description Sleep (Whitacre) Overview
Sleep is an unaccompanied choral work by American composer Eric Whitacre, completed around 2000 and set to a text by poet Charles Anthony Silvestri. Its slow harmonic movement, sustained clusters, and carefully controlled dissonances create a quiet musical treatment of rest, night, and release. Written for mixed choir, it is performed by concert, collegiate, and advanced community ensembles capable of maintaining secure tuning across long, softly sustained phrases.
help Sleep (Whitacre) FAQ
What poem is the text for Eric Whitacre's "Sleep" based on?
Whitacre originally set the piece to Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snow Evening," but the Frost estate denied permission. Poet Charles Anthony Silvestri then wrote a new text specifically for the composition, completed around 2000, preserving the nocturnal theme.
Is "Sleep" performed a cappella or with instruments?
The original and most widely performed version is for unaccompanied mixed chorus. Whitacre later created an arrangement with optional wind ensemble accompaniment, but the a cappella scoring remains the standard choice for most choirs.
How hard is "Sleep" to sing for an amateur or church choir?
The work is moderately to quite difficult because of its extremely slow tempo, sustained cluster harmonies, and divisi scoring that can require eight or more independent parts. Maintaining intonation and balance across long, quiet phrases is the main challenge, making it better suited to ensembles with strong blend and breath control.
What other Eric Whitacre choral pieces are similar to "Sleep"?
"Lux Aurumque" and "The Seal Lullaby" share the same slow-building, atmospheric harmonic language and are frequently programmed alongside "Sleep." Whitacre's earlier "Cloudburst" (1995) uses similar textural techniques but is more dramatic and features body percussion and finger snaps.
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