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.
Leonardo Dreams Of His Flying Machine
Eric Whitacre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tormented by visions of flight and falling,
More wondrous and terrible each than the last,
Master Leonardo imagines an engine
To carry a man up into the sun…
And as he’s dreaming the heavens call him,
L’uomo colle sua congiegniate e grandi ale,
facciendo forza contro alla resistente aria.
(A man with wings large enough and duly connected
might learn to overcome the resistance of the air.)
II.
Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine…
As the candles burn low he paces and writes,
Releasing purchased pigeons one by one
Into the golden Tuscan sunrise…
And as he dreams, again the calling,
The very air itself gives voice:
“Leonardo. Leonardo, vieni á volare”. (“Leonardo. Leonardo, come fly”.)
Vicina all’elemento del fuoco…
(Close to the sphere of elemental fire…)
Scratching quill on crumpled paper,
Rete, canna, filo, carta.
(Net, cane, thread, paper.)
Images of wing and frame and fabric fastened tightly.
…sulla suprema sottile aria.
(…in the highest and rarest atmosphere.)
III.
Master Leonardo Da Vinci Dreams of his Flying Machine…
As the midnight watchtower tolls,
Over rooftop, street and dome,
The triumph of a human being ascending
In the dreaming of a mortal man.
Leonardo steels himself,
takes one last breath,
and leaps…
The song "Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine" by Eric Whitacre is an ode to the imagination and creativity of Leonardo da Vinci. The song describes Leonardo's dream of a flying machine, and his relentless pursuit to make his vision a reality. The lyrics depict the torment and obsession of Leonardo's mind as he envisions more and more wondrous and terrible possibilities for his flying machine, perhaps representing the highs and lows of the creative process. The phrase "Leonardo. Leonardo, vieni á volare" (" Leonardo. Leonardo, come fly.") repeated throughout the song serves as both a beckoning voice of encouragement to Leonardo to pursue his dreams and a reminder of his own limitations as a mortal man.
The lyrics also reference the technical aspects of Leonardo's vision, such as wings large enough and duly connected, and the materials necessary for the construction of the flying machine such as net, cane, thread, and paper. The use of the Italian language throughout the song reflects Leonardo's Italian heritage, and adds an air of authenticity to the piece.
Overall, the song is both a celebration of Leonardo da Vinci's creativity and a reminder of the importance of pursuing one's own dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem.
Line by Line Meaning
Tormented by visions of flight and falling,
Haunted by the thoughts of flying and plummeting down, each more marvelous and dreadful than the last.
More wondrous and terrible each than the last,
Each vision of flying and falling that comes to Leonardo's mind is more awe-inspiring and frightening than the previous one.
Master Leonardo imagines an engine
Leonardo, the mastermind, invents a machine that lets a person soar above and reach the sun.
To carry a man up into the sun...
The ultimate goal Leonardo hopes his machine could achieve is to allow a person to ascend towards the sun.
And as he’s dreaming the heavens call him,
While he dreams of making a flying machine, he hears the heavens call out his name.
“Leonardo. Leonardo, vieni á volare”.
"Leonardo, come fly" - as if the atmosphere itself invites him to launch his machine and take off.
L’uomo colle sua congiegniate e grandi ale,
If a man had wings that were sufficiently big and attached correctly, he could defeat the air's resistance and learn how to fly.
Might learn to overcome the resistance of the air.
It may be possible to conquer air resistance by constructing wings large enough and with proper mechanisms to control them.
As the candles burn low he paces and writes,
With candles burning low, Leonardo spends his time walking back and forth while jotting down ideas about his machine.
Releasing purchased pigeons one by one...
He frees caged pigeons, one by one, into the golden sunrise to observe how their wings flap and interact with the air around them.
Into the golden Tuscan sunrise…
As the sun rises in Tuscany, Leonardo watches the many pigeons he released fly into it.
And as he dreams, again the calling,
Once more during his dreaming, he hears the voice of the heavens calling out to him.
The very air itself gives voice:
The environment around him seems to speak aloud, inviting him to come fly.
Vicina all’elemento del fuoco…
"Close to the realm of fire..." - is the mysterious message, unclear what it really means.
Scratching quill on crumpled paper,
He writes down his ideas on wrinkled paper with a quill pen scratching its surface.
Net, cane, thread, paper.
Notes about materials being considered for the machine, namely netting, cane, thread, and paper.
Images of wing and frame and fabric fastened tightly.
He's actively envisioning the design of the machine, both the core frame and the fabric draped tightly over it forming wings and other elements.
…sulla suprema sottile aria.
On the highest and thinnest layer of atmosphere, as if the machine will operate much higher than a typical flight device.
As the midnight watchtower tolls,
When the watchtower's bell rings to signify midnight, he's still there pondering about his machine.
Over rooftop, street and dome,
The bell sound echoes through the buildings, including the various rooftops, streets and domes surrounding him.
The triumph of a human being ascending
The success of a person rising up and floating in the air, showing that it is possible to do so.
In the dreaming of a mortal man.
The only place where such a success could happen is in the dreamland of a human being.
Leonardo steels himself,
With determination, Leonardo braces himself mentally.
takes one last breath,
He inhales a deep and final breath in preparation for what comes next.
and leaps…
He takes a daring leap to test his machine and see if it will carry him up into the sky.
Contributed by Lily A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.