An accomplished composer, conductor and lecturer, Eric Whitacre has quickly become one of the most popular and performed composers of his generation. The Los Angeles Times has praised his compositions as "works of unearthly beauty and imagination, (with) electric, chilling harmonies"; while the BBC raves that "what hits you straight between the eyes is the honesty, optimism and sheer belief that passes any pretension. This is music that can actually make you smile.”
Though he had received no formal training before the age of 18, his first experiences singing in college choir changed his life, and he completed his first concert work, Go, Lovely, Rose, at the age of 21. Eric went on to the Juilliard School, earning his Master of Music degree and studying with Pulitzer Prize- and Oscar-winning composer John Corigliano.
Many of Whitacre's works have entered the standard choral and symphonic repertories and have become the subject of several recent scholarly works and doctoral dissertations. His works Water Night, Cloudburst, Sleep, Lux Aurumque and A Boy and a Girl are among the most popular choral works of the last decade, and his Ghost Train, Godzilla Eats Las Vegas, and October have achieved equal success in the symphonic wind community. To date, Whitacre's published works have received thousands of performances and have sold well over 750,000 copies worldwide. He has received composition awards from the Barlow International Composition Competition, the American Choral Directors Association and the American Composers Forum. In 2001, Whitacre became the youngest recipient ever awarded the coveted Raymond C. Brock commission by the American Choral Directors Association.
As a conductor, Whitacre has appeared with hundreds of professional and educational ensembles throughout the world. In the last ten years he has conducted concerts of his choral and symphonic music in Japan, Australia, China, Singapore, South America and much of Europe, as well as dozens of American universities and colleges where he regularly conducts seminars and lectures with young musicians. Over the past few years, these loyal fans and supporters have moved online, spreading Eric’s popularity to an ever-expanding worldwide audience. Upcoming commissions include works for The King’s Singers with the National Youth Choir of Great Britain, the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and an oratorio - featuring full orchestra, choir, and soloists – celebrating the opening of the new Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin, TX.
His music has been featured on dozens of commercial and independent recordings. His first recording, The Music of Eric Whitacre, was hailed by The American Record Guide as one of the top ten classical albums of 1997. In 2006, a full collection of his a cappella music, Cloudburst and Other Choral Works, was released on the renowned British classical label Hyperion Records. The album quickly became an international best seller, appearing in the top ten of both Billboard’s and iTune’s Top Classical Albums charts. Two years after its debut, the critically acclaimed release continues to be a top-seller. The collection earned a 2007 Grammy nomination for Best Choral Performance.
Most recently, Whitacre has received acclaim for Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings, a cutting edge musical combining trance, ambient and techno electronica with choral, cinematic, and operatic traditions. Winner of the ASCAP Harold Arlen award, this musical also gained Whitacre the prestigious Richard Rodgers Award for most promising musical theater composer. Following its sold-out run, the most recent production earned 10 nominations at the 2007 Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, including one for Best World Premiere Musical.
Mr. Whitacre lives in Los Angeles with his wife, celebrated soprano Hila Plitmann, and their son.
Cloudburst
Eric Whitacre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ojos de agua de sombra,
ojos de agua de pozo,
ojos de agua de sueño.
Soles azules, verdes remolinos
picos de luz que abren astros
como granadas.
Dime, tierra quemada, no hay agua?
sólo pisadasde pies desnudos sobre la espina?
La lluvia despierta
Hay que dormir con los ojos abiertos,
Hay que sonar con las manos
Soñemos sueños activos de rio
Buscando su cause, sueños de sol soñando sus mundos
hay que soñar en voz alta,
hay que cantar
hasta que el canto eche
raíces, tronco, ramas,
hay que desenterrar la palabra perdida
recordar que dicen sangre, la marea,
la tierra y el cuerpo,
volver al punto de partida.
The lyrics of Eric Whitacre's Cloudburst bring to life the energy and beauty of a powerful rainstorm. The song is performed by a choir and features musical elements that mimic the sounds of rain, including finger snaps and body percussion. The first verse describes the rain as "eyes of water," with shades of blue and green swirling together like the sun and creating light that bursts like a pomegranate. The tone then shifts to a darker and more urgent mood, as the singer asks the barren and dry earth if it has any water left. The answer is no, only blood, dust, and the marks left by bare feet on thorns.
The second verse brings a sense of hope, as the rain wakes up and the singer encourages the audience to dream actively and sing loudly. The dreams are of rivers finding their way and of suns dreaming up their own worlds. The lyrics speak to the power of song and the importance of remembering the words of our ancestors, of the earth, and of our bodies. The song ends with an invitation to return to where we began, to the thread that weaves us all together.
Overall, Cloudburst is a powerful and moving song that captures the beauty, energy, and complexity of a rainstorm. The use of finger snaps and body percussion is particularly effective in creating a sense of rain falling, and the lyrics speak to the importance of dreaming and singing as ways to connect with our past, present, and future.
Line by Line Meaning
La lluvia
Raindrops falling from the sky
ojos de agua de sombra
Water from the rain creates shadows
ojos de agua de pozo
Water from the rain fills up wells
ojos de agua de sueño
Water from the rain is dreamlike
Soles azules, verdes remolinos
Blue suns and green whirlwinds
picos de luz que abren astros como granadas.
Flashing lights that open up the heavens like pomegranates
Dime, tierra quemada, no hay agua?
Tell me, scorched earth, is there no water?
Hay sólo sangre sólo hay polvo,
There is only blood and dust
sólo pisadasde pies desnudos sobre la espina?
Only the footsteps of bare feet on thorns?
La lluvia despierta
The rain awakens
Hay que dormir con los ojos abiertos,
We must sleep with our eyes open
Hay que sonar con las manos
We must dream with our hands
Soñemos sueños activos de rio
Let's dream vibrant river dreams
Buscando su cause, sueños de sol soñando sus mundos
Looking for their source, dreaming of suns and their worlds
hay que soñar en voz alta,
We must dream out loud
hay que cantar hasta que el canto eche raíces, tronco, ramas,
We must sing until the song takes root, trunk, and branches
hay que desenterrar la palabra perdida
We must unearth the lost word
recordar que dicen sangre, la marea,la tierra y el cuerpo,
Remember what blood, tide, earth, and body say
volver al punto de partida.
Return to the starting point.
Contributed by Jonathan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
GodsGrace
English Lyrics:
The rain ...
Eyes of shadow-water
eyes of well-water
eyes of dream-water.
Blue suns, green whirlwinds,
pecks of light that open
pomegranate stars.
But tell me, burnt earth,
is there no water?
Only blood, only dust,
only naked footsteps on the thorns?
The rain awakens ...
We must sleep with open eyes,
We must dream with our hands
we must dream dreams of active rivers
Searching for their cause
Dreams of the sun dreaming of its worlds
we must dream aloud,
we must sing till the song
casts roots,
trunks, branches, birds, stars,
we must unearth the lost word,
and remember
what the blood, the tides,
the earth, and the body say,
and return to the point of departure
JoshSaysStuff
It's gotten to the point where I straight-up cry listening to Eric Whitacre. I can't help it.
Simon Simon
Yes, it's that bad isn't i!
Kurtsiecolferite S
Lux Arumque makes me cry
Narcissist Recovery
Same here and I’m a grown ass man 😭
Peter Mullen
"That's good". That means you are human. If you aren't moved to tears, or at least gripped by the screams of fear, and longing, dreams for salvation of others, and the profoundness of our human consciousness then you are probably missing some critical piece of humanity, as a primitive ape, or brain damaged person. Those who go emotionless through life without sensitivity to the complexities, and delicacies of the human experience are not fully alive. There are those, who like worker bees, are devoid of empathy, feelings, merely dredging through life unable to show emotion, hardened, and unresponsive to such things as compassion. They are not fully alive, and will never know true love, true greatness, the magic of rational thought, or compassion, a great tragedy. Great joy, and great sadness befalls all who wear human skin. The thing that makes us human is to experience it, and transcend it.
danielasa100
+JoshSaysStuff It was the same for me...
kathey s
I got to perform with him and my choir in the Lincoln Center in new York city. We had dinner at the tavern in the green with him, being a small town girl from Nebraska never thought that would happen. Our choir got to get a pic with him and I stood right next to him his arm around me he smelled like fine scotch and cologne lol I almost died. He is just a brilliant composer and artist I am so very glad I got to work with him!
Thomas Aadland
Good for you! You'll never forget it.
韩依洛泰
"he smelled like fine scotch and cologne lol I almost died."LOL
Bella Campbell
kathey s I have that exact same opportunity this year to do that with my choir. We will be signing cloudburst. I am beyond excited