the concerto's title, translated as "the swan turner", comes from the name of the last and fourth german folk song used (namely in the third movement), entitled "seid ihr nicht der schwanendreher" ("aren't you the swan turner?"). the original context of "swan turner" in medieval times is that of a cook's assistant who would turn the handle of a spit on which swans were roasting. however, in the context of the concerto itself (and evidenced in the text of the folk song), the meaning programmatically seems to refer to a wandering medieval minstrel, or organ grinder, who plays on an instrument such as the hurdy-gurdy (and providing embellishments and rhapsodies on the folk tunes), which has a handle shaped as a swan's neck, thus the "swan turner" being the travelling musician himself, described by the composer in the preface notes to the work.