Eric Whitacre, composer of such pieces as Lux Aurumque and Sleep, is one of

the most popular composers of today. He attended the Julliard School of Music

Eric Whitacre

Sleep

Kevin Gane

History and Liteature of Music II

Dr. Reneé Noris

February 14th, 2014

where he received his Masters of Music in composition.1 He has been commissioned

to write many pieces, including Sleep.

Julia Armstrong, a lawyer and professional mezzo-soprano, commissioned

Whitacre to compose a piece that would be premiered by the Austin Pro Chorus.

She wanted the piece to be written in the memory of her parents who died within

weeks of each other. Armstrong requested that her favorite poem “Stopping By The

Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost.2 Whitacre was more then happy to

compose this piece and began his work. After the work was completed he realized

that he did not secure the rights to use Frost’s poem. He was denied the right to use

the poem after long talks with the Frost estate. He then asked a friend and poet

Charles Anthony Silvestri to write a poem that had the same rhythmic structure as

Frost’s poem but also played upon key words in his poem.3 The end result was what

we know today as Sleep.

Whitacre is quickly becoming one of the greatest composers of our time. His

choral and symphonic works have become part of the standard repertoire. He has

received many awards for his works and has been recognized by many different

organizations. He continues to write music at Cambridge University in Sidney

Sussex College where is his Composer in Residence.4

Bibliography

1 Eric Whitacre, Sleep (Walton Music, August 2000)2 Whitacre, Sleep3 Whitacre, Sleep4 Eric Whitacre, “Eric Whitacre”, Eric Whitacre, http://ericwhitacre.com/biography (Accessed 10 Feb 2014)

“Eric Whitacre.” Eric Whitacre. http://ericwhitace.com/biography (accessed February 10,2014

Whitacre, Eric. Sleep.Los Angeles: Walton Music, 2000