Saint-Saëns' wonderous Aquarium
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Today we share an analysis of Aquarium from The Carnival of the Animals (1886) by Camille Saint-Saëns. This piece, premiered posthumously at the composer’s request, stands out for its colourful use of timbre within a small chamber ensemble and its economy compositional means, a concept the French call dépouillement. Several of these elements appear to stem, at various structural levels, from the melody's initial interval: the semitone.
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Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)
Performance: Royal Promenade Orchestra with Alfred Gerhardt
Video made by MomentsMusicaux.