Eric Whitacre's Cloud Burst: A Masterpiece of Choral Music (PDF Score Included)
If you are looking for a stunning piece of choral music that combines poetry, percussion, and a dramatic depiction of a desert storm, look no further than Eric Whitacre's Cloud Burst. This eight-part choral work, with piano and percussion accompaniment, is based on a poem by Octavio Paz and inspired by the composer's experience of witnessing a cloudburst in the Nevada desert.
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What is Cloud Burst?
Cloud Burst is a composition by Eric Whitacre that was written in 1991, when the composer was 21 years old, at the request of conductor Dr. Jocelyn K. Jensen for her high school choir. The final version of the piece was published in 1995. The text was adapted from Octavio Paz's poem El cántaro roto (The Broken Water-Jar), which describes the sudden arrival of rain after a long drought.
The piece is divided into three sections: The Prelude, The Storm, and The Aftermath. The Prelude is a cappella, featuring dissonant tone clusters and spoken text to create a sense of anticipation and tension. The Storm begins with a loud clap of thunder, followed by an aleatoric section where the choir imitates the sound of rain with claps, snaps, and thigh smacks. The percussion instruments, such as handbells, thunder sheet, bass drum, suspended cymbal, wind chimes, and piano, also contribute to the effect of a thunderstorm. The Aftermath returns to the a cappella style of the Prelude, but with a more serene and peaceful mood.
Why is Cloud Burst a Masterpiece?
Cloud Burst is a masterpiece of choral music for several reasons. First of all, it showcases Whitacre's innovative use of harmony and texture, creating rich and complex sonorities that evoke different emotions and atmospheres. Whitacre also uses various techniques to create contrast and variety, such as changing dynamics, tempos, rhythms, meters, and vocal ranges.
Secondly, Cloud Burst demonstrates Whitacre's skillful adaptation of Paz's poem, capturing its imagery and meaning through musical elements. Whitacre not only uses the words of the poem as lyrics, but also as musical motifs that are repeated and developed throughout the piece. For example, the word \"cloudburst\" is sung on a descending chromatic scale that mimics the sound of falling raindrops. Whitacre also uses musical symbolism to convey the themes of the poem, such as life, death, rebirth, and transcendence.
Thirdly, Cloud Burst creates an immersive and memorable experience for both the performers and the listeners. The piece requires a high level of coordination and expression from the choir and the instrumentalists, as well as a creative interpretation from the conductor. The piece also engages the audience with its dramatic narrative and its use of spatial effects, such as hiding the handbells from view or having some singers surround the audience.
Where to Find Cloud Burst Score PDF?
If you are interested in performing or studying Cloud Burst, you can find the score PDF online at various websites. One of them is Sheet Music Plus, where you can purchase and download the score for $3.95. Another option is J.W. Pepper, where you can buy the score for $3.25 or rent it for $1.95.
You can also watch some videos of Cloud Burst performances on YouTube to get inspired and learn from different interpretations. One of them is Eric Whitacre conducts \"Cloudburst\", where you can see the composer himself leading a large ensemble of singers and instrumentalists at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis in 2009. Another one is Cloudburst - Eric Whitacre, where you can hear Whitacre conducting the BBC Singers & The BBC Symphony Chorus at Royal Albert Hall in London in 2015.
How to Perform Cloud Burst?
Cloud Burst is a challenging but rewarding piece to perform for any choir. It requires a high level of vocal technique, musical expression, and coordination among the singers and the instrumentalists. The piece also demands a creative interpretation from the conductor, who has to balance the written score with the aleatoric elements and the spatial effects.
Some of the difficulties that performers may encounter include the following:
The dissonant tone clusters and the chromatic melodies that require precise intonation and tuning.
The spoken text and the hand claps that have to be synchronized with the rest of the ensemble.
The aleatoric section that involves random pitches, rhythms, and dynamics.
The hidden handbells that have to be played at the right time and volume.
The low \"C\" that has to be sung by some basses at the end of \"Lux aurumque\".
To overcome these challenges, performers need to practice diligently, listen carefully, and communicate effectively with each other. They also need to understand the meaning and the mood of the piece, and convey it with emotion and conviction. Performing Cloud Burst can be a thrilling and fulfilling experience for both the musicians and the audience.
How to Appreciate Cloud Burst?
Cloud Burst is a piece that can be appreciated on many levels. It can be enjoyed as a musical work that showcases Whitacre's innovative and expressive style of composition. It can also be appreciated as a poetic work that reflects Paz's imagery and themes of life, death, rebirth, and transcendence. Moreover, it can be appreciated as an experiential work that creates a sense of awe and wonder in the listener.
To appreciate Cloud Burst fully, it is helpful to do some of the following:
Read the original poem by Octavio Paz and compare it with Whitacre's adaptation.
Listen to different recordings or performances of Cloud Burst and notice how they differ in interpretation and execution.
Watch some videos of Cloud Burst performances on YouTube and observe how they use visual elements such as lighting, staging, and costumes.
Attend a live performance of Cloud Burst if possible and immerse yourself in the sound and the atmosphere.
Share your thoughts and feelings about Cloud Burst with others who have listened to or performed it.
Cloud Burst is a piece that can inspire, move, and transform anyone who listens to or performs it. It is a masterpiece of choral music that deserves to be heard and celebrated by many people around the world.
What are the Reviews of Cloud Burst?
Cloud Burst has received many positive reviews from critics and listeners alike. The piece has been praised for its originality, beauty, and emotional impact. Some of the reviews are as follows:
\"Having heard of Eric Whitacre only recently I bought this and other albums and have been blown away by his work. The A Capella pieces are wonderful but the title piece Cloudburst simply took my breath away, it is a revelation in the use of voice and very simple acoustic additions.\" - Amazon.co.uk customer review
\"This is the type of feeling that Eric Whitacres Cloudburst induces upon its listener. The work is starkly epic with polyphonic voices reverberating through the ceilings of the cathedral, and yet this ode to God pines to the individual, as if each voice is reaching out to you and only you. To describe the music is to not do it justice.\" - Sputnikmusic review
\"Polyphony, an English choir with an ear for outstanding American choral music, delivers beautifully shaped lines, clear text articulation, and clean execution of Whitacre's little clusters of tones that resolve themselves into patterns as if an aural kaleidoscope were slowly turning. The sound environment, as usual with Polyphony, is perfectly suited to the music. Cloudburst deserves every bit of its considerable success.\" - AllMusic review
\"In addition to this recordings wonderful performances of Lux Aurumque, A Boy and a Girl, Water Night, i thank You God, and Sleep...we discover some really fine new things, such as the Five Hebrew Love Songs...the fabulously tuneful (Whitacre calls it Disney-esque) The Seal Lullaby...and Nox Aurumque (Night and Gold), an almost too-clever companion piece to Lux Aurumque.\" - Classics Today review
These reviews show that Cloud Burst is a highly acclaimed piece of choral music that has impressed and moved many people with its musical and poetic qualities.
What is Cloud Burst Virtual Choir?
Cloud Burst Virtual Choir is a project that involves singers from different countries and backgrounds who record and upload their videos of singing Cloud Burst online. These videos are then synchronized and combined into one single performance that can be watched on YouTube or other platforms. The project was initiated by Eric Whitacre, who is the composer and conductor of Cloud Burst.
The idea of Cloud Burst Virtual Choir came from Whitacre's experience of receiving a video of a young woman singing one of his pieces. He was amazed by her voice and decided to invite other singers to join her virtually. He posted a video of himself conducting Cloud Burst on his website and asked people to record themselves singing along and send him their videos. He received hundreds of submissions from all over the world and edited them together to create the first Cloud Burst Virtual Choir in 2010.
Since then, Whitacre has created several more virtual choirs with different pieces and themes. Some of them include:
Virtual Choir 2: Sleep (2011), with 2,051 singers from 58 countries.
Virtual Choir 3: Water Night (2012), with 3,746 singers from 73 countries.
Virtual Choir 4: Fly to Paradise (2013), with 8,409 singers from 101 countries.
Virtual Choir 5: Deep Field (2018), with thousands of singers from 120 countries.
Virtual Choir 6: Sing Gently (2020), with 17,572 singers from 129 countries.
Cloud Burst Virtual Choir is a remarkable example of how technology can connect people and create art across borders and cultures. It is also a testament to the power and beauty of choral music and Whitacre's vision and leadership. b99f773239