Eric Whitacre

[christus_spohn]

The other day in band, we began talking about the greatest composers of all time and who would most likely become the next big thing. I brought up Eric Whitacre and we seem to think he will be. Look at what alot of bands are playing now and days. At UIL alot of high schools were playing songs such as Noisy Wheels of Joy and Ghost Train. Now almost every Drum Corp seems to be playing one song or another composed by him. Same with the high schools. So what do you think, is Eric Whitacre the next great composer?

[Xenon]

His stuff is really good, but right now, I don't think that enough of his work will stand the test of time to put him alongside the other Great Composers like Bach, Mozart, Copland, Bernstein, etc.

[davidpowell]

Considering his age, I think he'll continue doing what he's doing, and have a huge impact on the youth musicians of now and the future.

 

Maybe not the next Bach, but he will be remembered.

[Montoya]

If you're a fan of Eric, be on the lookout for a CD release of his opera electronica, PARADISE LOST.

 

I had the pleasure of seeing the latest musical revision in Chicago this past February, and it is going splendidly!

 

For more info on Eric and/or Paradise Lost, go to Eric Whitacre

[Amusicman]

First of all I like some of Whitacre's works so I don't want anyone to just think I am bashing him.

 

In order to be included in the list of the greatest composers of all time you must not only write good melodies, which is pretty much what most of Whitacre's works consist of, but you must also leave a impact on the musical community that everyone that lives after you must deal with. Be it your musical language, forms, harmony, new types of melody, new sounds or what not.

 

In my opinion there have only been 10 of these composers so far, and there is only one living composer, that most music scholars agree on, that will probably, in time, be added to this list.

 

The 10 Greats -

J.S. Bach

Joseph Haydn

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Ludwig van Beethoven

Richard Wagner

Gustav Mahler

Claude Debussy

Jean Sibelius

Igor Stravinsky

Anton von Webern

 

Now while you might not like the style of these composers, the fact must be coincided, that nearly every other composer, even the few others who have had some innovations in their music, have written their works in the shadows and styles of these great innovators.

 

The only composer of today that I think even has the chance to stand with these greats is John Adams. Adams has taken the music of the post serialists, the minimalists, i.e. Reich, Reily, Glass and Nono, and took it to a supreme form that can be considered the greatest musical masterpieces of the last few years of the 20th century, and the first few years of the 21st. Adams has continued to top himself and bypass his level of perfection in his work with each succeding piece.

 

To top off his impressive list of works that include Harmonium, Grand Pianola Music, Harmonielehre, Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer, the Chamber Symphony, the Violin Concerto and On the Transmigration of Souls, Adams has written 3 great masterpieces in the last 10 years, that can be included with the greatest masterpieces of all time.

 

Na

[Montoya]

Great points, Andrew. The only thing I would amend to that, would be the inclusion of John Corigliano. I feel he meets all the points you have listed. While I would be hard pressed to choose either of the John's, I think those two will be remembered as the great composers of OUR time.

[mbui]

QUOTE (Montoya @ May 13 2006, 07:19 PM)

If you're a fan of Eric, be on the lookout for a CD release of his opera electronica, PARADISE LOST. I had the pleasure of seeing the latest musical revision in Chicago this past February, and it is going splendidly! For more info on Eric and/or Paradise Lost, go to Eric Whitacre

Oh my god.

Paradise Lost will be priority #1 on my must have CD list.

[Fortisimo]

He does have some really good stuff, but there are a lot more composers to contend with around the world than there ever has been before. I would not say he will be taken as one of history's greats, partially because, as previouslyu stated he hasn't really pioneered much in music; at least not to my knowledge.

[bluebellbrass07]

Its really hard to say he will be the "next great composer" since i already feel he is such a great composer. And theres many on the list of "greats" such as mozart, Weber, or debussy whos music i dont much like at all. Its all really based on opinion, in my opinion.

[christus_spohn]

Well, he has done some great things with choir music, and being so young, there is much to come from him.

[davidpowell]

Its really hard to say he will be the "next great composer" since i already feel he is such a great composer. And theres many on the list of "greats" such as mozart, Weber, or debussy whos music i dont much like at all. Its all really based on opinion, in my opinion.

I think innovation is more of a factor in greatest.

 

For example, although you may not like him, Schoenberg is one of the greats. Why? Completely new way to write music.

 

Mr. Whitacre, I think, will be remembered for the fact that he has been able to connect such a broad audience, and is still going strong. Its not like he's 64, he's 30 some. And just LOOK at his fanbase. Quite incredible, actually. And being played on the local classical station here generally means you're in good standing. SO. I think he's got something going for him.

[christus_spohn]

I have to say that he definitely is writing for a wide range of things. He has his opera, "Paradise Lost", all of his choir pieces, such as "Sleep", and many bnd pieces, such as "Ghost Train" and "October". I espeacially like the way he wrote Ghost Train and Noisy Wheels of Joy, where it's sort of random phrases pieced together into a grand composition. He also uses many different effects as well. Another composer I enjoy is also Robert W. Smith. I love how he writes his pieces. Some of my favorites would be "The Swarm" and "Songs of Sailors and Seas."

[douchebag123]

You can't lump someone composing in today's era in with composers from the Classical or Romantic era.

 

That'd be like comparing John Williams to Dvorak...it makes no sense.

 

For what he's doing, as well as expanding into ground-breaking concepts (like Paradise Lost), he's well on his way to permanently establishing himself as one of the great composers of our time.

[mindfulmusician]

Is it just me, or does it seem really hard to get recognized and acknowledged these days? There are so many talented composers, and it seems that many cannot get their voices heard. It's quite sad.

 

- mm

[Fortisimo]

Amen to that. There's just plain a lot more people, and a lot more people with access to the tools needed to compose as well, so it makes sense that there would be many more composers, and therefore many more good ones. I guess that's just the way it goes.

[HHSBaSsTrOmBoNe'09]

Eric = My hero (for writing Godzilla eats las Vegas)

[stewiemylove]

duh with a name like eric whitacre hes bound to be famous.

 

whitacre.

it just has that ring to it.

[NSUMusician]

Whitacre is without a doubt one of my top 4 favorite composers of all time. He writes extremely well in any idiom. To top it off, he's one of the coolest and most down to earth guys ever. I think he's somewhat transforming what the every day musician hears now. What was once dissonant is now pleasant due to some of Whitacre's writing. He's great and will only get better with age.

[takigan]

Speaking on the topic of "John Williams and Dvorak"

 

One thing I've noticed about the modern classical music ensemble nowadays is that it can only serve as a money-making entity if its concert is presented in one of 3 ways:

 

1. The music being listened to is by some great legend like Mozart or Bach etc. ("Studies show Classical music makes you smarter")

2. """" is from some Hollywood music score ("Star Wars is awesome!")

3. The people in the audience know someone in the performing group ("There's my little Johnny playing his Trombone!")

 

The only exception to this rule would be the Dallas Wind Symphony. And that's only because there's enough interest in band repretoire in the Dallas area to sustain a private, full-time professional ensemble (Band is bigger in Texas dont'cha know). Why aren't there are as many professional "Wind Symphonies" as there are Symphony Orchestras? Because the average concert goer doesn't really care about Ticheli or Gillingham or Robert W. Smith etc.....it's just MuzAC to them; just another creation of the "Art House" crowd. The only professional performances you'll ever hear of these works will be by university funded Wind Bands; the only listeners in this setting being band/music students, parents, university attendees and patrons, and a small gathering of the general city public....Modern classical music these days isn't mainstream like it once was...it's "Special Interest".

 

Eric Whitacre I think is breaking through this barrier with his music. Most of his current music (like all the other band composers nowadays) is only appreciated by the latter scene (which is one reason why he isn't writing for Strings--modern orchestra music--if it isn't from Hollywood...is even less popular than modern band music). But Whitacre studied with John Corigliano....a Pulitzer prize winning Juilliard composer who also bridges the gap between Academia and the average listener...and EW's compositional approach is of the same mold. 'Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings' has a shot at breaking into Broadway, and when he does that, it will be awesome...a name heard only at "Band Camp" will be a name seen in The NY Times and USA Today and that's something I feel like we could all be proud of.

[Nancy08]

duh with a name like eric whitacre hes bound to be famous.

 

whitacre.

it just has that ring to it.

lol now that I think of it, it does.

 

I love his work. October is my favorite, but I am hesitant to say he's the next great composer. None of us will really ever know, b/c his name would have to last past when all of us are gone...

[borchnork]

Whitacre is a genious.

 

You can't keep judging who will be the next big thing in composition based off of what WAS there. People change, and so does music. Eric is revolutionizing the way people think of classical music. It still has that peaceful, surreal sense involved with it, but there's so much more there. Eric grabs onto emotions that I don't think that Bach, Mozart, Mahler or Beethoven were truly able to grasp.

 

Don't get me wrong. I realize that Bach's Fugue in G minor, Mahler's Symphony #2 and Beethoven's works in general are filled with emotion. But with their pieces, it's always a SPECIFIC emotion.

 

Whitacre's chordal structures and voice leading is so uniquely his own that somehow he manages to capture all emotions that are able to be felt by humans in one simple phrase.

 

We also have to remember that Whitacre not only composes for band, but for choir and orchestra as well. He even stated in an interview that he'd RATHER NOT compose for band or choir, but would prefer to write music for string orchestras. He acknowledges the fact that entering into the world of classical music as the next big thing is difficult, not only because of the level of competition, but because of the fact that DIRECTORS today tend to keep most of the music in their programs similar to music they experienced during their years of playing.

 

But Eric will overcome that.

 

That's why he is the next big thing...

 

And plus, all the girls seem to become obsessed with his charming good looks after about .5 seconds of staring at him, so of course, he'll rise up and above these previous composers. haha.

[takigan]

Here's my [extended] thoughts:

 

It would be extremely hard, probably impossible for the modern music world to create another Classical Music legend that will define the generation......in the history books, the final Classical legends you learn about are Stravinski, Holst and Bartok....then you get into Serial Music composers like Schoenberg and Glass who thought that musical progression since Bach was all about what new things you could create with music.....and it sucked.

 

People stopped listening to Classical music and turned to Jazz, which gave rise to Swing and Ragtime and Blues which gave rise to Rock and Roll.....Rock and Roll gave birth to a whole new sm

[borchnork]

That's very true, but somehow I feel that Whitacre just isn't in it because of the "Fun Factor". There's something more to his writing that makes me feel as if he'll be out there for a long time.

 

I agree that there are plenty of smaller named idols of the Classical music industry that exist, such as Grainger and many more contemporaries. but, i still am not quite sure what it is that makes me feel as if Eric is different than that...

[radchad]

Well, something you have to remember is that a lot of bands playing Orchestral arrangements of his Choral pieces.

 

If you ask me, many times this isn't done much justice.

 

 

I just don't think we should compare Whitacre to those "GREAT" composers, only because the times are different, and his way of writing reveals a change in society and its way of perceiving music. Look at the composer Dmitri Shostakovich. I admire him and his music. He wrote his music based on many of the troubles he had in life which are now seen as mere trifles.

 

You have to bring the whole time issure into it. Sure, his music may not stack up to Beethoven's works, but it doesn't necessarily have to. It's unique in its own way. I think of Whitacre as a new-age Beethoven. Think about this. If you listen to Beethoven, then immediately listen to Whitacre, you will notice a huge change in many aspects of the piece. Times are more fast paced now, so Whitacre's music is as well. It's easier for me(even thought I love Beethovern) to sit and listen to a piece by Whitacre because of the tempo and dynamic speed.

 

Hopefully my point is somewhat clear.

[GenericWit]

I, personally, fell in love with Whitacre the second I heard October. It's easily one of my favorite pieces ever. I mean, obviously, there are more complicated pieces out there (anything by Mahler is amazingly difficult, amazingly perfect, and amazingly... well... amazing), but there's something about October that gets to me. Whitacre's style does that to me. He's one of those composers where you just CAN'T listen to his music in the background. You have to be focused on it.

 

Reminds me of Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky in that way.

 

And plus, all the girls seem to become obsessed with his charming good looks after about .5 seconds of staring at him, so of course, he'll rise up and above these previous composers. haha.

 

*giggles* I can't help that. Have you SEEN his myspace pictures?