329
See also: Canticum Canticorum 46–51 ■ Monteverdi’s Vespers 64–69 ■
St. Matthew Passion 98–105 ■ Elijah 170 –173 ■ The Dream of Gerontius 218–219E
ric Whitacre, one of the
most popular 21st-century
composers, is an advocate
for the uplifting power of choral
music. The majority of his works
are choral, including Alleluia (2 011),
though the origins of that piece
are instrumental—a composition
titled October evoking the colors
and radiance of autumn. Inspired
by the 20th-century pastoralism of
English composers such as Ralph
Vaughan Williams, Whitacre had
written October for wind orchestra
(actually school bands) in 2000.
A decade later, Nevada-born
Whitacre, who describes himself
as spiritual rather than religious,
decided to set liturgical text to
music for the first time, choosing
the words “Alleluia” and “Amen”
and uniting them with October,
whose simplicity and elegance
transferred well to a choral setting.Alleluia retains many aspects
from the choral tradition that make
it just as gratifying to sing as to
listen to: richly ringing harmonies,
phrases that fit well with natural
breath, and allusions to ancient
chant and Renaissance polyphony.
Yet in its mysterious folklike
opening, and the way harmonies
are used as resonating chambers
for the solo lines, it also achieves
a contemporary sound. ■CONTEMPORARY
IN CONTEXT
FOCUS
Choral music in
the 21st centuryBEFORE
1921 Vaughan Williams
writes “A Pastoral Symphony”
(Symphony No. 3) that helps
establish the lyrical sound of
the English pastoral school.1977 Arvo Pärt’s Missa
syllabica, Fratres, and Cantus
in memoriam Benjamin Britten
introduce a new style of
devotional composition.1997 Sir John Tavener’s Song
for Athene, composed in 1993
as a tribute to a family friend,
is performed at the funeral of
Diana, Princess of Wales.AFTER
2013 Caroline Shaw wins the
Pulitzer Prize for Music for her
Partita for eight voices.2014 Gabriel Jackson writes
Seven Advent Antiphons, one
of his many liturgical settings.Eric Whitacre, pictured here in 2011
at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge,
Britain, while Composer in Residence,
was inspired to write Alleluia by his
work with the chapel choir.THIS IS THE CORE
OF WHO WE ARE
AND WHAT WE
NEED TO BE
ALLELUIA ( 2011 ), ERIC WHITACRE
US_328-329_Ades_Whitacre.indd 329 26/03/18 1:02 PM