Sleep is published exclusively by (a division of GIA Publications). It is protected by international copyright law. Whitacre is a living composer (born 1970), and his works will remain under copyright for his lifetime plus 70 years.
Are you a looking to purchase scores for a choir, or a student analyzing the piece?
A legitimate PDF score will include:
For conductors and choirs, "Sleep" requires a disciplined yet sensitive approach. The extreme pianissimos, the need for pure intonation in dense clusters, and the long, legato lines require a well-trained ensemble. The piece demands absolute control of dynamics and a unified sense of phrasing to capture its ethereal quality.
[Excerpted from the complete lyrics]
In 2000, a mezzo-soprano named Julia Lyon commissioned Whitacre to write a piece in memory of her parents, who had died within weeks of each other. She specifically requested he set her favorite poem: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.
: Characterized by lush, expansive harmonies and delicate dynamics that simulate the "mystical moment between awareness and sleep." sleep+eric+whitacre+pdf
The diction should be soft, blending the consonants to emphasize the vowel-driven, atmospheric quality of the piece. Conclusion