The Swan (Le Cygne) sheet music

Saint-Saëns thought The Carnival of the Animals was too frivolous for his reputation and banned performances of it during his lifetime — with one exception. The Swan, originally cello over two pianos, was the single movement he let out, and it became his most famous piece anyway. The rippling accompaniment is the water; the melody above it is the bird, gliding while everything underneath keeps moving.