Thread - Composition Notes

The Silver Swan first appeared as a madrigal composed by Orlando Gibbons and published in 1612. Gibbons may also have written the text, which is based on the ancient lore that swans, while devoid of the gift of song throughout life, utter musical notes upon their dying breath.

Not the only composer to re-use the poem, Kemble Stout offers it as an SSTBB 6-part chorus accompanied by an equal number of string parts. Both the string and vocal parts exhibit a substantial amount of imitative counterpoint, lending melodic interest to the piece. While the work is decidedly tonal, the final chord is based on the dominant rather than the tonic, creating a slightly unsettled feeling. Perhaps Stout deliberately inserted this musical ‘blunder’ in order to underscore the final phrase “more fools than wise.”