Silver Dagger

When Stacy Garrop first heard the Appalachian folk song Silver Dagger at a folk festival, the simplicity of the melody and its cautionary love tale enthralled her, leading to several years researching the song. She discovered dozens of variants of the song’s text, melody, and title. Garrop’s trio is inspired by two versions of the folk song, as well as motives from a third version — her exquisite setting of the folk tunes creates a fascinating 5-minute work.