Teacher Resources - Le Carnaval des Animaux

In Carnival of the Animals, Saint Saëns pokes fun at old tired tunes, which ought to be buried and forgotten. His musical fossils include French folk songs, and even his own Danse Macabre. Saint Saens also has fun at the expense of amateur nineteenth century fossil hunters, and the ‘chippy’ sound of the xylophone recalls the sounds of small hammers tapping away at cliff-side fossil beds during days out at the seaside.

Nineteenth century fossil hunter Mary Anning (1799 – 1847) was called ‘The Princess of Palaeontology’. Her contribution to our understanding of the fossil record is highlighted by the Natural History Museum in a series of free KS2 videoconference events for schools. Sessions are accompanied by a set of excellent teachers’ resources, linked with the QCA Science schemes of work. Contact the Natural History Museum on 020 7942 5556

Mary Anning and her father explored the cliff-side fossil beds near Lyme Regis, selling finds to tourists. A fall led to her father’s death, and Mary, her mother and her brother were left penniless. The two children started collecting fossils full time to scrape a living, selling them from a table outside their late father’s carpenter’s shop.

In QCA’s KS2 Art Unit, People in Action, children explore ways of conveying movement in their work, exploring dynamic activities like sport, dance, drama and music as a starting point for making work in two dimensions. They look at how the idea of movement is shown in different kinds of art, such as photography, illustrations, cartoons, etc. experimenting with different methods and techniques to show movement.

Representations of animal movement could also be explored, encouraging research into early experiments in cinematography, including an exploration of a range of optical toys designed to create the illusion of movement. Saint Saens would certainly have been familiar with a number of these. .

Download Resource Document (Word:35KB)

Katharine Langley-Hamel and Kevin Hamel

Animal Fact Sheets
African Lion (PDF)
Andean Condor (PDF)
Black Swan (PDF)

These animal fact sheets appear courtesy of the South Lakes Wild Animal Park.

Ah Vous Dirai Je Maman 2 (Kar)

Au Claire de la Lune (Kar)

Kangaroos (Kar)

Tortoise (Kar)

The Carnival of the Animals CD Rom and DVD pack is available from Lancashire Music Service and Cumbria Learning Support (Music)

Camille Saint-Saëns’ expert knowledge of animal behaviour is reflected in his Carnival of the Animals, a suite of musical sketches celebrating Mardi Gras.

Saint Saëns’ engaging carnival is interpreted through the eyes of orchestral musicians, wildlife experts, a Bharat Natyam dancer, West African musicians and a performance poet. Each offers creative activities and challenges, connecting with exciting programmes of workshops and concerts