![Camille Saint-Saëns Popular Songs Ranking [2026]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/FIrpp-inOpM/maxresdefault.webp)
Camille Saint-Saëns Popular Songs Ranking [2026]
French composer Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921), who began playing the piano at the age of two and created numerous magnificent works.
With a modern sound that even those not familiar with classical music can enjoy, it wouldn’t feel out of place rolling over the end credits of a film.
This time, we’ll introduce a ranking of some of his most popular pieces!
Camille Saint-Saëns Popular Songs Ranking [2026] (1–10)
Symphonic Poem ‘Danse Macabre’Camille Saint-Saëns1rank/position
A piece composed by Saint-Saëns based on his own song of the same name, which set to melody and piano accompaniment a poem by the French poet Henri Cazalis.
Danse macabre depicts people and the Grim Reaper dancing wildly atop graves, their bones clattering, in the face of the terror of death.
The piece follows the story’s timeline, with the music seeming to describe each scene as the narrative unfolds—so vivid that you can almost visualize it like a film.
Listen while imagining how the people and the Grim Reaper are dancing.
Dance of DeathCamille Saint-Saëns2rank/position
An orchestral piece composed by Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns in 1874.
Inspired by the medieval European tradition of the Dance of Death, this work explores the universal themes of life and death.
Written for solo violin and orchestra, the violin symbolizes Death, its eerie yet captivating melody threading throughout the piece.
The intense rhythms and dynamic orchestration underscore the impermanence and urgency of the danse macabre.
Since its release, it has been performed by orchestras around the world and preserved in numerous recordings.
It’s a perfect piece for those who want to revel in a spooky atmosphere on Halloween night.
Danse macabre in G minor, Op. 40Camille Saint-Saëns3rank/position
Danse macabre, a symphonic poem by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns and one of his most celebrated works, depicts the uncanny scene of skeletons beginning an eerie dance at the stroke of midnight.
It was first conceived as a song, then completed as an orchestral piece, and today it is performed in many forms, including piano four hands, two pianos, and violin solo.
Because these versions are arranged from the orchestral score, the four-hand rendition is naturally very challenging.
As you play, vividly imagine each scene and craft a compelling performance that draws the audience in.
The Swan from The Carnival of the AnimalsCamille Saint-Saëns4rank/position
One of the fourteen pieces in The Carnival of the Animals, a suite composed by Camille Saint-Saëns, a leading French composer.
Among the movements featuring animals like lions and elephants, The Swan shines like a jewel of the cello repertoire.
It appears at the very end, after the lively animals.
Over a piano accompaniment that evokes the surface of a lake, the cello portrays a swan gliding gracefully, scattering droplets as it swims.
Beloved for its beautiful melody, it is the most popular piece in the suite.
swanCamille Saint-Saëns5rank/position
The Carnival of the Animals consists of 14 pieces, depicting creatures like elephants, kangaroos, and tortoises, but because many movements parody and poke fun at other works, it was not published during the composer’s lifetime.
Among them, “The Swan” is famous as a ballet piece under the title “The Dying Swan.” In the ballet, it portrays a lone swan on a lake, wounded and struggling as it tries to take flight.
At my school, it was even used as the background music at dismissal.
Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 78, R. 176 “Organ”: IIc. MaestosoCamille Saint-Saëns6rank/position
A French composer, pianist, and organist active from the 19th to the 20th century.
Like Mozart, he was regarded as a prodigy, said to have played the piano at age two and composed at age three.
From boyhood he was interested in many fields, and is said to have reached a first-rate level in poetry, astronomy, mathematics, and painting.
In this piece, the Gregorian chant Dies irae (“Day of Wrath”) is used as a cyclic theme unifying the entire work.
It is a popular composition known for its majestic sonorities created by pipe organ and full orchestra.
Bacchanale from the opera Samson and DelilahCamille Saint-Saëns7rank/position
The exotic, evocative melody at the beginning instantly draws you into the world of the piece.
Once you’re captivated, the music barrels forward nonstop, overwhelming you with its momentum.
There’s also a wind band arrangement, and it’s a piece that’s frequently performed at wind ensemble concerts.