Music>SATB Choral
Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine
Charles Anthony Silvestri is not only a brilliant poet, teacher and historian, he is a consummate choral singer blessed with a beautiful tenor voice. When Dr. Gene Brooks called and asked me to write the 2001 Raymond C. Brock Commission, I could think of no other author whose words I would rather set.
We started with a simple concept: what would it sound like if Leonardo DaVinci were dreaming? And more specifically, what kind of music would fill the mind of such a genius? The drama would tell the story of Leonardo being tormented by the calling of the air, tortured to such degree that his only recourse was to solve the riddle and figure out how to fly.
We approached the piece as if we were writing an opera brève. Charles (Tony to his friends) would supply me with draft after draft of revised ‘libretti’, and I in turn would show him the musical fragments I had written. Tony would then begin to mold the texts into beautiful phrases and gestures as if he were a Renaissance poet, and I constantly refined my music to match the ancient, elegant style of his words. I think in the end we achieved a fascinating balance, an exotic hybrid of old and new.
Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine is the second in a planned cycle of element works (the first, Cloudburst, coincidentally, was completed nine years earlier to the day). It is dedicated with much love and respect to my publisher, the radiant and elegant Ms. Gunilla Luboff.
Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine
I.
Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine…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,
softly whispering their siren-song:
“Leonardo. Leonardo, vieni á volare”. (“Leonardo. Leonardo, come fly”.)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…“Leonardo, Vieni á Volare! Leonardo, Sognare!” (“Leonardo, come fly! Leonardo, Dream!”)
Charles Anthony Silvestri, 1965-present
12 Comments
Benjamin on April 13, 2010 at 1:59 pm
I've been listening to this song for about 3 years, and I'll never forget the feeling I got the first time I heard it. But reading your thought process, and following along with the text brought back that amazing feeling. Thanks, Eric. This will forever be one of my favorite choral pieces.
Ana Arias on April 13, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Hello. I sing in the spanish choir El León de Oro (Luanco- Asturias) and I believe that Leonardo is probably the most difficult piece that we have sung, but also one of the most exciting. As soon as we made it ours, we have enjoyed very much interpreting it. This piece helped us to obtain some important international prizes and, especially, it did us to get excited very often on the stage.Even I remember some tears of emotion on having finished the song.
Here is a link of one of our versions. It was performed in Arezzo (Italy) in an international choir competition where we get the first price.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81P-ZCzObWU
We also sing in the choir many other pieces written by you. Thanks a lot for making us so happy whith your music.
Some of us are going to see you in London in October. We are loking forward that day.
*Sorry for my poor English.
Sydney Kirchner on April 28, 2010 at 2:45 am
I first heard this piece about 5 months ago when my high school chamber choir performed it for our concert. I was in complete shock and awe and i fell in love with the piece instantly. Today I learned that all of our choirs are going to be singing as a mass choir and we will be singing "hppe, faith, life, love" (that being the theme of our next concert)
I love this piece and I love that one as well. I can't wait to learn even more of Eric Whitacre genius.
Philip Barrett on May 11, 2010 at 12:36 am
I would go as far to say that your partnership with Charles Silvestri is one of the most formidable choral collaborations to date.
Mollie on May 15, 2010 at 3:49 am
We sang this song in our high school Chamber Choir last year and I can easily say that it was the most thrilling and awe-inspiring piece I have every participated in. Every time we would practice it felt like we were all high on drugs afterward. I will probably never pronounce the name "Leonardo" correctly again. It was a religious experience singing this.
Jyoti Iyer on May 15, 2010 at 6:24 am
Mr. Whitacre,
I was part of the Lady Shri Ram Cellege for Women (New Delhi, India) Western Music Society for 3 years. It has become a trend in Delhi university circles to sing a cappella pieces, which is odd, because there are NEVER any singers in these circles who can even read sheet music. We sang this piece, a version we edited to fit a 6 minute slot. And it changed my life. To have been amateurs who could only sing from memory, and to accomplish even an approximation of this exquisite composition was something that made me believe anything is possible. I always felt that to not know the rules, the canon, the traditions of formal styles of music and then to perform them to perfection was the greatest challenge possible. That is why I love a cappella: the voice is the most basic instrument – you don't even need to buy something to start to be a musician. I have since composed lots of my own music (including 7-part close harmonies), and though I'm still a nobody.
Thank you and Mr. Silvestri for this hauntingly beautiful song.
Rachel on August 9, 2010 at 2:20 am
I went to the Sierras last week. While taking a hike at Virginia Lakes, I was listening to my choral playlist on my ipod. Leonardo came on right as we were hiking next to the highest lake. I looked up at all the towering shear rock cliffs rocketing skyward next to us and I had to stop walking and just listen. I could literally feel the flight taking place during the end section because the environment around me encouraged such impossibilities and triumph. It was such a magical listening moment. =D
James Masters on August 30, 2010 at 12:03 pm
I sing in the Auburn HS Varsity Singers and we're in the middle of rehersing this song at the moment. We performed Lux Arumque last year and I was in awe as I imagined Jesus decending unto the earth next to a golden light. it is a beautiful peice. But like i said, Leonardo is your peice that we are currently working on and it is a very beautiful, very inspiring, and very challanging. Thank you and Mr Silvestri for showing me the power music holds over spirit.
Sophia Vojta on January 14, 2011 at 2:44 am
This piece is incredibly beautiful and incredibly inspiring. It's helped me write poetry again, something I haven't been able to do in a while. It's a perfect imaging of what the inside's of a genius's mind might look like, and I'm thrilled that it's included on Light and Gold. Thank you so much.
William on June 13, 2011 at 12:52 pm
First off, I'm a band nerd at heart (trumpet of course) , yet choir groupie part time. I have to say this piece takes my breath away every time I hear it. Just the sheer emotion you project into your music is incredible in itself. The real reason for this post was to pose a question. Has there been any thought into putting this piece into Wind Band form? The thought of it is amazing to me but I was just wondering if the thought ever crossed your mind. I know you are of course extremely busy, but it would be AMAZING! Thank you for your amazing compositions! -yours in music- William
someone who likes broad, powerful voices on July 1, 2011 at 9:50 pm
I personally prefer the UST singer’s version, but this version is not too bad as well
someone who likes broad, powerful voices on July 1, 2011 at 9:52 pm
damn the embed code isnt showing… nvr mind i’ll try to put up the link here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewF5WKtd_To