The Carnival of the Animals (the original uses two pianos). Saint-Saëns did specify in his will that the work should be published posthumously. Following his death in December 1921, the work was published by Durand in Paris in April 1922 and the first public performance was given on 25 February 1922 by Concerts Colonne (the orchestra of Édouard Colonne). "Carnival" has since become one of Saint-Saëns's best-known works, played by the original eleven instrumentalists, or more often with the full string section of an orchestra. Normally a glockenspiel substitutes for the rare glass harmonica. Ever popular with music teachers and young children, it is often
Carnival in the Netherlands and Vorarlberg (Western Austria). It traditionally represents the time of year when the reign of the cold, grim winter spirits is over and these spirits are being driven out and expelled by the Carnaval rituals. Also the ritual re-enactment of the Wild Hunt was a cultural phenomenon among many Gallic and Germanic peoples. There is evidence that the ancient Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Bacchanalia may have been absorbed into the Italian carnival, while other scholars say that there is insufficient evidence to draw any connection between these festivals and the modern Christian Carnival. The Saturnalia, in turn, may be