The madrigal arrived in England from Italy late in its history and enjoyed only a brief period of ascendancy. In general terms it is lighter in form than its Italian parent. It reached its apogee in the works of Thomas Morley, Thomas Weelkes, and John Wilbye, and one of the most famous of all examples was composed by Orlando Gibbons.

The silver Swanne is a madrigal for five voices which first appeared in Gibbons' First Set of Madrigals or Motetts of 5 Parts in 1612. The text is on the familiar topic of the song of the swan (it had featured in a number of Italian madrigals), which gives voice only in its death throes. To this Gibbons adds a topical sting in the final lines: "More Geese than Swannes now live, more fooles than wise." Musically this madrigal is atypical of the form in some ways, being less complex contrapuntally and relying more on its memorable melodic shape for its touching effect on the listener. This direct appeal was doubtless responsible for its enduring popularity, a popularity that was revived in the eighteenth century when it was frequently performed as an exemplar of the past glories of English music, and frequently republished in books of part-songs and glees.

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