Page 331 - (DK) The Classical Music Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained

CONTEMPORARY 329
IN CONTEXT
FOCUS
Choral music in
the 21st century
BEFORE
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. See also: Canticum Canticorum 46–51
US_328-329_Ades_Whitacre.indd 329
THIS IS THE CORE
OF WHO WE ARE
AND WHAT WE
NEED TO BE
ALLELUIA (2011), ERIC WHITACRE
ric Whitacre, one of the Alleluia retains many aspects
most popular 21st-century from the choral tradition that make
E composers, is an advocate it just as gratifying to sing as to
for the uplifting power of choral listen to: richly ringing harmonies,
music. The majority of his works phrases that fit well with natural
are choral, including Alleluia (2011), breath, and allusions to ancient
though the origins of that piece chant and Renaissance polyphony.
are instrumental—a composition Yet in its mysterious folklike
titled October evoking the colors opening, and the way harmonies
and radiance of autumn. Inspired are used as resonating chambers
by the 20th-century pastoralism of for the solo lines, it also achieves
English composers such as Ralph a contemporary sound. ■
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.
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.
■ Monteverdi’s Vespers 64–69 ■
St. Matthew Passion 98–105 ■ Elijah 170–173 ■ The Dream of Gerontius 218–219
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