Song of the Week: “Aquarium” from Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals”



Saint-Saens, 1903
San Francisco Symphony

 Composer Camille Saint-Saëns, while vacationing in Austria in 1886, wrote a suite of fourteen movements which he entitled The Carnival of the Animals. The cheerful suite, based on fanciful interpretations of the characteristics of different animals was originally written to be performed by a chamber group including a glass harmonica. However, today, it is most often performed by a full orchestra. Saint-Saëns feared that this suite was too frivolous and that it would ruin his reputation as a serious composer. Given that, he supressed public performances of the movements and only allowed his close friends to hear it performed. However, he left instructions that the suite could be performed after his death.


It’s very fortunate that he did. This is a delightful suite of music. The movements are: The Introduction and Royal March of the Lion, Hens and Roosters, Wild Asses, Tortoises, the Elephant, Kangaroos, Aquarium, Characters with Long Ears, The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods, The Aviary, The Pianists, Fossils, The Swan and Finale.

Of all of these, my favorite is “Aquarium.” This haunting piece composed for glass harmonica, strings, two pianos and flute, is perhaps the most musically deep of all of the movements. This peaceful, yet mysterious movement has found its way into many films and television programs. It figures prominently into The Simpsons, oddly enough, as a theme for Marge as she recalls her childhood at “Barnacle Bay.”

Here’s a clip of a very nicely performed rendition, set to an odd, but soothing picture of what appears to be a wizard underwater. Nonetheless, enjoy…