The CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS
Le carnaval des animaux

written by Camille Saint-Saëns in 1886

Introduction

The Carnival of the Animals (Le carnaval des animaux) is a fun musical collection of 14 movements (pieces) by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns.

The fourteen pieces each represent different animals. Sometimes, Saint-Saëns clearly copies the sound of the animal in the song, using instruments to make the sound of a cuckoo or donkeys. Other times it is less clear, and he represents the character of the animal instead, like the slow elephant plodding along, or birds flying through the sky.

Below, you can find the 14 different movements to watch and listen to, as well as a some tasks to complete. Before you begin the videos, open up the worksheet and have a look at the questions. Most importantly of all, enjoy the music!

Here are the 14 videos!

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11:

12:

13:

14:

Now please watch the ‘Answers’ video to see how many titles you got right!

All done!

Can you find out more about Carnival of the Animals online?

Original video performance sourced from YouTube.
It is reproduced here for non-commercial, educational purposes only.