VOCES8: Sleep by Eric Whitacre
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 พ.ค. 2019
- VOCES8 performs 'Sleep' by Eric Whitacre in St Stephen Walbrook Church in London.
The evening hangs beneath the moon,
A silver thread on darkened dune.
With closing eyes and resting head
I know that sleep is coming soon.
Upon my pillow, safe in bed,
A thousand pictures fill my head.
I cannot sleep, my mind’s a-flight;
And yet my limbs seem made of lead.
If there are noises in the night,
A frightening shadow, flickering light,
Then I surrender unto sleep,
Where clouds of dream give second sight,
What dreams may come, both dark and deep,
Of flying wings and soaring leap
As I surrender unto sleep,
As I surrender unto sleep.
(Charles Anthony Silvestri) - เพลง
Eric Whitacre came to my school in February for a residency. He told us the story of the piece.
This piece was originally commissioned for a man's funeral. The man loved Robert Frost, so Whitacre wrote the music set to the words of Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though..."). Before he could publish it, he needed approval from the Robert Frost foundation, as this poem wasn't public domain. And they told him "Sorry, no. You can't use it".
Devastated, Whitacre didn't lose hope completely. He called up his friend Tony - his long-time librettist Charles Anthony Silvestri. "Listen Tony," said Eric at midnight, "I need you to write a poem exactly as long as this Frost one, in the same meter, and end it on the words "sleep". I know it's a lot to ask, but will you try for me?". By 8:00 the next morning, Silvestri had written a poem, inspired by his toddler son who would take forever to settle down and fall asleep.
Years later, the Robert Frost foundation called Eric Whitacre up, saying "Hey, if you want to use Frost's words, you can now". A bit late.
Thank you for this
The ending haha
Thank you for sharing this story 🙏
Now that he’s Mr Famous Composer, I hope he told them to go pound sand ...
Frost Foundation’s loss. Music like this gives exquisite dimension to the written word that a page alone can never achieve. This is living proof.
I've listened to this every day since I first found it. Yall are unbelievable
oml he's alive! (jk love you Paint)
amazing right?
You need to upload more!!!
Right?! A piece of treasure I randomly stumbled upon! It's cool to see that you like this kind of music too!!
This is the first recording I've found of Sleep (besides the virtual choir) that I've absolutely loved. ITS JUST SO G000000OOOOD
The sopranos are absolutely spot on with every single note it's stunning
Pau Solé-Vilaró I’m soprano and there is no way to go wrong but alto ties it all together and makes the song beautiful they deserve more credit♥️♥️
@@avathediva3133 That bass ties everything up in a nice bow if you ask me. Good foundation = easier for higher register singers to harmonize
@@JAM-rp6fi I am also totally blown away by the bass. It's like listening to an organ of voices. Stunning beyond words.
But without the alto you lose all the important notes in the chords that give it the feel it has
They have to be or else it sounds terrible
I'm nearing 70. I've been listening to classical ensembles all my life. I never knew about this group. Whatever one may think of TH-cam . . . it led me here. This is an ecstatic revelation to my old ears. Bravo!
very nice. I also think there is something like audio performance that we aren't used to. Then, while formally inspired by Gesualdo or composers of this period, the harmonies are set, see adapted to the way we arrange sequences in pop songs, so it produces a stuning result such as a perpetual climatic point.
indeed i find youtube amazing ... am 53 and i remember as a teen listening to songs on the radio and wnenever i loved one i quickly noted the title or artist and hope that one day when i grow up and work ishall buy the record or audio cassette.one of them was Don Mc Lean's most moving Starry starry night. Now since some years i marvel at the vast collection on youtube. So i fully understand you Mr Hunt. 😊
Don McLean's Starry Starry NIght is still one of the most moving performances that I know of. Good call.
@@delightschwartz1469 Sorry, but I really don't know what this has to do with this song and this group. You can write this anywhere, so please : keep it for yourself. If we all start with giving our preferences, there is no end. By the way: I love the group and the song is impressive and asks for revisiting.
I just discovered them too. Stile Antico led me to them. It's hard to believe there's only 8 of them. Absolutely divine.
I will never forget singing this in high school seeing my dad crying in the audience. It was a very proud moment.
Simply Speculation i sang this in the fall and i’m singing it again next year in the spring for competition and it’s one of my favorite pieces ever. it gives me chills every time and i really get choked up when i sing it too. it’s such a beautiful piece. every part is so good.
me too
Duuuude I sang this in HS too and listening to it again was freaking COOL
aww :’)
My fondest memory of this sublime piece is listening to it on headphones in Kathmandu a long way from home. It was transcendent and I felt comforted by the unity of the universe. Sounds a bit over the top but it is a moment I will always cherish. Thank you.
Andrea Halsey has one of the best and purest high soprano voices on the planet, especially on sustained notes. Who agrees?
i can't even imagine a better voice.
i don't know every human soprano voice, but she is awesome indeed!
Perfect for that non-vibrato boy soprano sound.
It's between her and Eurielle
She's amazing......but my heart belongs to Eleonore
oh my
hey you
what's good dodie :O
hey dodie, a fellow woman of culture I see
Hey Dodie!
I literally just watched a tiktok she did and came here 😂
Unreal. I hope Whiteacre is listening to this. Truly spectacular.
@lose sight of Silverstri wrote the words to the music, rather that the (more common) other way around
But I do agree the text is almost as good as the performance
@@romainbornes22 And that was because of a rights dispute with the estate of Robert Frost. The original original version is out there
Carlos Camejo I was very fortunate to be at Union Chapel in Islington when Eric and his singers performed the original version about five years ago. He made everyone promise not to film it. It was breathtaking, I was drenched in tears all evening.
He posted it to his Instagram just today. That's how I found it.
2:55 - 3:55 are perhaps the greatest 60 seconds in the history of sound.
Every time I listen to this song, regardless of which ensemble is singing, but Voces8 in particular, I end up in tears from the sheer stunning beauty of that one minute.
As if I were before the angels of the Most High God !
In the 13 seconds that follow the epicenter of the song (level 10) to a level just above spoken word... what mastery and control. That passage kinda you indicated kinda hits ya right in the feels... don't it?
Agree! 100%
everyone talking about the first sopranos but can we talk about the men’s part at 3:15 ???
brings a tear to a tenor’s eye
There's something so nostalgic about that part.. it brings be back to to a madrigal era voicing.
Then it just opens up all the sudden. Ah
Even when I did this song in college, that part just felt inspiring and left you feeling like you were actually doing something for the listener
Amazing
It’s like porn for your ears
@@mikeg8752 Yeah, kinda
They bring out those passing dissonances so well! Amazing!!!!
Anthony, you are so correct. They are stunning.
hOLY BREATH SUPPORT
This is what I wish we had at church. They are good, humble and praising God without a lot of ego and fall-de-rall.
Whitacre combined with Voces8 - AND the lyrics included - heaven times 10!
Finally that Whitacre's masterpiece performed by you, guys!!! BRA-VOOOOOOOO!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
As a soprano, having a range and control as those two sopranos do is an absolute dream of mine. All of their voices are pure light but when the soprano pierces through it takes my breath away. Love this piece
Am I the only one to notice the wind in the trees behind the window behind them ? This is hauntingly beautiful. What a moment of grace.
1:02 That chord was so beautiful it caught me off guard. I had to listen to it three times before I truly wrapped my head around its densely diatonic beauty. And yet somehow the entire piece still shines as brightly as that chord. Whitacre is incredible. Voces8 is incredible. This is incredible.
They sound just a like a French horn playing a dissonant chord ❤️
This piece deserves the delicate handling that very few can achieve, and VOCES8 delivered in this recording. The tenderness of the beginning and end is simply spectacular, and the climax was executed absolutely perfectly. Thanks for covering one of my favorite pieces so wonderfully!
OMG those bass notes sound orgasmic with my subwoofer.
the soprano sounded amazing with my tweeter! XD
@@peterg5383 Yes, I agree as well especially when they reach the climax of the piece.
That climax followed by the controlled descent is just otherworldly. Mesmerising.
I'm a life long "Metal Head". But this is unbelievable !!! I'm glad I found those guys. They are perfection!!
Good music is just good music .
Music is like a fine wine and when we are young our pallet is not mature enough to enjoy the rich bouquet of tastes in that wine but as we mature in years we become much more refined as does the pallet and we appreciate the finer aspect of the tase of that fine wine..
I have a huge variety of music tastes including rock and trance and for me listening to this type of choir singing is like a healing to my soul and takes me away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life..
Soothing and calming to a point of bringing me to tears most of the time this is my place of solitude and as said in a previous comment good music is exactly that..😇🌈🙏💫
Enter Sandman… 💤👻
Stunning. Bravo to tenors - so easy to over indulge in the climax and yet you did not and blended beautifully 🌈
The soprano 1 really did the part justice
i mean they're all exquisite but she really is from another planet
I didn't know that this level of vocal perfection was possible. I'm blown away. Wow.
Being raised up listening to soul, r&b and rap, I appreciate this type of music.
I've never heard dissonance sound as beautiful as if it was a harmony like this.
The most beautiful choral sound EVER.
More Whitacre by you please. Perfect combination.
I CAN HEAR EVERY PART 😭😍😍😍😍
If i could give this video 10 million likes i totally would
Praying for you right now...HE'S GOT YOU...❤
Thank you. I am watching this during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is soothing and strengthening.
Same
Brent Dance it’s great and all- but I’m doing this for an assignment not complaining though. It’s quite nice
we are in need of sooth and strength
My marriage is the worst pandemic in history. I am watching this instead of getting a divorce. It’s calming me down
@@lindanicholls3370😢🎼🎶
3:33 is what gets me every time. She sounds like an angel, which I think captures the essence of this heavenly piece. Mind you I don’t subscribe to a particular faith.
Andrea’s timbre is so clear and has such a crisp sound. So beautiful ❤️
I firmly believe Eric Whitacre would be very happy with this performance. The blend is exquisite. Bravo!
that alto's color at 3:26is just absolutely lovely... along with literally everything else about this
Ikr
I sang this song in high school in my choir class and I can totally relate to the love of the alto part. I was a second soprano, but sometimes I wished I could be an alto just for their part in this song. It’s so beautiful
I am a Contralto singer too . She nailed it.
I'm using this right now to put my baby daughter to sleep.
I'm melting...this is Eric Whitacre and Voces8 at their best. You hear every.single.amazing.suspension.
Eric's suspensions are truly something, one of the best things about a lot of his music
Absolutely gorgeous.
Eric Whitacre is one of my favorites and hearing this fills me with such resonance and purpose. And the straight tone in this, amazing!! Also shout out to the Alto holding it down!
Their voices are so pure, they sound like angels.
Voces 8 came to Nashville in Feb 2020, just before the virus situation began. The church was packed and the music was beyond compare. If I live to be 100, I will never forget that night.
MY CHOIR IS GETTING A MASTERCLASS WITH THIS TALENTED PEEPS AND IM SO EXCITED!!!!!! CANT WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR
Cancelled?
@@tandemdwarf745 surprisingly no, it happened a few weeks before Quarantine
how was it???
@@persluchtboy it was really fun in the beginning but I had to leave at the end 🥺
oke thats a pity, but he you where there.. it's a lifetime experience
as a second alto, i have utmost respect for inner parts. i am working on keeping dissonant harmony, it is harder than you'd think.
also, first bass knows exactly what's happening. good on him!
if you're talking about the low one that's bass 2. bass 1 = baritone
@@kameronwilson2567 no actually, baritone and bass-1 are not the same, though often interchangeable
I agree wholeheartedly I sang this in high school it is a ridiculously hard piece and you think you're singing the wrong thing the whole entire time
I love how the sopranos soar!
Just an amazing piece of music by Whitacre perfectly sung by the extremally skillful VOCES8 choral group. There is a nice chord cluster on "soon" early on. But on the third "un" of "unto sleep", the piece just completely soars away by the female - and one male - high singers. It leaves the world of lyrics and just takes a flight of pure spiritual ascending vocal heaven. And then amazing high drone notes that are kept what seems to be over one long minute as backdrop for the male voices singing sle..ep. I'm listening to alot of their songs for a radio show I'm doing, and this is their finest piece. I think its Whitacre's most coherent composition. But he has many great compositions including A Boy and a Girl, Cloud Burst, Earth Song, and Home. But this is inspirational.
I don't want this to ever end!!! 🥺🥺🥺
You watch them and it doesn't even look like they're singing. So effortless and organic, feels like the sound is just coming from the earth itself
Words cannot describe how incredible this masterpiece is. Every detail, word, note, nuance, and dissonance all combine to form my absolute favorite choral piece of all time
all my homies love eric whitacre
The fact that this sounds like a 100-person choir. Wow.
honestly. i put this on in my car, and i thought it was a full out choir before i actually saw the video and realized it’s only 8 people
It clearly has added reverb making it sound like a bigger choir
@@dirkjanriezebos2240 That obviously plays a role, but their balance and matched tone also makes it sound like way more than 8 voices
the tenor's brightness is unbelievable omg
I got to sing this under Whitacre’s direction at Carnegie Hall in 2012. Was the most amazing experience ever. This is so beautiful ❤️
I wish I could hear "Seal lullaby " done by you. Absolutely heavenly.
Thankfully they have recorded a version! Here's the link - th-cam.com/video/d0KSNDW7-Vk/w-d-xo.html 🎶🎶
Well, you can - it's on their album Eventide :-)
@@Manegi2 I do wish they have an updated recording of it though, the way they process their recordings then are very different, and I think their current style will do so much better for the song!
Voces8 is pure heaven; their clarity, timing, tone, unity, sensitivity………wonderful! I sang in a chamber choir once, and appreciate how skilled you have to be to sing with such accuracy and purity.
That soprano..
Wow..
Oh Jesus take the Wheel🔥😍🔥😭🔥😍🔥😭🔥😍😭
TH-cam recommended really pulled through today with this masterpiece
Why I'm I just seeing this beautiful piece!!!, I'm in heaven already, bless me lord🙏🏾
oh my g-d.
too thrilling to fall asleep to.
although i might faint at the sheer beauty.
thank you voces8, thank you eric w.
Got to hear them in concert for the first time. I almost fainted when they came up the main aisle of the church, and then stopped next to us to sing. Perfection. Ahhhh.....and not to be mean here, but the 98 folks who gave this video a thumbs down are nutjobs and I will never be friends with them. So THERE!
I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR VOCES8 TO DO THIS MY WHOLE LIFE!!!!!
Man, I just adore pretty much everything you all create. I bought 8 or so tickets for my family and I when you were in Dallas recently but we couldn’t attend. I’ve never been so pleased to just forfeit the money to contribute to such a quality cause.
Please come back sometime soon and include Dallas in your rotation. ❤
this is the most beautiful choir song ever. the sopranos towards the end were so light and just effortlessly floated on top. the men’s part at 3:15 is tear-inducing. the balance between this group is astonishing.
Whitacre is one of my biggest references for choral composition, due mainly to me simply being astonished with his harmonic technique.
This is one of my favorite pieces. The bass 2 part is so fun.
Excellent work!
Amazing Art music! ...and Eric Whitacre sure knows how to end a piece
I’ll sleep very well tonight and every night from now on listening to VOCES8 before I crawl under the covers.
My favorite accapella group and my favorite choral song, what could be better!
Holy crap that was beautiful. I had chills the whole time. This is by far the best performance I've ever seen. Eric Whitacre is a genius and his music just hits me in the most pure and deep place that nobody else has been able to do. You guys are absolutely incredible. Wow.
Exquisite. Intonation, control, blend: perfection.
Eric Whitacre + Voces8 = Heaven on Earth.
Absolutely stunning! Extraordinary sound blending - just perfect, as always.
I remember my high school won some kind of National competition and we flew from California to New York and this was one of the songs we performed in Carnegie Hall. It will always be a favorite.
I am almost ashamed at how many times I have come to this particular Voces8 piece when I am stricken with insomnia... Almost.
Yes I agree that Andrea Harlsey has a fab soprano voice, it really comes out.
Oh. the bass, the bass, oh dear... I can't breath. The heavens are opening up.
No matter how many times I listen to this performance, I still get goosebumps
Angels descended from heaven and graced us with their voices…
A couple years ago, this song was supposed to be a combined song that all the choirs in my high school would sing together at our concert, but we weren't able to get it prepared it time. What an amazing golden nugget to have randomly discovered. Thank you, TH-cam algorithm
Spellbinding. One experiences being launched into the heavens listening to this group. Just amazing.
Whenever I hear them sing “safe in bed,” for some reason I imagine myself passing the rings of Saturn. Most likely due to the spectacular dissonances
I pray when I die I can spend the rest of eternity listening to Voces8, and that will be my Paradise.
This has got to be one of the most beautiful pieces of music i have ever heard in my life. Hard to believe it is eleven years since Eric Whitacres virtual choir. Truly amazing 👏
My goodness... the tenor section at 3:15 gives me goosebumps whenever they go up to the top notes. Gorgeous.
Don't GIVE up listening... THE REALLY good stuff happens around 3:20...
@@reggiefrumkin5865 yah never know...
What giving up at listening even means? That this piece is not supposed to be listened entirely first before going to the comments?
Even though I know what’s coming, they blow me away every single time.
As a long time sufferer from insomnia I believe it is primarily due an inability to subdue the need to think. I would love to be able to think of nothing , although that is probably impossible. So I shall now just think sleep , sleep, sleep ......Thankyou for your beautiful rendition.
How i wish make part of a group like this. Amazing!!!
create one...
I'm longig for it for a couple of years already.
How I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall during this performance... absolutely magical
Beautiful. The soprano is insanely good! They all are.
💖💖💖💖💖💖 sang this my freshman year of high school. Still remember my part. Love this song
the bass singers are unreal in this 👏
Hypnotising in the final bit! Those sustained notes are almost superhuman!
Really love your stuff with your resident composer(s), but holy moly Voces8! Whitacre’s compositions are just PERFECT for you group!!
You've made this grown man weep from the sheer beauty & majesty of your performance. Your sound is anointed by God.
My god. I don’t think I have a word to describe how beautiful that was. I am so moved at the moment. The tears that came just after the climax were out of nowhere. I couldn’t control them. That is the power of the human voice. You have all harnessed that power in ways that defy belief. This will be on repeat for a while for me. Thank you again. You’re quickly cementing yourselves as my favorite artists. 🧡
This is the most beautifully blended performance of this song I've ever heard?? Clear, straight (non-vibrato) tone is ESSENTIAL to Eric Whitacre pieces and soooo often I just hear sopranos going off the rails on the high notes, but this was PERFECT. Thank you!
The ability of these beautiful young people to sustain the frequent dissonance in this piece with absolute blinkered non-resolution is what transfixes me. The result is so thick and profound - but somehow penetratingly delicate at the same time.
Music from HEAVEN.............prrofound and beautiful. Thank you for posting!