The Seal Lullaby
By Eric Whitacre
Hal Leonard Corporation
Grade: 4
Year: 2011
Duration 3' 40"
Key: Eb
Time: 3/4
Tempo: quarter note = 66
Grade: 4
Year: 2011
Duration 3' 40"
Key: Eb
Time: 3/4
Tempo: quarter note = 66
Instrumentation
Flute 1 / 2 Oboe Bassoon Bb Clarinet 1 / 2 / 3 Bb Bass Clarinet Eb Alto Saxophone 2 Bb Tenor Saxophone Eb Baritone Saxophone Trumpet 1 / 2 |
F Horn 1 / 2 Trombone 1 / 2 Bass Trombone Baritone BC/TC Tuba Piano Orchestra Bells |
Click SCORE to see the first 5 pages of the score and click LISTEN to hear a recording.
Suggestion for Small Band Instrumentation
This is a wonderful piece that was originally scored as a choral work and has since been arranged for band. A couple of arrangement ideas that were given to my by Ray Cramer involve leaving the trumpets out for the first 6 measures and he also recommended doubling the piano melody with a flute. Ray gave a recording to Eric Whitacre and he liked what he had done, so it is acceptable to do that arrangement. The percussion is limited but if you are in need of low end instruments this is where the synthesizer could come into play to cover any part. Since it is originally a choral piece the parts and harmonies are doubled between more instruments. Flute, oboe, and clarinet two tend to play the same parts. Horn and trombone two line up nicely while trombone one baritone and tuba are all usually in octaves. All other parts can then be transposed to another instrument if need be. Be somewhat weary of the Bassoon and Bari Sax part. They tend to double each other but not every note lines up. Consider what notes are most important if you are limited in instruments. Make sure you have a piano player that can follow a director while reading the part. This can make or break the piece.
Program Notes
The White Seal is a beautiful story, classic Kipling, dark and rich and not at all condescending to kids. Best of all, Kipling begins his tale with the mother seal singing softly to her young pup. I was struck so deeply by those first beautiful words, and a simple, sweet Disney-esque song just came gushing out of me. I wrote it down as quickly as I could, had my wife record it while I accompanied her at the piano. This loving and dreamlike work captures the undulating rhythm of a mother rocking her child to sleep.
Composer
Eric Whitacre is one of today’s most popular and frequently-performed composers. His remarkable global appeal has been enhanced by his achievements as conductor, innovator, broadcaster and charismatic public speaker, and by the best-selling success of his recordings. He is Composer-in-Residence at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, UK. In addition to his extensive output for choir and vocal ensemble, Eric’s orchestral works have been performed by some of the world’s most distinguished orchestras both sides of the Atlantic. He returned to the Minnesota Orchestra in 2015 for his second residency culminating in three performances at Orchestra Hall. Broadcast live to 119 countries worldwide, Eric made his iTunes Festival debut with his professional choir and special guest Hans Zimmer in 2014 and consequently released the performance as a live album. Born in Nevada, he joined a marching band at school and also played in a techno-pop group. His musical passions broadened and deepened during his years as a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, inspired above all by the life-changing experience of singing Mozart’s Requiem. Eric completed his first choral composition, ‘Go, lovely rose’, in 1990 as a gift for David Weller, his college choral director. The piece and two companions were published as ‘Three Flower Songs’. Eric subsequently studied composition with John Corigliano and David Diamond at the Juilliard School in New York, graduating as Master of Music in 1997. His early output for choir and symphonic wind ensemble was well received by critics in the United States and eagerly taken up by performers; meanwhile, news of his music’s luminous beauty and harmonic richness swiftly spread overseas. The range of Eric’s work crosses the conventional boundaries set for different musical genres. His open-minded, compassionate approach acknowledges music’s extraordinary capacity to unite people from all backgrounds. Eric currently lives in London with his wife, Grammy award-winning soprano Hila Plitmann, and his son.
Information Collected From
http://ericwhitacre.com/
http://ericwhitacre.com/wp-content/uploads/Seal-Lullaby-Wind-Symphony-pages-1-5.pdf
http://www.jwpepper.com/The-Seal-Lullaby/10281862.item#.ValwVipViko
Suggestion for Small Band Instrumentation
This is a wonderful piece that was originally scored as a choral work and has since been arranged for band. A couple of arrangement ideas that were given to my by Ray Cramer involve leaving the trumpets out for the first 6 measures and he also recommended doubling the piano melody with a flute. Ray gave a recording to Eric Whitacre and he liked what he had done, so it is acceptable to do that arrangement. The percussion is limited but if you are in need of low end instruments this is where the synthesizer could come into play to cover any part. Since it is originally a choral piece the parts and harmonies are doubled between more instruments. Flute, oboe, and clarinet two tend to play the same parts. Horn and trombone two line up nicely while trombone one baritone and tuba are all usually in octaves. All other parts can then be transposed to another instrument if need be. Be somewhat weary of the Bassoon and Bari Sax part. They tend to double each other but not every note lines up. Consider what notes are most important if you are limited in instruments. Make sure you have a piano player that can follow a director while reading the part. This can make or break the piece.
Program Notes
The White Seal is a beautiful story, classic Kipling, dark and rich and not at all condescending to kids. Best of all, Kipling begins his tale with the mother seal singing softly to her young pup. I was struck so deeply by those first beautiful words, and a simple, sweet Disney-esque song just came gushing out of me. I wrote it down as quickly as I could, had my wife record it while I accompanied her at the piano. This loving and dreamlike work captures the undulating rhythm of a mother rocking her child to sleep.
Composer
Eric Whitacre is one of today’s most popular and frequently-performed composers. His remarkable global appeal has been enhanced by his achievements as conductor, innovator, broadcaster and charismatic public speaker, and by the best-selling success of his recordings. He is Composer-in-Residence at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, UK. In addition to his extensive output for choir and vocal ensemble, Eric’s orchestral works have been performed by some of the world’s most distinguished orchestras both sides of the Atlantic. He returned to the Minnesota Orchestra in 2015 for his second residency culminating in three performances at Orchestra Hall. Broadcast live to 119 countries worldwide, Eric made his iTunes Festival debut with his professional choir and special guest Hans Zimmer in 2014 and consequently released the performance as a live album. Born in Nevada, he joined a marching band at school and also played in a techno-pop group. His musical passions broadened and deepened during his years as a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, inspired above all by the life-changing experience of singing Mozart’s Requiem. Eric completed his first choral composition, ‘Go, lovely rose’, in 1990 as a gift for David Weller, his college choral director. The piece and two companions were published as ‘Three Flower Songs’. Eric subsequently studied composition with John Corigliano and David Diamond at the Juilliard School in New York, graduating as Master of Music in 1997. His early output for choir and symphonic wind ensemble was well received by critics in the United States and eagerly taken up by performers; meanwhile, news of his music’s luminous beauty and harmonic richness swiftly spread overseas. The range of Eric’s work crosses the conventional boundaries set for different musical genres. His open-minded, compassionate approach acknowledges music’s extraordinary capacity to unite people from all backgrounds. Eric currently lives in London with his wife, Grammy award-winning soprano Hila Plitmann, and his son.
Information Collected From
http://ericwhitacre.com/
http://ericwhitacre.com/wp-content/uploads/Seal-Lullaby-Wind-Symphony-pages-1-5.pdf
http://www.jwpepper.com/The-Seal-Lullaby/10281862.item#.ValwVipViko