Danse macabre, as a theme, was meant to represent how death was the great social equalizer — no one escapes the dance with death — and there were a number of paintings and pieces of art inspired by this philosophy. When Saint-Saëns initially wrote his Danse macabre in 1872, it was actually an art song.

Why did Saint-Saëns write Danse Macabre?

Danse macabre, as a theme, was meant to represent how death was the great social equalizer — no one escapes the dance with death — and there were a number of paintings and pieces of art inspired by this philosophy. When Saint-Saëns initially wrote his Danse macabre in 1872, it was actually an art song.

What is Danse Macabre played on?

Danse macabre is scored for an obbligato violin and an orchestra consisting of one piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in B♭, two bassoons; four horns in G and D, two trumpets in D, three trombones, one tuba; a percussion section that includes timpani, xylophone, bass drum, cymbals and triangle; one harp and …

What is the music for the dying swan in Swan Lake?

The Dying Swan (originally The Swan) is a solo dance choreographed by Mikhail Fokine to Camille Saint-Saëns’s Le Cygne from Le Carnaval des animaux as a pièce d’occasion for the ballerina Anna Pavlova, who performed it about 4,000 times.

What is the story of The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns?

Written in 6/4 time and marked Andantino Grazioso (which means slowly and gracefully), The Swan layers shimmering arpeggios underneath a song-like melody to portray the legend of the “swan song”: a popular Ancient Greek and Roman belief that the swan, the most beautiful of all animals, remained silent until its final …

What was Saint-Saëns describing in Danse Macabre?

The text merges the legend of Death fiddling on Halloween as skeletons dance on their graves with the late Medieval tradition of the Dance of Death (danse macabre, Totentanz), in which all are equal, from king to peasant, and are led dancing to the grave.

What is Camille Saint-Saëns famous for?

Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), and The Carnival of the Animals (1886). Saint-Saëns was a musical prodigy.

When did Saint-Saëns compose The Swan?

February 1886
“The Swan” from The Carnival of the Animals Composed February 1886 as Le carnaval des animaux.

What is the name of the Swan by Saint Saens?

Saint-Saens : The Swan ( Le Cygne ) – Carnival of the Animals. Title : Saint-Saens : The Swan From Wikipedia: Le Cygne, or The Swan, is the thirteenth movement of The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. This piece features a solo cello in tenor clef and two accompaniment pianos.The piece is in 6/4 time, with a key signature of G major.

What is the Swan by Camille Saint SaaS called?

Camille Saint-Saëns’s “Le cygne” (The Swan) Audio only Weilerstein and Yoder version. Le cygne, pronounced [lə siɲ], or The Swan, is the 13th and penultimate movement of The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns.

When was the Swan to Le Cygne written?

In 1949 the American synchronized swimmer Beulah Gundling created a routine inspired by Fokine’s choreography and entitled The swan to Le cygne by Saint-Saëns. In the 1890s, Louis van Waefelghem adapted Le cygne for viola or viola d’amore and piano. The edition was published by Durand in 1895.

What instruments are used in the Swan by William Shakespeare?

The slow cello melody is accompanied by almost constant broken chord figurations on the pianos. When performed as a separate movement, not in the context of The Carnival, The Swan is frequently played with accompaniment on only one piano.