Saint-Saëns for kids: his life, his music, and what to play first

Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer who lived from 1835 to 1921. He wrote The Carnival of the Animals, a musical zoo with a lion, an elephant, kangaroos, and a swan. He wrote it as a joke for his friends and did not want it played in public while he lived. The best first piece for a child is “The Swan,” where a cello glides over two rippling pianos.

His name is said “san-SAHNS.”

Quick facts

• Born: 1835, in Paris, France
• Died: 1921, in Algiers, Algeria
• Era: Romantic
• Played: piano and organ
• Known for: The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, and the “Organ” Symphony

The life in short

Saint-Saëns was raised by his mother and his great-aunt, who began teaching him piano when he was two. He wrote his first small piece before he was four.

At ten, he gave a public concert in Paris. He played concertos by Mozart and Beethoven from memory.

He grew up to be one of the leading organists in France. For about 20 years he played the organ at the Madeleine, a large church in Paris.

Music was only one of his interests. He studied the stars through his own telescope, wrote poems and plays, and read about math and ancient history. He traveled to many countries and spent many winters in North Africa.

In 1908, he wrote the music for a short silent film. He was among the first well-known composers to write a film score.

He lived to 86 and gave concerts into his last year.

The Carnival of the Animals

Saint-Saëns wrote the Carnival in 1886, during a holiday. It has 14 short pieces. He let friends hear it in private and then put it away. He allowed only “The Swan” to be printed in his lifetime. The whole set was published in 1922, the year after he died.

The Carnival of the Animals listening guide goes through each animal.

What the music sounds like

Saint-Saëns wrote clear, tidy music with tunes that are easy to follow. He had a sense of fun, and he knew just which instrument would paint each picture.

Four pieces to play first

“The Swan,” from The Carnival of the Animals. A cello plays a long, smooth tune. Two pianos ripple underneath as the water.

“Aquarium,” from The Carnival of the Animals. High, shimmering notes drift down like light through water. Ask your child what is swimming.

“Fossils,” from The Carnival of the Animals. A xylophone clatters like dry bones. Saint-Saëns hid nursery tunes in it, including “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

Danse macabre. A harp plays one note twelve times as a clock strikes midnight. A solo violin tunes up with a harsh, crooked sound. Skeletons dance, and a xylophone rattles as their bones. At the end, an oboe crows like a rooster, and the dancers slip away. It is spooky in a storybook way, and it suits late October.

Things to do together

Name the animal. Play a piece from the Carnival with no title. Ask which animal it is and what gave it away.

Midnight count. At the start of Danse macabre, count the twelve chimes on your fingers.

Skeleton dance. Dance with stiff arms and legs to Danse macabre. Drop to the floor when the rooster crows.

Same sound, two pieces. Play “Fossils” and then Danse macabre. Saint-Saëns used the xylophone for bones in both. In “Fossils,” he quotes his own skeleton tune as a joke.

Print and play

Print the Saint-Saëns fact sheet. It has the story, three pieces, and room to write and draw. To learn about the xylophone and its family, read percussion instruments for kids.

For all 24 composers by era, see classical composers for kids.