In Camille Saint-Saëns’s “The Swan,” the cello carries the famous solo melody.
“The Swan” is the thirteenth movement of Saint-Saëns’s 1886 suite The Carnival of the Animals. Its graceful, singing cello line is accompanied by two pianos, whose flowing arpeggios suggest the swan gliding across water. The movement is often performed separately from the complete suite and is also known by its French title, “Le Cygne.”
The cello suits the music because its range and tone can resemble the human voice, combining warmth with a smooth, lyrical sound. Although the movement is commonly associated with a solo cello, arrangements exist for other instruments, including violin and piano. Those arrangements do not change the original orchestral scoring: Saint-Saëns wrote the featured part for cello.
The Carnival of the Animals was initially intended as a private work, and Saint-Saëns restricted public performances of most of it during his lifetime. “The Swan” was an exception and became one of his best-known pieces.