Written for the play The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster (first presented by the King's Men, the early 1600s theater group of which William Shakespeare was a member and for whom he wrote plays), this song for deep baritone or bass and ten-string lute opens with boisterous, aggressive, macho energy:

O let us howl some heavy note,

Some deadly, dogged howl,

Sounding as from the threatening throat

Of beasts and fatal fowl.

As ravens, screech owls, bulls and bears,

We'll bell and bawl our parts . . .

Nearly every word is embellished with thrusting, scale-wise notes, giving a bellowing character to the text. The refrain, however, has an altogether different quality, with a single, gently lyrical note for each word:

At last, when as our choir wants breath,

Our bodies being blest,

We'll sing, like swans, to welcome death,

And die in love and rest.

This refrain is repeated in even more angelic tones, and the line "We'll sing, like swans" is sung several times, drawing a beautiful picture of these most graceful creatures—who become a metaphor for the overcoming of animalistic bravado.

© "Blue" Gene Tyranny, Rovi