Au clair de la lune Au clair de la lune "" (, lit. "By the Light of the Moon") is a French folk song of the 18th century. Its composer and lyricist are unknown. Its simple melody () is commonly taught to beginners learning an instrument. Some sources report that "plume" (pen) was originally "lume" (an old word for "light" or "lamp"). 19th-century French composer Camille Saint-Saëns quoted the first few notes of the tune in the section "The Fossils", part of his suite "The Carnival of the Animals". Claude Debussy, composer of the similarly named "Clair de lune" from his "Suite bergamasque", uses "Au
Suite bergamasque animation for its intended segment (featuring herons in the Florida Everglades at night) being recycled for the "Blue Bayou" segment of the later film "Make Mine Music". However, the "Claire de lune" segment was later restored after a workprint of it was rediscovered in 1992, complete with original score by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and is included as a bonus feature in some later releases of "Fantasia". The 1953 ballet "L'ange gris" utilised orchestrations by André Caplet ("Clair de lune") and Gustave Cloëz (the other three pieces). "Passepied" has been arranged by the Punch Brothers for bluegrass instrumentation