The Silver Swan - by Orlando Gibbons (baptised 25 December 1583 – 5 June 1625), Arranged By Dean W. Smith.

Gibbons 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. Gibbons was born in Cambridge and christened at Oxford the same year – thus appearing in Oxford church records. Between 1596 and 1598 he sang in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, where his brother Edward Gibbons (1568–1650), eldest of the four sons of William Gibbons, was master of the choristers.

The second brother Ellis Gibbons (1573–1603) was also a promising composer, but died young. Orlando entered the university in 1598 and achieved the degree of Bachelor of Music in 1606. James I appointed him a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, where he served as an organist from at least 1615 until his death. The Silver Swan is probably the most famous madrigal by Orlando Gibbons. It is scored for 5 voices (in most sources, soprano (S), alto (A), tenor (T), baritone (Bar) and bass (B), although some specify SSATB instead) and presents the legend that mute swans sing only just before their death (the swan song).

This product is available for digital download only - the item includes :

• Score
• 1. Trumpet part in Bb
• 2. Trumpet part in Bb
• French Horn part
• Trombone part in bass clef
• Tuba part in bass clef