Whitacre's music, me, and teaching it

For this activity, I considered playing it safe by picking a song that is less obscure, but then I realized that the point of this is to talk about a song that I care deeply about, so I went with "Sleep," by Eric Whitacre. It is a choral piece, and the specific version I have of it was performed by the group Polyphony, directed by Stephen Layton. Whitacre was born in 1970 and has become one the pre-eminent - if not the eminent - composer of this generation. I have been privileged to perform two of his pieces before, both in high school and college, and they are among the most challenging and rewarding works I have sung.

Whitacre's pieces stand out in their choral layering - sometimes a dozen notes in a chord - and "Sleep" is no exception. Dynamically, it builds toward a climax that gives me shivers, and the lyrics are gentle and lulling. Originally, Whitacre had set the music to Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" but discovered that he could not obtain the copyright. Instead, he asked poet Charles Anthony Silvestri to write words to match the music, and they work beautifully.

That's a lot of background, and I think my own history with choral music is the primary reason I love this piece. I associate this one with my years participating in choirs and a lifetime listening to them. My family has for generations identified with this style of music, so listening to this song connects me with my father specifically (he too gets goosebumps when he listens to it, as our wives love to tease us about). I value the beauty of the chords and their complexity from a singer's standpoint. Perhaps I appreciate it as a great college athlete watches a professional game or how even a single painting class can help a person love great art. The timing of my first listening also plays a part, I think, in my appreciation for it. I heard it first when I was out of college, away from choirs for the first time in my life. Listening to it allowed me to imagine the performance of it and to share in the emotions of singing it.

I would love for my students to come around to choral music. In my high school, choirs were hugely popular, and students from all backgrounds comprised them. I remember singing with football team captains, high academic achievers and the ones who were just getting by. It was a real mix, and the school rallied around and took pride in its musicians. Such a culture certainly would help me use this in class because I could turn to the choir department at school and say "look, your classmates are actually singing these pieces." Without an in like that, the burden of validation would fall heavier on me. Still, I think this piece specifically would fit in well as part of a poetry unit, since choral music is so often set to famous poems. Musical interpretation can heighten the poetry experience, and these Whitacre songs attest to that.