Classical music about animals for kids

Composers have put birds, cats, fish, bees, and one clumsy elephant into their music. Animal pieces are a good first step for a young listener, because the child knows what to listen for. This page sorts 20 pieces by animal.

Start with two big ones

The Carnival of the Animals, by Saint-Saëns. Fourteen short pieces: a lion, hens, tortoises, an elephant, kangaroos, fish, a cuckoo, birds, and a swan. Read the Carnival of the Animals guide.

Peter and the Wolf, by Prokofiev. A story with a narrator. Each animal has its own instrument: the bird is a flute, the duck is an oboe, the cat is a clarinet, and the wolf is three horns. Read Peter and the Wolf: instruments and characters.

Birds

Piece	Composer	Which instrument is the bird
“Spring” from The Four Seasons	Vivaldi	Three violins
“The Lark Ascending”	Vaughan Williams	A solo violin
“Scene by the Brook” from Symphony No. 6	Beethoven	Flute, oboe, and clarinet
“The Cuckoo”	Daquin	A harpsichord
“The Swan of Tuonela”	Sibelius	An English horn
“Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks”	Mussorgsky	High woodwinds
“The Pines of Rome,” third part	Respighi	A recording of a real nightingale

Respighi asked for a record of a nightingale to be played during his piece in 1924. It was one of the first times a recording was used in an orchestra concert.

Cats and dogs

“The Cat’s Fugue,” by Domenico Scarlatti. The tune leaps in an odd way. A story grew up that Scarlatti’s cat walked across the keys and gave him the notes. Nobody can prove it.

“Cat Duet.” Two singers meow at each other for three minutes. It is often printed under Rossini’s name, though another musician put it together from his tunes.

“The Waltzing Cat,” by Leroy Anderson. The violins slide like a meow. A dog barks at the end. Read Leroy Anderson for kids.

“Puss in Boots and the White Cat” from The Sleeping Beauty, by Tchaikovsky. Oboes meow, and the strings scratch back.

“Minute” Waltz, by Chopin. A story says Chopin wrote it after he watched a small dog chase its tail. Game: spin, then stop when the music stops.

Enigma Variations, number 11, by Elgar. Elgar’s friend had a bulldog named Dan. The music shows Dan as he tumbles into a river, paddles, and climbs out with a bark.

Farm and field

Symphony No. 83, “The Hen,” by Haydn. An oboe pecks in the first movement.

“On the Trail” from the Grand Canyon Suite, by Grofé. A donkey clip-clops and brays.

“The Hen,” by Rameau. A harpsichord clucks its way through a short piece from the 1720s.

Wild animals

“The Elephant” from The Carnival of the Animals. A double bass plays a waltz.

Symphony No. 82, “The Bear,” by Haydn. The last movement has a low drone, and people said it sounded like the music for a dancing bear.

“The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant,” by Poulenc. A narrator tells the story of Babar while a piano plays. Read Poulenc for kids.

Water animals

“Aquarium” from The Carnival of the Animals. Fish glide through glittering water.

“The Trout,” by Schubert. First it was a song about a fish in a clear stream. Then Schubert used the tune in a piece for five players, and wrote a set of changes on it. Read Schubert for kids.

The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals. A cello glides over rippling pianos. Read The Swan for kids.

Insects

“Flight of the Bumblebee,” by Rimsky-Korsakov. Read the guide.

“Butterfly,” by Grieg. A piano piece that flutters and never settles.

“The Wasps” overture, by Vaughan Williams. The strings buzz right at the start.

Games to play

• Guess the animal. Play a piece without the title. Ask which animal it is and why.
• Move like it. Stomp for the elephant, glide for the swan, and hop for the kangaroos.
• Match the instrument. Ask why a composer picked a double bass for an elephant and a flute for a bird.
• Play bingo. Make a card of animals with the listening bingo maker.

For one kind of animal, read classical music about birds.

For lesson ideas, read Carnival of the Animals activities and Peter and the Wolf activities. For more music with a plot, read classical music that tells a story.