Le cygne#"Notte Stellata (The Swan)" by Yuzuru Hanyu

{{listen|type=music

|filename=JOHN MICHEL CELLO-SAINT SAENS CARNIVAL OF ANIMALS THE SWAN.ogg

|title="Le cygne" (The Swan)

|description=Performed by John Michel, cello

|filename3=20091104 Alisa Weilerstein and Jason Yoder - Saint Saëns' The Swan.ogg

|title3="Le cygne" (The Swan)

|description3=Performed by Alisa Weilerstein (cello) and Jason Yoder (marimba)

}}

The piece is in 6/4 (time signature), with a key signature of G major and a tempo marking andantino grazioso.{{Cite web |last=Musescore |title=The Swan |url=https://musescore.com/mooing/scores/1752116#:~:text=Originally%20scored%20for%20solo%20cello,a%20tempo%20marking%20andantino%20grazioso. |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Musescore.com |language=en}} The slow cello melody is accompanied by almost constant broken chord figurations on the pianos. When performed as a separate movement, not in the context of The Carnival, "The Swan" is frequently played with accompaniment on only one piano.

This is the only movement from The Carnival of the Animals that the composer allowed to be played in public during his lifetime.{{Cite web |title=Classical Sprouts: Saint-Saens 'The Swan' |url=https://www.interlochenpublicradio.org/podcast/classical-sprouts/2024-04-01/classical-sprouts-saint-saens-the-swan |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Interlochen Public Radio |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=The Swan - Steinway & Sons |url=https://www.steinway.com/news/features/the-swan-arnold-steinhardt |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241107233945/https://www.steinway.com/news/features/the-swan-arnold-steinhardt |archive-date=2024-11-07 |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=www.steinway.com |language=en}} He thought the remaining movements were too frivolous and would damage his reputation as a serious composer.

"Le cygne" illustrates the fleeting nature of beauty with its interpretation of the legend of the "swan song": A popular (albeit erroneous) belief among the ancient Greeks,{{Cite web |title=CYCNUS (Kyknos) - Ligurian King of Greek Mythology |url=https://www.theoi.com/Heros/KyknosLigurios.html |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=www.theoi.com}} who regarded the swan as among the most beautiful of animals,{{Cite web |last=Reformer.com |date=2008-02-06 |title=The mute swan: A varied symbol in myth and lore |url=https://www.reformer.com/local-news/the-mute-swan-a-varied-symbol-in-myth-and-lore/article_33ee5a6b-02ba-5127-bd0f-21cae1808f8f.html |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Brattleboro Reformer |language=en}} was that the mute swan is silent until its final moments of life, during which it sings the most beautiful of all birdsongs.

In the 1890s, Louis van Waefelghem arranged Le cygne for Viola or Viola d'amore accompanied by piano. This adaptation was subsequently published by the French music publisher Durand (publisher) in 1895. Around the same time, pianist Leopold Godowsky created a well-known free transcription for solo piano,{{Cite book |last=Dubal |first=David |title=The art of the piano: its performers, literature, and recordings |date=2004 |publisher=Amadeus Press |isbn=978-1-57467-088-2 |edition=3rd ed., rev. and expanded |location=Pompton Plains, N.J}} adding to the piece’s growing popularity.{{Cite book |last=Hinson |first=Maurice |title=The pianist's guide to transcriptions, arrangements, and paraphrases |date=March 1, 2001 |publisher=Indiana Univ. Pr |isbn=978-0-253-21456-0 |edition=Nachdr. |location=Bloomington, Ind.}}

In a notable 20th-century interpretation, a young Gary Karr, at just 20 years old, performed the melody on double bass in Leonard Bernstein's recording of the work{{Citation |title=Prokofiev, Saint-Saëns, Britten - New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein - Children's Classics |date=1998 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/24120893-Prokofiev-Saint-Sa%C3%ABns-Britten-New-York-Philharmonic-Leonard-Bernstein-Childrens-Classics?srsltid=AfmBOorGqS4TDJj2RvIUuP29hZnr9B_SWBmNtRQ6Bbm2WlfDnRJ5p7p7 |access-date=2025-04-17 |language=en}} with the New York Philharmonic. The piece has also been interpreted vocally; soprano Montserrat Caballé recorded a version in which she vocalizes portions of the melody,{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na0MLtFjNfE |title=Montserrat Caballe Vocalise über Der Schwan von Saint-Saens |date=2022-01-16 |last=Paleyd |access-date=2025-04-17 |via=YouTube}} supported by piano accompaniment.

The Thereminist Clara Rockmore brought the piece into the realm of Electronic music in the early 20th century, performing it on theremin with piano accompaniment by her sister, Nadia Reisenberg. Owing to its gentle tempo and smooth, Legato phrasing, Le cygne is well-suited to the expressive capabilities of the theremin. As a result, it has become a staple of the instrument’s repertoire, often performed alongside other lyrical works such as Sergei Rachmaninoff's Vocalise (Rachmaninoff) and Jules Massenet's Méditation from Thaïs.

In 1995, Euphonium soloist Steven Mead arranged Le cygne for euphonium and piano,{{Cite web |title=Saint-Saens arr. Mead - The Swan |url=https://euphonium.com/products/saint-saens-arr-mead-the-swan?srsltid=AfmBOoqRtyDfbu-fTLl8Nu-EYpeCa1mbZSUlVNbrXJ9jUwSVyJK5Gjzz |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=TubaMusic.com & Euphonium.com |language=en}} transposing it to the key of E-flat major. The piece has also inspired popular and contemporary interpretations. Italian songwriter Tony Renis wrote lyrics for a version titled Notte Stellata{{Cite web |title=Song: Notte stellata written by Tony Renis {{!}} SecondHandSongs |url=https://secondhandsongs.com/work/116227/all |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=secondhandsongs.com}} (The Swan), featured on the debut album of the pop-opera trio Il Volo. In 2021, the Italian jazz group No Trio for Cats offered a reinterpretation under the title O Cisne de Janeiro,{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIofpLGIWKU |title=O Cisne de Janeiro {{!}} No Trio for Cats |date=2021-08-13 |last=Extended Place |access-date=2025-04-17 |via=YouTube}} giving the piece a jazz-infused character. Additionally, an upbeat, accelerated version of Le cygne was produced for inclusion in the video game Gran Turismo 7, introducing the work to a new generation of listeners through digital media.

{{further|The Dying Swan}}

"Le cygne" is often known as The Dying Swan, after a poem by Tennyson. Inspired by swans that she had seen in public parks, Anna Pavlova worked with choreographer Michel Fokine, who had read the poem, to create the famous 1905 solo ballet dance which is now closely associated with this music. According to tradition, the swan in Pavlova's dance is badly injured and dying. However, Maya Plisetskaya re-interpreted the swan simply as elderly and stubbornly resisting the effects of aging; much like herself (she performed The Swan at a gala on her 70th birthday). Eventually the piece came to be considered one of Pavlova's trademarks.{{sfn|Garafola|2005|pp=155–156}}

{{See also|Yuzuru Hanyu Notte Stellata}}

File:2018 Winter Olympics - Gala Exhibition - Photo 278.jpg" at the 2018 Winter Olympics]]

Japanese figure skater and two-time Olympic champion, Yuzuru Hanyu, used Il Volo's adaption of Saint Saëns' "Le cygne", titled "Notte Stellata (The Swan)", as a program music at exhibition galas of various major skating competitions, including the 2017 World Championships, 2018 Winter Olympics, and the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final.{{r|SN191209|SS201221}} The song was suggested to him by Russian coach Tatiana Tarasova and choreographed by David Wilson from Canada.{{r|SS201221|p=2}}

Hanyu performed the program as a tribute to the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. On March 11, 2011, he was practising at his home rink in Sendai, when the earthquake hit the north-east coast of Japan. The program is a reflection of his own memories, having experienced a blackout at the evacuation center on the night of the disaster. In 2018, Hanyu performed the program at the annual charity event {{ill|24-hour TV "Love Saves the Earth"|ja|24時間テレビ 「愛は地球を救う」}} on Nippon TV.{{r|ON180825}} His annual ice show with the title Yuzuru Hanyu Notte Stellata is a special commemoration event of the earthquake, held at Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Rifu on the weekend of March 11.{{r|IOC230110}}

Hanyu's program served as inspiration for the ballet performance "Notte Stellata" by the American Crescendo Conservatory, led by Christina Valdez, at the Kauffmann Performing Arts Center in Kansas City, Missouri on June 16, 2019.{{r|JT190509|IOC190518}}

In 1949 the American synchronized swimmer Beulah Gundling created a routine inspired by Fokine's choreography and entitled "The Swan" to "Le cygne" by Saint-Saëns.{{sfn|Heim|2006|p=88}}{{failed verification|date=August 2023|reason=Doesn't mention "Le Cygne" or Fokine or Saint-Saëns}}

{{Reflist|30em|refs=

{{Cite news|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2118252/full/|script-title=ja:『24時間テレビ』羽生結弦、ふるさとへの想い込め得意技披露|trans-title=24-hour TV: Yuzuru Hanyu shows off his special skills with a message for his hometown|work=Oricon|location=Minato, Tokyo|language=ja|date=August 25, 2018|archive-date=July 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719031941/https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2118252/full/|url-status=live}}

{{Cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2019/05/09/figure-skating/salute-hanyu-u-s-ballet-troupe-paying-tribute-legend/|title=Salute to Hanyu: U.S. Ballet troupe paying tribute to legend|newspaper=The Japan Times|first=Jack|last=Gallagher|location=Chiyoda, Tokyo|language=en-US|issn=0447-5763|url-access=subscription|date=May 9, 2019|archive-date=May 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509101602/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2019/05/09/figure-skating/salute-hanyu-u-s-ballet-troupe-paying-tribute-legend/|url-status=live}}

{{Cite news|url=https://olympics.com/en/news/yuzuru-hanyu-ballet-piano-tributes-meets-alysa-liu|title=Yuzuru Hanyu inspires ballet and piano tributes, and meets Alysa Liu|work=International Olympic Committee|first=Rory|last=Jiwani|location=Lausanne|date=May 18, 2019|archive-date=October 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028134136/https://olympics.com/en/news/yuzuru-hanyu-ballet-piano-tributes-meets-alysa-liu|url-status=live}}

{{Cite news|url=https://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2019/12/09/kiji/20191209s00079000164000c.html|script-title=ja:羽生に大歓声エキシビションで「星降る夜」の華麗な舞い|trans-title=Big cheers for Hanyu's brilliant performance to "Notte Stellata" at the exhibition gala|newspaper=Sports Nippon|location=Chiyoda, Tokyo|language=ja|date=December 9, 2019|archive-date=January 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104165610/https://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2019/12/09/kiji/20191209s00079000164000c.html|url-status=live}}

{{Cite news|url=https://sportiva.shueisha.co.jp/clm/othersports/figure/2020/12/21/post_71/|script-title=ja:羽生結弦がタラソワ氏から贈られたプログラムで披露した成長|trans-title=The growth that Yuzuru Hanyu showed in the program gifted by Tarasova|magazine=Sportiva|publisher=Shueisha|first=Toshimi|last=Oriyama|location=Chiyoda, Tokyo|language=ja|url-access=subscription|date=December 21, 2020|archive-date=December 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221020137/https://sportiva.shueisha.co.jp/clm/othersports/figure/2020/12/21/post_71/|url-status=live}}

{{Cite news|url=https://olympics.com/en/news/hanyu-yuzuru-new-ice-show-notte-stellata-miyagi|title=Hanyu Yuzuru to bring new ice show "notte stellata" to home prefecture Miyagi in March|work=International Olympic Committee|location=Lausanne|date=January 10, 2023|archive-date=January 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110124433/https://olympics.com/en/news/hanyu-yuzuru-new-ice-show-notte-stellata-miyagi|url-status=live}}

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• {{Cite book|title=Legacies of Twentieth-century Dance|publisher=Wesleyan University Press|first=Lynn|last=Garafola|location=Middletown, Connecticut|date=January 28, 2005|url=https://archive.org/details/legaciesoftwenti0000gara/page/155|isbn=978-0819566744}}
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• {{IMSLP|work=Le carnaval des animaux (Saint-Saëns, Camille)|cname=Le carnaval des animaux}}

{{Camille Saint-Saëns}}

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Category:Chamber music by Camille Saint-Saëns

Category:1886 compositions

Category:Music about swans

Category:Compositions for cello