Walter H. Rubsamen Music Library

What the Swallows Did is from the short story of the same name by Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888). The text is the man’s farewell to the swallows whom he had grown fond of after a summer spent together. 

The music paints the words, falling in couplets and imitating flight in rising patterns. The piece can be sung by three women’s voices, or with doubling up to 12 voices