The Croon of the Sea (1920)

The Croon of the Sea (1920)
The Croon of the Sea is one of Swain’s earliest published works.

The work is dedicated ‘To Arthur Alexander’, her teacher, who became her husband in 1921.

As in numerous other works by Swain, the sea served as the source of inspiration for this
particular work. It is a wholly coherent piece in B flat minor, in a wonderfully late-Romantic
style. After a gently swaying, reflective opening, a melody marked cantabile takes up
the action. It grows to a big climax, which drives forward into heroic dimensions. At the
end, the opening motif is heard again, thus completing an a-b-a form, albeit a free one.
No wonder that a year after his young student dedicated this passionate music to him, Arthur Alexander married her.