So in the summer 1880, which he spent in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Saint-Saëns composed three other movements: on 12 July in a letter to Durand he wrote that he began working on them.
The whole suite had its first performance in Paris on 19 December 1880 with Édouard Colonne as conductor.
The audience loved it and the composition was published by Durand, Schoenewerk et Cie. the next year with a dedication to Albert Kopff, an ophthalmologist of Alsatian origin, who became a friend of Saint-Saëns during his stay in Algeria.
He was also an excellent pianist and published arrangements of works by Saint-Saëns under pseudonym A. Benfeld.
The work is scored for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns (2 natural, 2 valved), 2 trumpets (valved), 2 cornets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, snare drum, triangle, tambourine, cymbals, bass drum and strings.