“Flight of the Bumblebee” is a short piece for orchestra by the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. It lasts about a minute and a half. Fast notes run up and down without a break, and the sound is so much like a buzzing bee that children know what it is at once. It comes from an opera based on a Russian fairy tale, first performed in 1900.
It suits a toddler or a preschooler, because it is over before anyone can get bored.
Quick facts
- Composer: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, from Russia
- From: the opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, first performed in 1900
- Length: about a minute and a half
- Listen for: fast notes that never stop
- Good to know: it has been arranged for almost every instrument, from the violin to the tuba
The story behind it
The opera tells a fairy tale from a poem by the Russian writer Pushkin.
A prince is cast out to sea as a baby with his mother, and he grows up on a far-off island. He saves the life of a swan, who turns out to be a magic princess. The prince longs to see his father, the Tsar, who does not know his son is alive.
The swan helps. She turns the prince into a bumblebee, so that he can fly across the sea and visit his father’s court without being seen. This music plays as he flies off. In the tale, he also stings the wicked aunts who caused all the trouble.
Why it sounds like a bee
The notes are close together. The tune creeps up and down by the smallest steps there are in music. On a piano, that means every key in a row, white and black. Notes this close make a buzzing blur.
The notes are fast. They come in an even stream, with no long notes to rest on.
The tune swoops. It climbs, dives, and circles, the way a bee flies around a flower.
It gets soft and loud. The bee flies near, then far, then near again.
What to listen for
Who has the bee? In the orchestra version, the buzzing passes between the flutes, the clarinets, and the violins. Watch a video and see who is playing it.
The plucked notes. Under the buzzing, the low strings pluck a steady beat.
The ending. The bee flies off with a last upward swoop and one soft pluck.
Other versions
Players love to show off with this piece. There are versions for piano, violin, trumpet, flute, xylophone, guitar, and even tuba. Search for a few and compare them. Ask your child which instrument makes the best bee.
Things to do together
Be the bee. Buzz around the room with your arms tucked in as wings. Fly high when the notes go up and low when they go down. Land on a flower at the last note.
Finger bee. Fly one finger through the air, following the tune up and down.
Race the bee. Try to do a small job, such as putting on socks, before the piece ends.
Draw the flight. Put a crayon on paper and do not lift it until the music stops. The line shows the bee’s path.
Fast and slow. Play this piece, then play “The Swan.” Ask which is fast and which is slow. The words for speed are in tempo words in music.
Buzz on the keys. At a piano, play every key in a row, black and white, up and then down, as fast as you can. That is the bee’s scale.
More short pieces
If your child likes this one, try “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” “Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks,” and the Russian Dance from The Nutcracker. All three are in classical music for preschoolers. The piece picker has more under the lively and funny moods.
About the composer
Rimsky-Korsakov lived from 1844 to 1908. He was an officer in the Russian navy before he became a full-time composer and teacher. He was a master at writing for the orchestra, and his students included Igor Stravinsky. He also finished and arranged music by his friend Mussorgsky, including Night on Bald Mountain.
Print and play
A listening journal page gives a child a place to draw the bee. More guides are listed in classical music listening guides for kids.
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This article is part of Classical music listening guides for kids: famous pieces, one at a time.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.