L'Éléphant'' (The Elephant) ===
{{Listen
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[[Double bass]] and piano: this section is marked Allegro pomposo, the great caricature for an elephant. The piano plays a waltz-like triplet figure while the bass hums the melody beneath it. Like "Tortues", this is also a musical joke—the thematic material is taken from the Scherzo from [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]]'s [[A Midsummer Night's Dream (Mendelssohn)|incidental music to ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'']] and [[Hector Berlioz|Berlioz]]'s "Dance of the Sylphs" from ''[[La damnation de Faust|The Damnation of Faust]]''. The two themes were both originally written for high, lighter-toned instruments (flute and various other woodwinds, and violin, accordingly); the joke is that Saint-Saëns moves this to the lowest and heaviest-sounding instrument in the orchestra, the double bass.

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=670]]

=== VI. ''Kangourous'' (Kangaroos) ===
{{Listen
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|title=VI. Kangaroos
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Two pianos: the main figure here is a pattern of "hopping" chords (made up of triads in various positions) preceded by grace notes in the right hand. When the chords ascend, they quickly get faster and louder, and when the chords descend, they quickly get slower and softer.

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=671]]

=== VII. ''Aquarium'' ===
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[[File:Carnaval aquarium.jpg|thumb|Part of the original manuscript score of "Aquarium". The top staff was written for the [[glass harmonica]]. {{audio|Camille Saint-Saëns The Carnival of the Animals Aquarium opening.mid|Play}}]]

Violins, viola, cello ([[string quartet]]), two pianos, flute, and [[glass harmonica]]. The melody is played by the flute, backed by the strings, and glass harmonica on top of sparkling, [[glissando]]-like runs and arpeggios in pianos. These figures, plus the occasional glissando from the glass harmonica towards the end—often played on [[celesta]] or [[glockenspiel]]—are evocative of a peaceful, dimly lit aquarium.

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=672]]

=== VIII. ''Personnages à longues oreilles'' (Characters with Long Ears) ===
{{Listen
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|filename=Saint-Saens - The Carnival of the Animals - 08 Personnages à longues oreilles.ogg
|title=VIII. Characters with Long Ears
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Two violins: this is the shortest of all the movements. The violins alternate playing high, loud notes and low, buzzing ones (in the manner of a donkey's braying "hee-haw").
Music critics have speculated that the movement is meant to compare music critics to braying donkeys.<ref>{{Citation | title = Carnival of the Animals | journal = The Listener | volume = 18 | page = 104 | date = 1937-07-14 | url = https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbm=bks&q=%22long+ears%22++%22saint-saens%22+%22critics%22+listener | access-date = 2011-03-30 | archive-date = 27 June 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210627134455/https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbm=bks&q=%22long+ears%22++%22saint-saens%22+%22critics%22+listener&aql= | url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=673]]

=== IX. ''Le Coucou au fond des bois'' (The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods) ===
{{Listen
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|filename=Saint-Saens - The Carnival of the Animals - 09 Le Coucou au fond des bois.ogg
|title=IX. The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods
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Two pianos and clarinet: the pianos play large, soft chords while the clarinet plays a single two-note ostinato; a C and an A{{music|flat}}, mimicking the call of a cuckoo bird. Saint-Saëns states in the original score that the clarinettist should be offstage.

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=674]]

=== X. ''Volière'' (Aviary) ===
{{Listen
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|filename=Saint-Saens - The Carnival of the Animals - 10 Volière.ogg
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Strings, pianos and flute: the high strings take on a background role, providing a buzz in the background that is reminiscent of the background noise of a jungle. The cellos and basses play a pickup cadence to lead into most of the measures. The flute takes the part of the bird, with a trilling tune that spans much of its range. The pianos provide occasional pings and trills of other birds in the background. The movement ends very quietly after a long ascending chromatic scale from the flute.

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=675]]

=== XI. ''Pianistes'' (Pianists) ===
{{Listen
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Strings and two pianos: this humorous movement (satirizing pianists as animals) is a glimpse of what few audiences ever get to see: the pianists practicing their finger exercises and scales. The scales of C, D{{music|flat}}, D and E{{music|flat}} are covered. Each one starts with a trill on the first and second note, then proceeds in scales with a few changes in the rhythm. Transitions between keys are accomplished with a blasting chord from all the instruments between scales. In some performances, the later, more difficult, scales are deliberately played increasingly out of time. The original edition has a note by the editors instructing the players to imitate beginners and their awkwardness.<ref>"Les exécutants devront imiter le jeu d'un débutant et sa gaucherie" {{cite web|title=Complete full score|url=http://hz.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/8/88/IMSLP02315-Saint-Saens_-_Carnival_of_the_Animals.pdf|publisher=Paris: Durand & Cie.|access-date=20 July 2012|archive-date=17 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417193534/http://hz.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/8/88/IMSLP02315-Saint-Saens_-_Carnival_of_the_Animals.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> After the four scales, the key changes back to C, where the pianos play a moderate speed trill-like pattern in thirds, in the style of [[Charles-Louis Hanon]] or [[Carl Czerny]], while the strings play a small part underneath. This movement is unusual in that the last three blasted chords do not [[Resolution (music)|resolve]] the piece, but rather lead into the next movement.

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=676]]

=== XII. ''Fossiles'' (Fossils) ===
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[[File:Carnaval Fossiles.jpg|thumb|Title page to "Fossils" in the manuscript including drawing by the composer]]
Strings, two pianos, clarinet, and xylophone: here, Saint-Saëns mimics his own composition, the ''[[Danse macabre (Saint-Saëns)|Danse macabre]]'', which makes heavy use of the xylophone to evoke the image of skeletons dancing, the bones clacking together to the beat. The musical themes from ''Danse macabre'' are also quoted; the xylophone and strings play much of the melody, alternating with the piano and clarinet. Allusions to "[[Ah! vous dirai-je, maman]]" (better known in the English-speaking world as "[[Twinkle Twinkle Little Star]]"), the French nursery rhymes "[[Au clair de la lune]]", and "J'ai du bon tabac" (the second piano plays the same melody upside down [inversion]), the popular anthem "[[Partant pour la Syrie]]", as well as the aria "Una voce poco fa" from [[Gioachino Rossini|Rossini]]'s ''[[The Barber of Seville]]'' can also be heard. The musical joke in this movement, according to [[Leonard Bernstein]]'s narration on his recording of the work with the New York Philharmonic, is that the musical pieces quoted are the fossils of Saint-Saëns's time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bernstein |first=Leonard |date=1961 |title=Carnival of the Animals: XII. Fossils |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGjJZSNDvwU |website=The Official YouTube Channel for world-renowned musician, composer, conductor, and educator Leonard Bernstein.}}</ref>

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=677]]

=== XIII. ''Le cygne'' (The Swan) ===
{{Main|Le cygne}}
{{Listen
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Two pianos and cello: a slowly moving cello melody (which evokes the swan elegantly gliding over the water) is played over rippling [[Sixteenth note|sixteenths]] in one piano and rolled chords in the other.

A staple of the cello repertoire, this is one of the best-known movements of the suite, usually in the version for cello with solo piano which was the only publication from this suite in Saint-Saëns's lifetime. 

A short ballet solo, ''[[The Dying Swan]]'', was choreographed in 1905 by [[Mikhail Fokine]] to this movement and performed by [[Anna Pavlova]], who gave some 4,000 performances of the dance and "swept the world".<ref>{{citation |last=Frankenstein|first=Alfred|title=The Carnival of the Animals|type=liner notes|volume=Capitol SP 8537 and reissued on Seraphim S-60214}}</ref>

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=678]]

=== XIV. ''Final'' (Finale) ===
{{Listen
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Full ensemble: the finale opens on the same trills in the pianos as in the introduction, but soon the wind instruments, the [[glass harmonica]] and the xylophone join in. The strings build the tension with a few low notes, leading to glissandi by the piano before the lively main melody is introduced. The Finale is somewhat reminiscent of an American carnival of the 19th century, with one piano always maintaining a bouncy [[eighth-note]] rhythm. Although the melody is relatively simple, the supporting harmonies are ornamented in the style that is typical of Saint-Saëns' compositions for piano -- dazzling scales, glissandi and trills. Many of the previous movements are quoted here from the introduction, the lion, the donkeys, hens, and kangaroos. The work ends with a series of six "Hee Haws" from the donkeys, as if to say that the donkey has the last laugh, before the final strong group of C major chords.

[[File:Orchesterwerke Romantik Themen.pdf|450px|page=679]]

== Musical allusions ==
As the title suggests, the work is [[Program Music|programmatical]] and [[zoology|zoological]]. It progresses from the first movement, ''{{lang|fr|Introduction et marche royale du lion}}'', through portraits of elephants and donkeys ("Personages with Long Ears") to a finale reprising many of the earlier motifs.

Several of the movements are of humorous intent:
* ''{{lang|fr|Poules et coqs}}'' uses the theme of [[Jean-Philippe Rameau|Rameau]]'s [[harpsichord]] piece ''{{lang|fr|La poule}}'' ("The Hen") from his [[Suite (music)|Suite]] in G major, but in a less elegant mood.<ref name=gram/>
* ''{{lang|fr|Tortues}}'' makes use of the well-known "Galop infernal" from [[Jacques Offenbach|Offenbach]]'s comic opera ''[[Orpheus in the Underworld]]'', playing the usually breakneck-speed melody at a slow, drooping pace.<ref name=ss>Saint-Saëns, third unnumbered introductory page</ref><ref name=g147>Griffiths, p. 147</ref>
* ''{{lang|fr|L'éléphant}}'' uses a theme from [[Hector Berlioz|Berlioz]]'s "Danse des sylphes" (from his work ''[[La damnation de Faust|The Damnation of Faust]]'') played in a much lower register than usual as a double bass solo. The piece also quotes the Scherzo from [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]]'s ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream (Mendelssohn)|A Midsummer Night's Dream]]''.<ref name=ss/><ref name=nypo>[https://archives.nyphil.org/index.php/artifact/fc2a6fcc-f4df-4804-8613-bf2d83e4d56c-0.1/fullview#page/1/mode/2up "Saint-Saens: ''Carnival of the Animals'' Program Notes, Jan 1, 1929 – Dec 31, 1960"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620191921/https://archives.nyphil.org/index.php/artifact/fc2a6fcc-f4df-4804-8613-bf2d83e4d56c-0.1/fullview#page/1/mode/2up |date=20 June 2018 }}, New York Philharmonic archives. Retrieved 26 June 2021</ref>
* The ''{{lang|fr|Personnages à longues oreilles}}'' section is thought to be directed at music critics: they are also supposedly the last animals heard during the finale, braying.<ref name=ss/><ref name=gram/>
* ''{{lang|fr|Pianistes}}'' depicts piano students labouring over their scales in [[Charles-Louis Hanon|Hanon]]- and [[Carl Czerny|Czerny]]-style exercises.<ref name=gram/><ref name=g147/>
* ''{{lang|fr|Fossiles}}'' quotes Saint-Saëns's own ''{{lang|fr|[[Danse macabre (Saint-Saëns)|Danse macabre]]}}'' as well as three nursery rhymes, {{lang|fr|"J'ai du bon tabac"}}, {{lang|fr|"Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman"}} ([[Twinkle Twinkle Little Star]]) and {{lang|fr|"[[Au clair de la lune]]"}}, also the song "[[Partant pour la Syrie]]" and [[Gioachino Rossini|Rossini]]'s [[aria]], "Una voce poco fa" from ''[[The Barber of Seville]]''.<ref name=ss/><ref name=nypo/>

== Verses ==
In 1949 [[Ogden Nash]] wrote a set of humorous verses to accompany each movement for a [[Columbia Masterworks]] recording of ''Carnival of the Animals'' conducted by [[Andre Kostelanetz]]. They were recited by [[Noël Coward]]; Kostelanetz and Coward performed the suite with Nash's verses with the [[New York Philharmonic]] at [[Carnegie Hall]], New York, in 1956.<ref>Coward, p. 316</ref>

Nash's verses, with their topical references (e.g. to [[Harry S. Truman|President Truman]]'s piano playing) became dated,<ref name=gram/> and later writers have written new words to accompany the suite, including [[Johnny Morris (television presenter)|Johnny Morris]],<ref name=gram/> [[Jeremy Nicholas (writer)|Jeremy Nicholas]],<ref name=gram/> [[Jack Prelutsky]],<ref>Notes to San Diego Symphony CD SDS-1001 {{oclc|SDS-1001}}</ref> and [[John Lithgow]],<ref name=lith/> A version by [[Sheku Kanneh-Mason|Sheku]] and [[Isata Kanneh-Mason]], with [[Michael Morpurgo]] narrating, was released in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theclassicreview.com/album-reviews/review-carnival-of-the-animals-the-kanneh-masons/|title=Review: "Carnaval" - The Kanneh-Mason (Decca, 2020)|first=Leighton|last=Jones|date=19 November 2020}}</ref>

== Recordings ==
Various recordings of the Carnival of the Animals have been created. Some notable ones are:
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align: left; margin-right: 0;"
|-
! scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |Orchestra
! scope="col" |Pianists
! scope="col" |Conductor
! scope="col" |Narrator
!Ref.
|-
| 1929
| [[Philadelphia Orchestra]]
| Olga Barabini, Mary Binney Montgomery
| [[Leopold Stokowski]]
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1949
| Kostelanetz Orchestra
| [[Leonid Hambro]], [[Jascha Zayde]]
| [[André Kostelanetz]]
| [[Noël Coward]]
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1955
|[[Philharmonia Orchestra]]
|[[Béla Síki]], [[Géza Anda]]
|[[Igor Markevitch]]
|—
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
| 1960
| [[London Symphony Orchestra]]
| [[Julius Katchen]], [[Gary Graffman]]
| [[Skitch Henderson]]
| [[Beatrice Lillie]]
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1961
| [[Boston Pops Orchestra]]
| Leo Litwin, [[Samuel Lipman]]
| [[Arthur Fiedler]]
| [[Hugh Downs]]
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1962
| [[New York Philharmonic]]
| Ruth Segal, Naomi Segal
| [[Leonard Bernstein]]
| Leonard Bernstein
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1967
|[[Paris Conservatoire Orchestra]]
|[[Aldo Ciccolini]], [[Alexis Weissenberg]]
|[[Georges Prêtre]]
|—
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
| 1968
|[[Philadelphia Orchestra]]
|[[Claude Frank]], [[Lilian Kallir]]
|[[Eugene Ormandy]]
|—
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
| 1971
| [[City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra]]
| [[John Ogdon]], Brenda Lucas
| [[Louis Frémaux]]
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1975
|[[Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra]]{{refn|Originally released (1975) with Nash's verses recited by [[Hermione Gingold]].<ref>{{oclc|21827232}}</ref> Subsequently reissued without narration.|group=n}}
|[[Aloys and Alfons Kontarsky]]
|[[Karl Böhm]]
|—
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
| 1978
| Instrumental ensemble {{refn| [[Maurice André]], Jacques Cazauran, Guy-Joel Cipriani, [[Michel Debost]], Claude Desurmont, Alain Moglia, Gerard Perotin, Trio à cordes français|group=n}}
| [[Michel Béroff]], [[Jean-Philippe Collard]]
| —
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1978
| Instrumental ensemble{{refn|[[Alain Marion]], flute; [[Michel Arrignon]], clarinet; Michel Cals, glockenspiel; Michel Cerutti, xylophone; [[Régis Pasquier]], violin I; [[Yan Pascal Tortelier]], violin II; [[Gérard Caussé]], viola; [[Yo-Yo Ma]], cello; Gabin Lauridon, double bass.|group=n}}
| [[Philippe Entremont]], [[Gaby Casadesus]]
| Philippe Entremont
| — 
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1980
|[[London Sinfonietta]]
|[[Pascal Rogé]], [[Cristina Ortiz]]
|[[Charles Dutoit]]
|—
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
| 1981
|[[Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra]]
|[[Joseph Villa]], [[Patricia Prattis Jennings]]
|[[André Previn]]
|—
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
| 1983
| [[Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| [[Katia and Marielle Labèque]]
| [[Zubin Mehta]]
| [[Itzhak Perlman]]{{refn|Also released without narration.<ref>{{oclc|68930501}}</ref>|group=n}}
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1985
| Instrumental ensemble{{refn|[[Irena Grafenauer]], flute; [[Eduard Brunner]], clarinet; [[Gidon Kremer]], violin; [[Isabelle van Keulen]], violin; [[Tabea Zimmermann]], viola; [[Mischa Maisky]], cello; Georg Hortnagel, double bass; Markus Steckeler, xylophone; Edith Salmen-Weber, glockenspiel|group=n}}
| [[Martha Argerich]], [[Nelson Freire]]
| —
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1988 
| [[Nash Ensemble]]
| Nash Ensemble pianists (unnamed)
| —
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1988 
| Instrumental ensemble{{refn| Rebecca Hirsch, Beatrice Harper, violins; Terry Nettle, viola; Jonathan Williams, cello; Rodney Slatford, double bass; Nicholas Vallis-Davies, flute/piccolo; Angela Malsbury, clarinet; Annie Oakley, xylophone; James Strebing, glockenspiel.|group=n}}
| David Nettle, [[Richard Markham]]
| —
| [[Jeremy Nicholas (writer)|Jeremy Nicholas]]
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1989 
| Instrumental ensemble{{refn|Paul Edmund-Davies (flute), Andrew Marriner (clarinet), Alexander Barantschik and Ashley Arbuckle (violins), Alexander Taylor (viola), Ray Adams (cello), Paul Marrion (double-bass), Ray Northcott (percussion)|group=n}}
| Julian Jacobson, Nigel Hutchinson
| [[Barry Wordsworth]]
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1989 
| [[Philharmonia Orchestra]]
| Nicholas Walker, Laura O'Gorman
| Philip Ellis
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1989
|Academy of London
|[[Anton Nel]], Keith Snell
|Richard Stamp
|—
|<ref name=":0">[https://marylebone.naxosmusiclibrary.com/search?keyword=Carnival%20of%20the%20Animals&page=1 "Carnival of the Animals"], Naxos Music Library. Retrieved 26 June 2021 {{subscription required}} {{Cite web |url=https://marylebone.naxosmusiclibrary.com/login/library/card |title=Naxos Music Library |access-date=27 June 2021 |archive-date=27 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627134457/https://marylebone.naxosmusiclibrary.com/login/library/card |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>
|-
| 1990
| Czecho-Slovak RSO{{refn|This recording features virtuoso [[harmonica]] player [[Tommy Reilly (harmonica player)|Tommy Reilly]] playing on a mouth organ instead of a glass harmonica. This mistake was noted and acknowledged by music journalist [[Fritz Spiegl]] in a 1984 dictionary of musical ephemera.<ref>{{Cite web |title='The Carnival of the Animals' Features a Glass Harmonica. This Orchestra Forgot the Glass. {{!}} WQXR Editorial |url=https://www.wqxr.org/story/carnival-animals-features-glass-harmonica-orchestra-forgot-glass |access-date=2022-09-07 |website=WQXR |date=27 August 2018 |language=en}}</ref>|group=n}}
| Marian Lapšanský, Peter Toperczer
| Ondrej Len'ard
| [[Johnny Morris (television presenter)|Johnny Morris]]{{refn|Also released without narration|group=n}}
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1993
|[[I Musici de Montreal]]
|[[David Owen Norris]], Gregory Shaverdian
|[[Yuli Turovsky]]
|—
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
| 1994 
| St Petersburg Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra
| uncredited
| [[Stanislav Gorkovenko]]
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1994
| [[Boston Symphony]]
| [[Garrick Ohlsson]], [[John Browning (pianist)|John Browning]]
| [[Seiji Ozawa]]
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 1999
|[[Munich Chamber Orchestra]]{{refn|German narration spoken by [[Peter Ustinov]]|group=n}}
|[[Anthony & Joseph Paratore|Anthony and Joseph Paratore]]
|[[Karl Anton Rickenbacher]]
|—
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
| 2003
|Instrumental ensemble{{refn|[[Renaud Capuçon]], [[Gautier Capuçon]], [[David Guerrier]], Esther Hoppe, Florent Jodelet, [[Marie-Pierre Langlamet]], [[Paul Meyer (clarinetist)|Paul Meyer]], Béatrice Muthelet, [[Emmanuel Pahud]] and Janne Saksala|group=n}}
| Frank Braley, Michel Dalberto
| —
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 2005
| London Symphony Orchestra
| uncredited
| Barry Wordsworth
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 2013
| [[Cincinnati Pops Orchestra]]
| none{{refn|This recording is in a reorchestrated version|group=n}}
| [[John Morris Russell]]
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 2015 
| [[Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| [[Louis Lortie]], [[Hélène Mercier-Arnault]]
| [[Neeme Järvi]]
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 2016 
| [[Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra]]
| [[Lucas & Arthur Jussen|Lucas and Arthur Jussen]]
| [[Stéphane Denève]]
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 2016 
| [[Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia|Santa Cecilia Orchestra]]
| [[Martha Argerich]], [[Antonio Pappano]]
| [[Antonio Pappano]]
| —
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 2017 
| [[Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| Richard Casey, Ian Buckle
| [[Vasily Petrenko]]
| [[Alexander Armstrong]]
|<ref name="gram" />
|-
| 2019
|[[Utah Symphony]]
|Jason Hardink, Kimi Kawashima
|[[Thierry Fischer]]
|—
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|2020
|The Kanneh-Masons
|Isata Kanneh-Mason, Konya Kaneh-Mason, Jeneba Kaneh-Mason
|—
|[[Olivia Colman]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Carnival {{!}} The Kanneh-Masons |url=http://www.kannehmasons.com/newalbum-carnival/ |access-date=2022-04-20 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
|}

=== Alternative recordings ===
*In 1982, the [[Philip Jones Brass Ensemble]] recorded an arrangement for brass instruments by Peter Reeve.<ref>{{oclc|60248672}}</ref>
*A parody of the work entitled "[[Peter & the Wolf ("Weird Al" Yankovic & Wendy Carlos album)|Carnival of the Animals, Part Two]]" was recorded by [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] and [[Wendy Carlos]] in 1988, with new verses written by Yankovic about a different cast of animals such as the shark and the poodle.<ref>{{oclc|19021977}}</ref>
*In 1993, an all-star cast recording was released on CD by Dove Audio<ref>{{ISBN|1-55800-586-2}}</ref> performed by the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra conducted by [[Lalo Schifrin]] with all proceeds going to charity. Readers included [[Arte Johnson]] (''Introduction'' and ''Finale''), [[Charlton Heston]] (''Royal March of The Lion''), [[James Earl Jones]] (''Hens and Roosters''), [[Betty White]] (''Wild Donkeys''), [[Lynn Redgrave]] (''Tortoises''), [[William Shatner]] (''The Elephant''), [[Joan Rivers]] (''Kangaroos''), [[Ted Danson]] (''Aquarium''), [[Lily Tomlin]] (''Characters with Long Ears''), [[Deborah Raffin]] (''The Cuckoo''), [[Audrey Hepburn]] (''Aviary''), [[Dudley Moore]] (''Pianists''), [[Walter Matthau]] (''Fossils'') and [[Jaclyn Smith]] (''The Swan'').
*In 1996, a [[surf rock]] cover of "''Aquarium"'' was used as the on-ride soundtrack of the original [[Space Mountain (Disneyland)|Space Mountain]] ride layout at [[Disneyland]] before its 2005 renovation. It featured guitar riffs by [[Dick Dale]].<ref>{{cite web|date=2019-03-18|title=Dick Dale, Guitarist on Space Mountain's Soundtrack, Dies|url=https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/dick-dale-guitarist-on-the-1996-soundtrack-for-disneylands-space-mountain-dies-at-81/|access-date=2020-12-25|language=en-US|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416155640/https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/dick-dale-guitarist-on-the-1996-soundtrack-for-disneylands-space-mountain-dies-at-81/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*The finale for the suite was used as music for one of the segments in the 1999 [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney]] film, ''[[Fantasia 2000]]'', performed by the [[Chicago Symphony Orchestra]]. In it, a slapstick [[flamingo]] plays with a yo-yo, much to the chagrin of the other flamingoes, who attempt to entice him into doing the same "dull" routine as them. Gail Niwa and Philip Sabransky are the featured pianists in this recording. James Earl Jones introduces the segment, as he is standing next to animator [[Eric Goldberg (animator)|Eric Goldberg]], who directed the segment. Jones discusses the "drawing boards [which] have been the birthplace of some of the most beloved animal characters of all time" and how the animation and music combine to answer "that age old question" about the relationship between man and nature. Then, in a comical turn, he is handed a piece of paper and reads "that age old question: What would happen if you gave a yo-yo to a flock of flamingoes?" before asking "Who wrote this?"
*For [[Carnival of the Animals (ballet)|a ballet to Saint-Saëns's]] suite, choreographed by [[Christopher Wheeldon]] and presented by [[New York City Ballet]], [[John Lithgow]] wrote a narration. The storyline is that a mischievous boy slips away from his teacher during a trip to a museum of natural history and, once the museum is shut, sees all the people he knows transformed into animals. An audio recording was made in 2004 by members of Chamber Music Los Angeles, conducted by Bill Elliot, with the narration spoken by Lithgow.<ref name=lith>{{oclc| 56770131}}</ref>
*In 2021, the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]] streamed the piece at the [[Hollywood Bowl]] with [[Yuja Wang]] and [[David Fung]] on piano, conducted by [[Gustavo Dudamel]]. Four animal folktales were narrated by [[El Sistema]] students from around the world - Martin (9), Arão (12), Afra (14), and Maya (8).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/press/releases/1952 |title=LA Phil Media launches second season of sound/stage |date=Feb 23, 2021 |publisher=Hollywood Bowl |access-date=6 March 2021 |archive-date=25 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425191637/https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/press/releases/1952 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*In 2016, [[The Wiggles]] released ''The Carnival of the Animals'', with narration written and performed by [[Simon Pryce]] and the music performed by the [[Adelaide Symphony Orchestra]].{{cn|date=June 2023}}

== Notes and references ==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=n}}

===References===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* {{Cite book|last=Blakeman|first=Edward|title=Taffanel: Genius of the Flute|date=2005|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-517098-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Coward|first= Noël |editor1-last = Payn |editor1-first = Graham |editor2-first = Sheridan |editor2-last = Morley |year = 1982 |title = The Noël Coward Diaries (1941–1969) |location = London |publisher = Methuen |isbn = 978-0-297-78142-4 }}
* {{cite book | last= Griffiths | first= Paul | title= The Penguin Companion to Classical Music| year= 2004| location=London and New York | 
publisher=Penguin | isbn= 978-0-14-100924-7}}
* {{cite book|last= Ratner|first=Sabina Teller |title=Camille Saint-Saëns, 1835–1921: A Thematic Catalogue of his Complete Works, Volume I: The Instrumental Works|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mtYz_WjAM_UC&pg=PA185|year=2002|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-816320-6 }}
* {{cite book | last= Saint-Saëns | first= Camille | title= Le Carnaval des animaux: grande fantaisie zoologique| year= 1957|orig-date=1922| location= Paris |url=https://archive.org/details/ybimslp01550/page/n5/mode/2up |publisher= Durand | oclc=31227464 }}
* {{cite book|first=Michael|last=Stegemann|title=Camille Saint-Saëns and the French solo concerto from 1850 to 1920|year=1991|location=Lanham|publisher=Amadeus Press|isbn=978-0-93-134035-2}}.

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMSLP2|work=Le_Carnaval_des_Animaux_%28Saint-Sa%C3%ABns%2C_Camille%29|cname=''The Carnival of the Animals''}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moh9KxC_iQA Video Performance] of Le Cygne by [[Julian Lloyd Webber]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110904022830/http://www.animalsongs.co.uk/ 2011 recording] for organ and piano combined, by [[David Owen Norris]] and David Coram
* [http://nytb.org/images/carnival-study-guide1.pdf NY Theatre Ballet Children's Study Guide (PDF)], featuring Ogden Nash verses

{{Camille Saint-Saëns}}
{{Disney's Fantasia}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carnival of the Animals, The}}
[[Category:The Carnival of the Animals| ]]
[[Category:1886 compositions]]
[[Category:Chamber music by Camille Saint-Saëns]]
[[Category:Suites by Camille Saint-Saëns]]
[[Category:Classical musical works published posthumously|Saint-Saens]]
[[Category:Compositions for double bass]]
[[Category:Humor in classical music]]
[[Category:Music about animals]]
[[Category:Orchestral suites]]
[[Category:Arrangements of compositions by Jacques Offenbach]]
[[Category:Compositions using folk songs]]