Textual Density in the Choral Music of Eric

Whitacre
Larson, Andrew . Choral Journal ; Lawton, Okla.  Vol. 47, Ed. 6,  (Dec 2006): 22-33.

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RESUMO (ABSTRACT)
Eric Whitacre composes his choral works in a self-proclaimed "Dynamic Miniamlism" or "Romantic Minimalism"
style that exhibits distinct harmonics and dissonance that set him apart from and make him respected in the
choral world. Although he adds complexities to his works, he ensures that listeners can appreciate and singers can
reach the music. An in-depth analysis of Whitacre's works and techniques are presented, with sample selections
from various pieces. Tables outline the rules used in Whitcare's works.

TEXTO COMPLETO
Andrew Larson

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photo courtesy of simon perry

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Eric Whitacre (b. 1970) has certainly captured the attention of ACDA members, be it through his Raymond Brock
Memorial Composition for the 2001 ACDA national convention, or through the numerous performances of his other

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works at ACDA state and regional conventions. One can hardly attend any choral convention or festival without
hearing one of Whitacre's works. Statements such as "Eric Whitacre is the hottest thing in choral music" 1 and "this
is a work of unearthly beauty and imagination" 2 are not uncommon among those who report on performances of
his music. This author has rarely met a choral singer who did not seem enthusiastic about Whitacre's music. The
composer has also spoken passionately about his choral compositions. 3 Given the wide appeal of his music, it is
no surprise that he considers communication with every member of the audience as the great motivator for
musical composition.
Whitacre described his own style to a reporter as "Dynamic Minimalism" or "Romantic Minimalism." 4 He claims a
great many compositional influences, from J. S. Bach, to Arvo Pärt, to Madonna. 5 About his overarching
philosophical concept for his compositions, one may glean much information from speaking directly with Whitacre,
from reading his Web site ([lang ]]), or from printed reviews. The public discussion of compositional device or
technique in Whitacre's music seems to end there, however. One certainly hears commonalities among Whitacre's
choral compositions. What makes a composition sound like a Whitacre composition? How have his stylistic traits
manifested themselves in producing a unified body of choral repertoire?
Whitacre's choral works exhibit harmonic flamboyance, crushing dissonance, and striking harmonic relationships
abound in his works. Part of his compositional genius lies, however, in the accessibility of his works to listener and
singer. Despite their lavish harmonies, the voice leading of individual voice parts is relatively simple. The pitch
content of most voice parts consists of stepwise motion and triadic outline. It is the combination and intersection
of simple voice parts that creates the frequently dense harmonic language exhibited in this repertoire.
The extensive use of divisi , that is, chords with 5 or more tones in an SATB texture, has become one of Whitacre's
choral trademarks. (In many rehearsals, the author hears Whitacre's name used as an adjective to describe dense
chords or dissonant clusters.) One can easily tell by studying Whitacre's music, however, that not every musical
segment contains divisi or dense chords. The voice-leading techniques appearing in this repertoire allow the
composer to freely and frequently move between tonally sparse or tonally dense segments. This article seeks to
show that the rich chords and seemingly vertically oriented clusters in Whitacre's choral music are the result of
linear, voice-leading processes. More important, the hallmark of these
1
Bitman, Terry, "Next Stop Carnegie Hall," The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 5, 2004, B04.
2
Robinson, Jack, "Pacific Chorale Builds to a Big Season Finale," Los Angeles Times May 9, 2000, 8.
3
Eric Whitacre, The Creative Process in Choral Music, presented as part of 2002 ACDA Western Division
Convention, Honolulu, HI., 21-23 February 2002.
4
Los Angeles Times, December 15, 2000 (Arts Cover Story).
5
Bruce Mayhall, foreword to Eric Whitacre, The Complete A Cappella Works 1991-2001, Brigham Young University
Singers, Arsis 147-DDD.

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voice-leading techniques centers in their ability to produce adjacent chords containing different numbers of tones.
This author calls the process "textural density variation" wherein Whitacre produces segments of music where
tones are either accruing or disappearing in subsequent chords, it will then be shown that this process can take
precedence over, or even replace, traditional harmonic function and voice leading. A New System of Analysis
Difficulty in functional, Roman-numeral analyses of the dense chords and clusters in Whitacre's music led this
writer to an entirely different system of analysis. By counting the number of tones present at any given moment in
the music, a chart was developed to explain Whitacre's voice leading. Counting the notes in individual chords
seemed a simple process, but it became apparent that the composer was changing the number of tones present in
adjacent chords with uncommon frequency. Where a chorale/hymn might have four tones in each chord of a given

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phrase (the SATB voice parts each representing one tone), chords in a Whitacre phrase might vary anywhere from
one to ten or more tones.
Since Whitacre's choral music is not always homophonic it was necessary, in accomplishing such an analysis, to
establish rules for what constitutes a chord: a place in the music where the intersection of the voice parts could be
isolated vertically and the tones counted ( Table 1). Since unisons and parallel octaves are not uncommon in this
music, it was necessary to establish these rules for the sake of consistency in analysis between compositions (i.e.,
if a tone is doubled at the octave, it counts as 2 tones in the textural density analysis).
The number of tones in each chord, as defined by the rules in Table 1, was placed beneath the score. Those
numbers were then entered on linear graphs for further analysis. A segment of music that has been thus analyzed
and graphed appears below to illustrate this author's system of textural density quantification.
Density Graphing
Figure 1 shows the opening measures from the Raymond Brock Memorial Composition mentioned above,
Leonardo

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table 1 rules applied in determining vertical figures whose density can be isolated and measured

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Dreams of His Flying Machine . These measures contain a pattern of density fluctuation typical of Whitacre's
choral music, including a very dense segment. In the example, chords with 6 and 7 tones are juxtaposed with a
texture of 2 tones, with a return to chords with 10 tones. (The density values appear as Arabic numerals beneath
the score.)
Graph 1 shows the data entered on a linear graph where the number of tones present can be seen independently of
other musical markings. The increments for the horizontal axis of the graph were generated using the rules in
Table 1. The graph shows the chronology of the composition not measured in minutes or seconds, but measured
by the passage of musical time as the syllables and tones would be performed.
In a larger study, thirteen Whitacre

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figure 1. eric whitacre, leonardo dreams of his flying machine, mm. 1-8. example of diverse textural densities,
including a very dense texture -- 10 tones. ©copyright 2002 by walton music corp. used by permission.

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graph 1 choral compositions were analyzed and graphed in their entirety. 6 Although it is not within the scope of
this article to discuss such a broad cross-section of literature, looking at the entirety of Leonardo Dreams of His

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Flying Machine in this manner is instructive. It is impractical to show the entire twenty-eight-page score of the
work, but the work's complete linear graph ( Graph 2 ) is shown here to give the reader a sense of Whitacre's
process drawn out over a longer period. Graph 2 shows that the process of textural density variation begun in
measures 1-8 does not relent as the composition continues. That Whitacre's works can be thus graphed does not
render them unique. That the graph lines change direction (up or down) with such frequency and amplitude does.
A defining characteristic of Whitacre's music resides, then, in the frequency at which he changes the number of
tones present in the choral texture. As can

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graph 2 leonardo dreams of his flying machine -- complete
6
Andrew Larson, "Textural and Harmonic Density in Selected Choral Works (1992-2003) by Eric Whitacre" (D.M.A.

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diss., University of Illinois, 2004), 7.

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figure 2. eric whitacre, go lovely rose, mm. 4-7. ©copyright 2001 by santa barbara music publishing; used by
permission. be surmised by viewing the graph of a single, entire composition ( Graph 2 ), the textural density varies

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at the composition, phrase, or even syllabic level.
Herein is the key to understanding the significance of the process of textural density variation: there is no
"process" on a single chord. The process must be understood in terms of how the tones accrue and disappear from
chord to chord. Implicit is a linear process in that the passage of time is necessary for density to vary.
In the case of Whitacre's music, linearity is also implied by the use of melody (and often multiple, discernible
melodies). That the textural density varies is obvious. It may be less obvious that Whitacre has repeatedly used
specific techniques, but it is crucial in understanding this music.
Seven Voice-Leading Techniques
This author's comparison of density graph lines (such as the one in Graph 2 ) with their corresponding musical
scores led to a search for specific compositional techniques that would increase or decrease the density. What
was happening in the music to make the graph lines go up and down with such angularity? And, each time the
graph line went up, was the same thing happening in the music in each instance? The answer is yes and no. That
is, the exact same technique was not used each time the graph went up or down, but the accomplishment of
textural density variation can be accounted for by the understanding of only seven voice-leading techniques in this
repertoire. It is important to note that none of the techniques described here is complex. Smooth, stepwise voice
leading is the rule. Where leaps are employed, voices generally leap to either the root, third, or fifth of the triad
implied by the bass part.
The first technique we shall call "Internal Stepwise Motion." Figure 2 includes measure 6 of Go Lovely Rose . In
Figure 2 the soprano part divides as one voice remains on the B and the other ascends by step to the C [sharp ] on
beat 3. The textural density increases from 4 to 5 as this simple process is effected.
The second technique is much like the first, except that in this procedure, the voices move by leap rather than by
step.

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figure 3. eric whitacre, cloudburst, mm. 7-10. ©copyright 1996 by walton music corp. use by permission. This
technique is labeled "Internal Leap Motion." In measure 10 of Cloudburst , shown in Figure 3 , the tenor part divides

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as the second tenor leaps down from C to A. Note that the leap is not a complicated one, as the tenors leave the
third and leap down to the root of the triad. In Example 3 one also sees a reiteration of Internal Stepwise Motion in
measure 10 of the alto voice.
The third technique is called "Additive/Subtractive by Scale or Leap." Such a wordy title does not indicate a
complicated process. A quick glance at Figures 4 and 5 provides the best explanation. In Figure 4 an upward scale
is performed while ascending voice parts retain one of the scale tones. The density begins at the unison and
increases to 5. The same process appears in Figure 5 , only we must allow for the leaps of a third in the melody as
opposed to the pure scalar motion in Figure 4 (in other of Whitacre's works, even wider leaps are used in this same
process).
The fourth technique, "Direct Increase or Decrease," involves the precipitous increase or decrease of notes present
in the texture, similar to the tintinnabulation style of Arvo Pärt. 7 The ending of Whitacre's Lux Aurumque
demonstrates

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figure 4. eric whitacre, go lovely rose, mm. 1-2. ©copyright 2001 by santa barbara music publishing. use by
permission.

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7
For further reading on Pärt's music, see Paul Hillier's book Arvo Pärt in the Oxford University Press "Oxford
Studies of Composers" series (published May 1997).

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figure 5. eric whitacre, go lovely rose, mm. 13. ©copyright 2001 by santa barbara music publishing. used by
permission. this technique. One sees in Figure 6 that the sopranos sustain as the alto, tenor, and bass voices rest

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on beats two and four of each measure. The density fluctuates directly between 1 and 9 with seemingly no
preparation for the change as might have been accomplished in the Internal Stepwise and Leap Motion
techniques.
The fifth technique, "Triadic Increase or Decrease," is similar to Internal Stepwise Motion. The difference here is
that more than one voice part must move or divide by step, and the resultant motion introduces an entirely new
triad to the texture. In the first measure of Figure 7 , the soprano, tenor, and bass voices move up by step. The
original pitches are retained and the resultant sonority is a polytriad containing both the A-major and the B-major
triads implied by the A

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figure 6. eric whitacre, lux aurumque, mm. 43-44. ©copyright 2001 by walton music corp. use by permission.

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figure 7. eric whitacre, go lovely rose, mm. 19-20. ©copyright 2001 by santa barbara music publishing. use by
permission. (bass) and B (baritone) pitches. Obviously, the density increases from 3 to 6 as the new triad is added

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to the texture.
For the sixth technique, we simply borrow the term "counterpoint." In a contrapuntal texture, the density is bound
to fluctuate as voices enter or drop out. It is an ideal texture for a composer who constantly adds or removes
tones. Figure 8 shows measures 76-78 of i thank you God for most this amazing day, where treble voices sing in
imitation. As the voice parts overlap or intersect, the density fluctuates between 1 and 3. It should be noted here
that in many of the cases where this technique appears, Whitacre used exact imitation in generating the
subsequent voice parts. Again, simplicity seemed to have been the rule.
The last technique is called "Melody versus Chord and Accompaniment." Figure 9 shows the beginning of a
soprano melody beginning with the words "With a lily" that is accompanied by the chords intoned by the
combination of alto, tenor, and bass voices. The density fluctuation is only by 1 in this case, as the soprano melody
is layered onto the four-note accompaniment texture.
All of the textural density variations in Whitacre's choral music can be accounted for by one of the seven
techniques discussed here. A composition may dwell on fewer techniques ( Water Night primarily focuses on
Internal Stepwise Motion) or employ all seven techniques before its conclusion ( Cloudburst and Leonardo Dreams
of His Flying Machine each use all seven techniques).
Our discussion now turns to the impact that the composer's careful monitoring of

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figure 8. eric whitacre, i thank you god, m. 73-78. ©copyright 2000 by walton music corp. used by permission.

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figure 9. eric whitacre, with a lily in your hand, mm. 12-14. ©copyright 2001 by santa barbara music publishing.
used by permission. textural density and his process of voice leading has upon his harmonic language. With tones

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being frequently added or removed from the choral texture, one might ask whether the number of tones present is
proportional to the level of dissonance or the distance of departure from the tonal center. Further, with such
frequent addition and removal of tones, one might wonder if a composer can rely on a traditional, functional
hierarchy as a basis for harmony.
The answer to the first of these questions is a tentative "yes" in the case of Whitacre's choral music. While not
every dense chord is a dissonant chord, or one of obscure harmonic function, many chords are dissonant and
seem to have begged a resolution to a triad of clearer harmonic function than the dense cluster that preceded it.
(Whitacre deliberately left several of his choral compositions harmonically unresolved. Weak inversions or altered
triads appear as the final chords in She Weeps Over Rahoon, i thank you God for most this amazing day, Sleep,
and other works.) There are, however, tonally sparse chords that are also dissonant, which leads one to realize that
Whitacre was free to change either the level of dissonance or change the textural density to create movement in
his music.
The answer to the second question above (regarding functional harmony) can be answered by an examination of

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figure 10. eric whitacre, water night, mm. 1-3. ©copyright 1996 by walton music corp. use by permission.
Whitacre's Water Night, which can be considered this composer's benchmark in terms of illustrating how textural

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density variation guides harmonic motion.
Water Night centers around B [flat ] minor for it's entirety. Figure 10 shows the tonic triad firmly established at the
beginning of the work. The same triad (different spacing) ends the work, and appears at numerous strategic points
throughout the composition; it is the indisputable tonal center. With a triad as the tonal center of the work, one
might also assume dominant, pre-dominant or secondary functions to support the tonal center. One looks in vain
for these functions in Water Night . The single exception is the frequent appearance of plagal-type cadences where
diatonically filled-in iv chords precede the B [flat ] minor triad ( Figure 11 ). Given the lack of perfect cadences (V-I),
these sub-dominant chords function as the signal of arrival at the tonal center. The sub-dominant chords never
appear in pure form, however, as in the case of the iv9 chord shown in Figure 11 ; indeed, the only chord
identifiable as a pure triad in Water Night is the tonic triad. It is the only chord not affected by Whitacre's density
fluctuations. One must rely almost completely on a textural density and voice-leading analysis to account for the
harmonic material occurring between the tonic triads. A Roman-numeral analysis is attempted in Figure 11 , if only
to show its uselessness.
Returning to Figure 10 , if we consider each individual staff separately, we see that each voice, excepting the bass,
performs a stepwise divisi (Internal Stepwise Motion), the combination of which creates departure from the B [flat ] -
tonal center. Returns to the tonic in subsequent measures occur by the reverse of this process, i.e., the tonic triad
is preceded by a reduction of the textural density. In Figure 10 , the textural density begins at 4, increases to 7, and
then begins its reduction (on its way back to 4) in only a few measures. The process seen in Figures 10 and 11
continues throughout the work, with an increase in amplitude; the density begins

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figure 11. eric whitacre, water night, mm. 13-16. ©copyright 1996 by walton music corp. use by permission.

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at 4 and increases to 14 (at the work's climax) before again decreasing.

Though the work has a clear tonal center, harmonic function is less significant to the growth of the composition
than the increase and subsequent decrease of the textural density. From an aural standpoint, excepting the tonic
triad and frequent iv chords in this work, harmonic function is almost imperceptible. The composer requests a
balanced sound from all the voice parts. 8 The listener is at a loss to discern any pitch hierarchy other than which
notes are higher or lower, until the arrival at the tonic. As the tonic triad sounds, the characteristic root, third, and
fifth of the chord are recognizable through traditional soprano and bass polarity. Completely overriding traditional
harmonic function are both the linear process of textural density variation and the composer's choice of notes as
they are prepared through calculated voice-leading techniques.
Conclusion
Whitacre's choral works defy traditional harmonic analysis because of the frequent use of altered and embellished
triads, tone clusters, and non-traditional voice leading into and out of dissonant sonorities. The author developed a
system for analyzing textural density variation, which seems to underpin the harmonic process in these works.
Linear graphs of these choral works show their consistent, horizontal bias. The composer has used a finite number
of voice-leading techniques (seven) to introduce or remove tones from adjacent chords. His careful voice leading
process is based on stepwise motion, or triadic arpeggiation; such an uncomplicated system contributes to the
oeuvre's accessibility to singers. Such a consistent, linear harmonic process takes precedence over traditional,
functional harmony, as was shown in Water Night, where the tonal center is a stable triad and all other harmonies
can only be accounted for by a linear, textural density analysis. Whitacre's uniqueness ultimately resides in his
ability to control the interaction between his harmonic tendencies and his fondness for the creation of elaborate
choral divisi through calculated voice-leading techniques.
Andrew Larson is assistant professor of music at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. [lang
]alarson[commat]stetson.edu[rang ]
8
Whitacre, Eric Water Night, Walton Music 1996, in general performance notes by the composer, 2.

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©Copyright 2006 American Choral Directors Association.

DETALHES

Termo específico: Choral Music, Composers, Compositional Techniques, Harmony, Dissonance,

Minimalism, Musical Analysis

Assunto genérico: Theory/Analysis/Composition, Vocal Music

Pessoas: Whitacre, Eric

Título: Textual Density in the Choral Music of Eric Whitacre

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 Autor: Larson, Andrew

Título da publicação: Choral Journal; Lawton, Okla.

Volume: 47

Edição: 6

Páginas: 22-33

Ano de publicação: 2006

Data de publicação: Dec 2006

Editora: American Choral Directors Association

Local de publicação: Lawton, Okla.

País de publicação: United States, Lawton, Okla.

Assunto da publicação: Vocal Music, Music

ISSN: 0009-5028

Tipo de fonte: Scholarly Journals

Revisado por especialistas: Sim

Idioma de publicação: English

Tipo de documento: Research and Analysis

Artigo principal do Tables References Musical Scores

documento:

ID do documento ProQuest: 1033633

URL do documento: https://search.proquest.com/docview/1033633?accountid=12829

Última atualização em: 2017-08-23

Base de dados: Music Periodicals Database

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