The Tale of Tsar Saltan
The "Flight of the Bumblebee" was written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, in 1899–1900, as part of his opera, "The Tale of Tsar Saltan". The piece is one of the most recognizable pieces in classical composition. The bumblebee in the story is a prince who has been transformed into an insect so that he can fly off to visit his father. The play upon which the opera was based – written by Alexandr Pushkin – originally had two more insect themes: the Flight of the Mosquito and the Flight of the Fly.