Eric Whitacre

Composer, Conductor, Lecturer

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The First Ideas

May 4, 2012 at 4:18 am UTC

I often make ‘drawings’ of pieces before I begin writing them, pages and pages of sketches, notes, and aspirations for the work that his yet to be made. Here is one of those pages from Equus, created in the very early days of the writing process. Click the pic for a much larger version.

Scott

This is simply beautiful, that’s all I can think to say.
Michael

Fibonacci sequence! I love seeing that in music.
http://www.jonfishermusic.com Jon Fisher

WOW, that was cool! I’ve never had the chance to “look in to” the official thought processes of a composer before.

I love how your creative/artistic, mathematical and other ideas merged onto one page! The two biggest words that caught my attention were “AWE INSPIRING”. ^_^
Marta Blázquez

Eric, gracias por compartir con nosotros un momento tan personal e íntimo, como es el proceso de creación de una obra. Es increible todo lo que se te pasa por la cabeza!!!. Impresionante:))) Gracias otra vez.
Issac C. Anderson

This is truly inspiring. It’s always cool to see the “method in the madness”, so to speak. Also, I love your use of the Fibonacci Sequence (math is pretty handy in music). I love what you do; such imagination, passion, vigor, and of course, fun.
James Kenney

As long as I’ve taught music (31 years a college prof.) and my Guildhall School of Music, London, post-grad degree; looking at this score, I feel as though I know nothing. (I even find Crumb’s “Makrokosmos” more comprehensible.) To me, your music is, not only among the most beautiful ever created by anyone at any time, but it’s in the magical Realm of the Cosmos, and I’m happy to leave it there…
http://www.facebook.com/Zhaboka Aviel Mann Ballo

James Kenney put it very well, sir. Your handwriting alone is magical.
http://www.truenorthguitars.com/ Dennis Scannell

Ah!!! So this is the kind of thing you and John Corigliano were discussing in the postlude to the VC3 launch at Lincoln Center! That really was a revelation — revolting against “the tyranny of harmony”. It all makes so much sense, and speaks to the transporting quality of your music. Such an amazing inspirational tool. I can only imagine what John’s multicolor sketches must have looked like. Thanks so much for posting this, Eric — it’s going up on my shop wall in 13″ x 19″ to inspire and inform my instrument building…
Colin Williams

I love the chance to see inside a great composers head. It truly does help student composers like myself to understand what the great composers where thinking about while writing. I was, however, curious as to if the circle on the bottom could be explained. Its quite an interesting and detailed sketch that I would love to understand.
Joshua Leath

Ok…what would it take to get a signed print of that!?
Tyler Fox

This is probably the greatest compositional instruction I have ever received. I love the map of the piece’s structure…definitely some techniques I will try to use! Does anyone know what’s going on with the math in the bottom left? I know he starts with the Fibonacci Sequence, but what does he end up with? This is truly an inspiring piece of art, and I would love to understand it further.
Michael Machado

I see the Fibonacci sequence. How do you relate the sequence with music?

Thanks
chris

I mentioned this in more detail on facebook, but there is an arithmetic error on the bottom left corner… I would be very grateful if Eric could expand on his application of the Fibonacci sequence in his compositions. I heard he did so at the ACDA conference.

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Eric Whitacre is one of the most popular and performed composers of our time, a distinguished conductor, broadcaster and public speaker. His first album as both composer and conductor on Decca/Universal, Light & Gold, won a Grammy® in 2012, reaped unanimous five star reviews and became the no. 1 classical album in the US and UK charts within a week of release... full bio

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