orlando gibbons - silver swan

[LadyofDarkness1363]

This is heavenly music... Simply ethereal...

[allengarvin]

Ugh, the accompaniment, the instrumentation, it sounds like some horrible recording you might find on a late-70s 8-track tape. Why not let Gibbons' original setting speak for itself? Apt for Voices or Vyolls.

[TheAngelxAsphyxiated]

Im singing this for my all-county audition. I cant wait!

[vegatabletarian]

Thanks for uploading this - it sounds amazing :)

[jimmydeboy]

beautiful, thanks for uploading for all our enjoyment

[robsten321]

This is not music. This is pure magic. *_*

[jensbuhler]

First reaction

[DCioccoloni]

why are people talking about the fucking Tea Party in the comments? does it have even the slightest reference to this music? If it doesn't, please kindly shut up and let us enjoy the music.

[rksouza1]

Is there a place to find the sheet music of this particular arrangement? I would love to be able to perform this! Or at least make an arrangement of this song for choir, using a similar format

[rksouza1]

I must say, as much as I like the choir version of this song, I like this version MUCH more. Renaissance music.... :3

[Darwinsman]

All these comments remind me of a story.

Two art gallery attendants were watching a man go from picture to picture leaving each one with a plaintive sigh and a sad frown.

One attendant says to the other. "what's wrong with him?"

The other attendant says, "He's an art expert. A very sad case."

"what do you mean?" says the first one.

The second one sighs and, turning to his Colleague, says, "He knows everything there is to know about art, but he doesn't know what he likes."

[TeaPartierPatriot]

Absolutely beautiful! I am just now getting back into classical music. After many many years of listening to many other genres. My interest is due in large part to the fact that soon I will be a father for the first time and have heard that playing classical can increase intelligence in your child and also inspire them to be more musical. Gibbons is going on the list! :) Thank you anacardiaceae for posting this!

[RemovdSande11]

@TeaPartierPatriot

scrap gibbons. Go straight to Bach and thank me later. Although it will have an influence on your child for sure don't "expect" anything out of the ordinary please!

[TeaPartierPatriot]

@RemovdSande11 Thank you. I will remember that for when we are able to conceive again. As I stated in another reply, we were not able to meet our beloved Baby Elisha. God has His reasons. We are grateful for his love of us and are confident He knew best and will hopefully give us another baby. :)

[vivek3000]

@TeaPartierPatriot

too bad your child is already screwed because you are a tea party member.

but at least you listen to good music.

[TeaPartierPatriot]

@vivek3000 What a completely absurd statement. Not to mention wildly inappropriate and offensive. Point of fact, we lost our baby Elisha but one day have faith the angels will place him/her in our arms. I am grateful for one thing. For my child will never know the hatred of this world. The hatred of people such as yourself. Hope you can look at yourself in the mirror now. If I were you, I don't think I could.

[vivek3000]

@TeaPartierPatriot hey man im sorry about your loss. truly. i guess the joke of my comment was lost in the virtual nature of the internet. im not a hater, im an adult. as an adult, im not sure why other adults can be tea partiers. it makes zero sense to any normal person, in any realm of existence. its no joke that your party is setting our beloved country back, but im sure you know that, despite willingly following it.

[vivek3000]

@TeaPartierPatriot that being said, a gibbons youtube video isnt really the forum for this discussion, and i honestly apologize for starting it. if you wanna get into it, send me a personal message. sorry about your lose bro.

hit me up and i can make it clear how absurd your ideals are. in the meantime, lets go USA!

[TeaPartierPatriot]

@vivek3000 I have no interest in sending you a personal message. If you think that the Tea Party is absurd, you and I have nothing to discuss. I highly doubt you know anything about it other than what the democrats have propagandized. You speak from a place of ignorance. You showed that much in your initial comment to me. I am not your bro. I have no further interest in hearing anything you have to say about anything.

[luigiperso]

wow...this is a great composer....who are the 5 saddos who don't like this timeless music

[luigiperso]

wow...this is a great composer

[mrrhum]

The only obscenity here is the desecration of a sublime piece of music. This is pure kitsch.

(BTW - I think rodofriend is right. The Italian song "Il bianco e dolce cigno" is clearly built around a death/orgasm double entendre, but I don't think that's what Gibbons had in mind in this particular song. That being said, this arrangement is still crap.)

[gjc82071]

There is obviously a synth/keyboard in the background here. IMO it's a nice mixture/blend

[singer1924]

Where is Gibbons? What is given here would make nice background music for the happy end of a film on a love story, but reference to Gibbons is misleading. And the "correction" of harmony towards the end... :-(

[singer1924]

Where is Gibbons? What is given here would make nice background music for the happy end of a film on a love story, but reference to Gibbons is misleading.

[BaroqueMusicOnly]

Orlando Gibbons (baptised 25 December 1583 – 5 June 1625) was an English composer, virginalist and organist of the late Tudor and early Jacobean periods. He was a leading composer in the England of his day.

[thisperfectworld]

What the hell is this doing mixed in with "let all mortal flesh"? Obscene. Who clicks on stuff to be virtually "rick-rolled" by a hymn mashup? Not I. Blah.

[MadMadMadTom]

Why don't you people stop arguing and just listen to the beautiful music. There is no need to interpret it, or explain it. Just listen and let it work its magic

[anacardiaceae]

@MadMadMadTom

this was the most reasonable comment I've ever read on this page.

[MrSummerdaze]

@anacardiaceae I feel the same way

[jetbur1417]

Ha! Ha! We are all fucked. The 300 year old tune is love.

[ratshit44]

everybody has their own interpretations of their video, I like a few others happen to think it is about the death of something so pure, and beautiful that gazing upon it would make your heart bleed with joy! I like this madrigal very well!

[divacollege]

u people seriously im 13 and even i can clearly see that this song is about the death of christ. this song is a hymn which would have been sung in churches and still is today.

[Straichen]

So I know that the renaissance era preceeded the age of recording, but I'm pretty sure the instruments were not quite this rounded and soft. Especially the shawm, which sounds like an oboe in this recording. This is like gibbons met up with New Age

[rodofriend]

I think you are confuing this with "Il bianco e dolce cigno".

[guiding3your3abyss]

WTF are these dogs telling about sexual lyrics..?

omg. how short cutted your edges of your brains must be, to fulfill such idioteque and disgusting thoughts, making these into words and claim your truth, as it says nothing less about your filth you're breeding in yourself..!

omg. what a rape!!!

[Breadallelogram]

This particular piece isn't about sex, but it's related to Jacques Arcadelt's "The Sweet White Swan," which is definitely about sex.

[blacked3mirror]

i prefer silver

many wear it, but it is untouchable to most

p.s. if you seem to be so sure; on what way is it related, as i do not consider it less as an insult..?

[pianomags]

@guiding3your3abyss Umm...the Fiddler has a very valid point.

Phrases like "thus I die" and "Fa la la" had at least double meanings back then, please do more research.

[ZeroTheHero17]

@guiding3your3abyss thank you :) I too am fed up with this rubbish

[PraecoNoctis]

@guiding3your3abyss I'm in music academia, I can tell you that you have to come out and agree with bollocks like that to be taken seriously!

[pedrodarias]

¡ qué bonito !

[MadMadMadTom]

I play a few of Gibbons keyboard pieces but this is far more beautiful. And it sounds completely modern - like it could have been composed yesterday for Hollywood film.

[lapanen007]

The modern feeling is due the harmonics, I think. (or rather, am quite sure) This, while being quite nice, isn't quite what it sounds when sung with the original notes.

[Shooshy17]

This is beautiful. Thank you for posting with written lyrics.

[MissLimLam]

WONDEROUS. Thanks for posting this. It is nice to hear such beautifully sad music

[theFiddler13]

This actually isn't sad music. It's highly sexual... I am working on my Doctorate in Music and studying this madrigal. There were tons of allusions to animals in these madrigals... and it is now a well founded scholarly contention that death often refers to orgasms. I.E. "The little Death" "Grip of Death" et. al. Think of Orlando Gibbons as the Renaissance's Marvin Gaye.

[MissLimLam]

Marvin Gaye? Hmm... Do you have any online references for that? I could totally use it in my project about early music!

[thelouisfanclub]

What? Whatever. This is not about orgasms. It's about a swan dying, and about the death of elegance.

It's a well known myth that swans don't sing until they are dying. That's a romantic enough thing to write music about don't you think?

Death can refer to orgasms but it doesn't mean it always does, esp. not here. I know you study it and everything but just back up a moment. How can you think that?

[theFiddler13]

In poetry, literature, etc... what is actually being discussed is NOT actually what is being discussed. Besides... this text wasn't even written by the composer. It is attributed to an anonymous poet of the time. This very same text was used by several other composers as well... this is the most famous setting. In TONS of scholarship THESE same points are made... do you think the church would have condoned blatant sexual lyrics being written, published, distributed?

[thelouisfanclub]

I wasn't implying he wrote the words, I just meant it is the sentiment in the words that attracted several composers to write music to it. Sex is not the be all and end all of our experiences, it's not the only thing to write about. Sadness is something that even lends itself to music better.

Writers certainly make covert references to other things sometimes, but as often as not they mean what they say. There are plenty of bawdy Tudor songs, as well, which the church probably didn't 'condone'

[thelouisfanclub]

but they were still written published and distributed.

[toxiclottie]

But in all fairness i bet almost every person having to study this piece of music will say that this song is about a dying swan. I like the other idea of it seeing as it's unique and different yet it also makes quite a lot of sense

[TheMaku]

Not sure if it's true, but I heard that Orlando went to brothels to find inspiration for this song.

[ZeroTheHero17]

@theFiddler13 death refers to death, not orgasms. I am a poet and composer and you people make up so much bs it drives me crazy!

[Zeobit]

@ZeroTheHero17 "Death refers to death, not orgasms"

Then let me for excample quote a line from John Dowland's "Come again, sweet love": "to see, to hear, to touch, to kiss, to DIE, to die with thee again in sweetest sympathy......"

It's a matter of fact, the Renaissance and Baroque were much less prudish than the e.g. 19th. century.

[anacardiaceae]

please people, why do you make most of it? what are those disputes for? sexual or not, just enjoy the piece, for god's sake !

vay amına koyiim arkadaş, amma mevzu yaptınız lan.

[Zeobit]

@anacardiaceae Believe me, I enjoy it deeply, it's a wonderful piece of music. I guess I should have made that clear in my last comment, sry for that,.

[anacardiaceae]

@Zeobit

I didn't mean to offend you, so you dont have to be sorry. I was referring in general.

I guess I'm tired of what goes around here on youtube, everything's a goddamn debate. what's matter with this people, I'll never understand

have a nice day, zeobit

[nicodagger]

@theFiddler13 True, good observation. I was taught that this song was Gibbons' literal "swan song" to the end of the glorious era of madrigal writing,bemoaning the dearth of excellence around him. Any truth to that?

[Clarkson007]

@theFiddler13 Well he definetly hasnt formed this music to give that sex emotion just to make the audience enjoy his music, I guess that the line ''leaning her breast upon the reedy shore'' can give a clue. the dying is swan is getting close to the ground as if getting close to the ''er fabric of life (out of which she was created)'' and doing so its like she's penetrating the barrier between herself and the ''fabric of life -universe w/e'' -hence that act can be described as being like sex

[Malaka57]

@theFiddler13 Confirmed by my choir director who studied medieval music and theology and would explain the songs to us. These people were subtle when compared to today. You can hardly stretch a metaphor today without an editor getting all uptight...

[BenBenBen46]

Exellent!!

[mamasnobodysbaby]

Were doing a choral version of this piece in the chamber ensemble of the Park Slope singers Spring concert.

This was the first piece of music they handed me. When all the parts in the chorus swelled together, I was moved to tears. I'm glad I got to sing the soprano part, 'cause I love this melody.

[anacardiaceae]

piccardy wasn't my choice. It is as is, in "a winter's solstice: silver anniversary edition". I couldn't question artists' intention, besides, I'd prefer a capella version. maybe next time I'll share it.

thanks for all comments. I'm glad to see people enjoying madrigals.

[mamasnobodysbaby]

...the weird thing is that full compliment of the chorus is singing the "Let All Mortal Flesh" piece included here.

I guess our maestro heard this and likes both pieces.

[frphilipmullen]

anacadriaceae, why did you choose Piccardy as the tune between the repeated Gibbons melody?

It is beautiful!

[frphilipmullen]

Bravissimo!

[BachLoveNat]

beautiful

[hanaleo7580]

Really awesome. Thanks for sharing this pure music!