Review

Camille Saint-Saëns
Carnival of the Animals:

Arranged by Gerald Zaffuts


Newton, IA, United States
Publisher: TAP Music Sales
Date of Publication: 1984

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 9+ trombones (choir)

This arrangement of the Saint-Saëns classic is intriguing. First the positives: the scoring is both interesting and even more importantly accessible. The high end of range is c2, which is infrequent and occurs in parts 1-5 but is always doubled. Low range extends to FF in parts 10 and 12 and to AA in parts 9 and 11; these are also doubled. These range limits make the work accessible to a college choir, including those with just undergraduates. Parts are rhythmically homogeneous usually in groups of three, four or even six. While there are twelve separate parts, rhythmic unisons allow for a choir to perform it with as few as six or seven strong independent players. However, independence of harmony gives the choir a full, rich sound. While the entire work is nineteen minutes, the piece is divided, as the original is, into short movements. The arranger has chosen ten of the original fourteen movements eschewing movements III (wild asses), VI (aquarium), VIII (characters with long ears), and X (aviary). The order has also been altered from the original. As with any transcription there are going to be sections that work better than others. Coming from the orchestral score with two pianos, there are certainly some movements that suffer from a loss of color and texture. The arranger is creative here with mute usage and to some extent is successful. My personal favorites will not however be a surprise to those that know the original work. They are March of the Lions, The Elephant, The Swan (of course), and the Finale. All things considered I believe this is a quality work that when performed using some of the movements will be an effective and enjoyable addition to any trombone choir performance.

-Thomas Zugger
Capital University