The Carnival of the Animals cello solo (which evokes the swan elegantly gliding over the water) is played over rippling sixteenths in one piano and rolled chords in the other (said to represent the swan's feet, hidden from view beneath the water, propelling it along). A staple of the cello repertoire, this is one of the most well-known movements of the suite, usually in the version for cello with solo piano which was the only publication of this work in Saint-Saëns's lifetime. More than twenty other arrangements of this movement have also been published, with solo instruments ranging from flute to alto saxophone. A short
The Carnival of the Animals from the first movement, ", through portraits of elephants and donkeys ("Those with Long Ears") to a finale reprising many of the earlier motifs. Several of the movements are of humorous intent: In 1949, Ogden Nash wrote a set of humorous verses to accompany each movement for a Columbia Masterworks recording of "Carnival of the Animals" conducted by Andre Kostelanetz. They were recited on the original album by Noël Coward, dubbed over or spliced in between sections of the previously recorded music. The poems are now often included when the work is performed, though usually recited before each piece. The