The second volume of Bernstein's Birds follows the first with 9 more studies inspired by birds. These pieces are atonal and provide a great introduction to this type of repertoire for intermediate level pianists. The Swan is a homage to Saint-Säens' own Swan from the Carnival of the Animals (with a quote from it in the last two bars). This piece floats very loosely around the key of F major but creates an almost eerie atmosphere by exploring distant and dissonant harmonies. It requires very clear voicing to bring out the different layers and good pedal technique to control so many nuanced passages.