I appreciate the close connection this music has with BYU, and hence the creative privilege they have over it. However, this version resonates far more strongly with me.
I have not lost my son. But I did lose my wife, to infidelity and Hinduism. I had no idea that her mind was being tainted, changed. She left while I was at work, and left a note for me. When I came home and found her gone, I cried the most heart-wrenching, agonizing wail a human could ever emit. I loved her more than anything on this earth, and my loss is as intimate as that of David. David lost Absalom, but he lost him to greed and lust for power long before he died.
Eric Whitacre wishes he was Joshua Shank. This is a beautiful arrangement, and I love the use of dynamics and phrasing, but I like the power in "David's Lamentation" even more. The chords are just as thick and full, and the dissonance is always pulling you into the next phrase.
FWIW, the piece was actually written for the director of the BYU Singers (Ronald Staheli) after his son died. So, I imagine he had a pretty good idea just how devastating such a loss is. IMO, the above version, while nice, loses a certain something with its higher tempo and more abrupt delivery. Still, it's impressive work for a smaller ensemble.
@quintusmagus How can you conduct this or sing this without breaking down right there on the spot. Especially with it being so absurdly personal and meaningful. If it were me in that position I'd lose it within a minute of conducting...
When we were handed the score to this piece for the first time during my sophmore year of college I had no idea it would affect me like it did. A few weeks before we performed it I had lost a close freind to sucied. After seeing the grief that partent goes though during the process of grieving a child I have to say that nothing captures it better than this piece, and this version of it.
I love this piece!! Eric Whitacre is a genius!! We did this my senior year of college and I respect the challenges and rewards of doing this piece!! I like both Polyphony and BYU's versions. We did something in between. Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful music!!!! It touches your heart to hear it and to perform it!!!
I find this recording to be far better than The BYU Singers recording. Polyphony's sound conveys the pain and emotion to the deepest of levels but BYU's is alost to "clean" to reflect the emotion fully. BYU is too caught up in the technicalities to convey the full branch of emotion required in most Whitacre pieces. Yes the tech. stuff is important but both Choirs meet the requirements. Polyphony is able to convey emotion in a superior manner which to me is what really makes this piece.
@eztobeme I read your comment before I listened and as I was listening I was browsing other pages on the internet and not keeping track of the time. When I heard it I thought "Yep. That's definitely what that person must have been referring to." And sure enough when I switched tabs, it was.
I guess I'm the only one that prefers the polyphony version, but I mean they truly express the raw emotion of David's loss. BYU is beautiful but it doesn't sound like a man who just found out his son died, too reflective and not, as Beviedev put it, devastated enough. This version has an almost frantic feel at points which I think really reflects the mental processes of such a loss, not to mention the amount of vocal power Polyphony displays despite being a relatively small group.
@gmastalank COMPLETEYLY AGREE! This version is almost like is actually scary, frantic, and I feel at the second climax, the pause before "Oh my son, oh absalom my son!", its almost like when someones out of breathe before the break into tears...absolutely beautiful song
@gmastalank While I agree that there is an element of panic which is perceived in the bereft, often when one is bereft, time seems to creep by at a agonizing pace where one's thoughts go in circles. So, while I prefer the BYU arrangement, I concede that this is excellent as well; BYU puts in David's mind, while Polyphony watches his actions.
This chorus has a good tone quality, but they did sing it at too fast a speed. BYU's example does those small things that just bring out the emotion in the piece. The silence of the rests personally shows me the sense of loss, and it is vital in a piece like this. They way they're singing it seems to make it seem a little less.. devastated, maybe? However, it's still amazing, and I love this song. <3 Eric Whitacre is amazing, and so are the choruses that allow us to hear his beautiful work!!
I REALLY like this, but I think that BYU's version is better. Their sound is so much richer, and I don't know how big they are compared to Polyphony, but in BYU's version, it sounds like so many voices, and yet it's all one huge voice and... I really can't explain it in words..... OMG Eric Whitacre I worship you lol
I think BYU Singers have a warmer, richer sound than Polyphony. ...and while this choir sings beautifully, I can hear the emotion and spirit from the Eric Whitacre works better from Dr. Staheli's group. I think that's the way Whitacre intended it to be. Regardless of my preference, both choirs are hauntingly beautiful. :)
Yeah my preference is to the choirs who take a bit more time with all of the little musical ideas, but it's probably just because that was the way I first heard it preformed. Here it just sort of sounds a bit too plotsy to me...
I listened to 3 versions of sleep: byu singers, polyphony and eric whitacre singers. The best for me, is the byu singers. why? because the choir is more balanced, you can actually hear the lower voices, when I heard the one by whitacre it felt like something was missing, the harmonics of the lower voices.... same with water night, byu singers stressed the contralto but the other versions have a lot of soprano sound and those melodies are lost
@enterandeject Overall, Polyphony (and its tenor soloist) has some phrasing issues. Whitacre mentions how the "principal musical motive would be silence," which demands serious phrasing interpretations of the conductor and vocalists that Staheli mastered and Layton is approximating, but not yet quite there. The large moments of the piece benefit from more voices, as well. But, clearly excellent performances by both choirs.
@enterandeject Overall, Polyphony (and its tenor soloist) has some phrasing issues. Whitacre mentions how the "principal musical motive would be silence," which demands serious phrasing interpretations of the conductor and vocalists that Staheli mastered and Layton is approximating, but not yet quite there. The large moments of the piece benefit from more voices, as well. But, clearly excellent performances by both choirs.
I agree with you, polyphony understood the silence and simplicity in the piece, more than BYU, and that tenor is chilling. The dissonances in the soprano's as well.
@jorgedanielito My problem with the BYU-Singers is that quality of sound. BYU-Singers is top heavy. Polyphony is a much more balanced choir. They also lean harder on the dissonance, which is what Eric Whitacre is. I will agree that the BYU-Singers director's interpretation of the piece is superior.
This is such a beautiful song and I think that it was beautifully done. The thing about choral music is that it is all just once big experiment. Nothing is set in stone about how a piece should be done. Of course as Eric Whitacre being the composer, he had a vision of how he wanted it to be sang and that's what he did with the BYU singers. Obviously Stephen Layton had a different vision of how the song should be sang and it's beautiful. Also, I know from experience Whitacre is open to all views.
I'm no musical expert and it may be because I am used to hearing the excellent BYU Singers recording of When David Heard, but, is there a particular reason this performance by Polyphony seems to be taken at a much faster pace than the BYU performance?
1) As noted in the down bar, this recording is by the professional British vocal ensemble, Polyphony.
2) The slower--and for me--more absorbing and more moving performance of "When David Heard" is by the BYU Singers on their CD, Eric Whitacre: Complete a Capella Works 1991-2001. I believe Eric Whitacre consulted with the BYU Singers on the recording of several of his works on that CD.
3) Listen to the second half here: /watch?v=utIo4qot4NE
@rippinsteo You are right. It is not Whitacre's choir. But Stephen Layton worked closely together with Whitacre when Polyphony's CD "Cloudburst", which contain most of Whitacres works was recorded. I believe that is also the reason why it is Polyphony's recordings that is used on Whitacre's website.
@deadly990 no, the Eric Whitacre Singers is eric whitacre's choir. BYU is a simply a college choir who made an album of his songs. theyre a good choir, but i wouldnt say they sing when david heard any better than polyphony. polyphony just has a more intense interpretation, where as byu is a lot more slow and deliberate
@deadly990 No... BYU is not Whitacre's choir. They are a choir who have worked with him, but Polyphony is the choir Whitacre features on his website, and he's worked extensively with them on their recordings of his songs. Your preference is yours to have, but neither is "better" sung than the other. If one HAD to be, I'd say it's Polyphony. They are MUCH smaller than BYU and the sound they produce is superior. Mind you, that's just MY opinion.
@rippinsteo true the score says lento, recitativo, but when the soprano comes in with the "my son" solo it changes to adagio (usu. c. 60 bpm). thats probly why byu sang it more slowly. polyphony, on the other hand, went a little faster, and i think its because they interpreted the piece to be more intense, and burning, rather than reverent and deliberate. both interpretations are valid tho, and its ineresting to see how something as simple as tempo can drastically change the feel of the piece.
Interpretation, probably. I know they worked with Whitacre when recording it, and he's always open to people's views on what they feel when singing his music. My choir and vocal coach has worked with Dr. Morten Lauridsen for decades on his music, and certainly Dr. Lauridsen has a certain way he FEELS his songs should be done, but not all of the many great conductors who have performed his pieces do them that way. So I think it's similar in that respect.
Tenor swag.
Sebastien051 2 weeks ago in playlist Liked videos
@Sebastien051 Totally!!
novoconfuso 2 weeks ago
I appreciate the close connection this music has with BYU, and hence the creative privilege they have over it. However, this version resonates far more strongly with me.
apologiate07 1 month ago 3
I have not lost my son. But I did lose my wife, to infidelity and Hinduism. I had no idea that her mind was being tainted, changed. She left while I was at work, and left a note for me. When I came home and found her gone, I cried the most heart-wrenching, agonizing wail a human could ever emit. I loved her more than anything on this earth, and my loss is as intimate as that of David. David lost Absalom, but he lost him to greed and lust for power long before he died.
WhiteMousse1980 2 months ago 4
Eric Whitacre wishes he was Joshua Shank. This is a beautiful arrangement, and I love the use of dynamics and phrasing, but I like the power in "David's Lamentation" even more. The chords are just as thick and full, and the dissonance is always pulling you into the next phrase.
plagueX999 3 months ago
FWIW, the piece was actually written for the director of the BYU Singers (Ronald Staheli) after his son died. So, I imagine he had a pretty good idea just how devastating such a loss is. IMO, the above version, while nice, loses a certain something with its higher tempo and more abrupt delivery. Still, it's impressive work for a smaller ensemble.
quintusmagus 4 months ago
@quintusmagus How can you conduct this or sing this without breaking down right there on the spot. Especially with it being so absurdly personal and meaningful. If it were me in that position I'd lose it within a minute of conducting...
LilDP 3 hours ago
When we were handed the score to this piece for the first time during my sophmore year of college I had no idea it would affect me like it did. A few weeks before we performed it I had lost a close freind to sucied. After seeing the grief that partent goes though during the process of grieving a child I have to say that nothing captures it better than this piece, and this version of it.
etaison123 4 months ago
I love this piece!! Eric Whitacre is a genius!! We did this my senior year of college and I respect the challenges and rewards of doing this piece!! I like both Polyphony and BYU's versions. We did something in between. Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful music!!!! It touches your heart to hear it and to perform it!!!
pfhrsharp 5 months ago in playlist pfhrsharp's Favorited Videos
I find this recording to be far better than The BYU Singers recording. Polyphony's sound conveys the pain and emotion to the deepest of levels but BYU's is alost to "clean" to reflect the emotion fully. BYU is too caught up in the technicalities to convey the full branch of emotion required in most Whitacre pieces. Yes the tech. stuff is important but both Choirs meet the requirements. Polyphony is able to convey emotion in a superior manner which to me is what really makes this piece.
bsl9411 5 months ago
The tenors at 4:49.
eztobeme 6 months ago 19
@eztobeme chills every time!
devoted2ballet89 5 months ago
@eztobeme I read your comment before I listened and as I was listening I was browsing other pages on the internet and not keeping track of the time. When I heard it I thought "Yep. That's definitely what that person must have been referring to." And sure enough when I switched tabs, it was.
LjepaHrvatica 3 months ago
1:50 is where the chills begin...and they stop at...wait..they dont stop 0_0
psychodan13 6 months ago
I guess I'm the only one that prefers the polyphony version, but I mean they truly express the raw emotion of David's loss. BYU is beautiful but it doesn't sound like a man who just found out his son died, too reflective and not, as Beviedev put it, devastated enough. This version has an almost frantic feel at points which I think really reflects the mental processes of such a loss, not to mention the amount of vocal power Polyphony displays despite being a relatively small group.
gmastalank 6 months ago 26
@gmastalank I completely agree with you! Polyphony has a special way of making this piece right.
enterandeject 6 months ago 10
@gmastalank COMPLETEYLY AGREE! This version is almost like is actually scary, frantic, and I feel at the second climax, the pause before "Oh my son, oh absalom my son!", its almost like when someones out of breathe before the break into tears...absolutely beautiful song
alwaysbored5293 4 months ago 2
@gmastalank While I agree that there is an element of panic which is perceived in the bereft, often when one is bereft, time seems to creep by at a agonizing pace where one's thoughts go in circles. So, while I prefer the BYU arrangement, I concede that this is excellent as well; BYU puts in David's mind, while Polyphony watches his actions.
HardDriveDisk 3 months ago
@gmastalank I love Polyphony!
ladiek4life 2 months ago
This chorus has a good tone quality, but they did sing it at too fast a speed. BYU's example does those small things that just bring out the emotion in the piece. The silence of the rests personally shows me the sense of loss, and it is vital in a piece like this. They way they're singing it seems to make it seem a little less.. devastated, maybe? However, it's still amazing, and I love this song. <3 Eric Whitacre is amazing, and so are the choruses that allow us to hear his beautiful work!!
Beviedev 9 months ago
I REALLY like this, but I think that BYU's version is better. Their sound is so much richer, and I don't know how big they are compared to Polyphony, but in BYU's version, it sounds like so many voices, and yet it's all one huge voice and... I really can't explain it in words..... OMG Eric Whitacre I worship you lol
CharlieBladeRemus 9 months ago
Great recording, a bit fast though.
Whitacre wanted to put emphasis on the silence (rests) and I still think that the BYU singers executed that to perfection.
bbbiggs 10 months ago
How many times can I "like" this video?? I've probably pressed the button 20 times now... It's so moving and Polyphony sings it flawlessly.
altogirl0607 10 months ago 4
I think BYU Singers have a warmer, richer sound than Polyphony. ...and while this choir sings beautifully, I can hear the emotion and spirit from the Eric Whitacre works better from Dr. Staheli's group. I think that's the way Whitacre intended it to be. Regardless of my preference, both choirs are hauntingly beautiful. :)
evening05 10 months ago
28 voices on 18 parts.... you have to give them a lot of credit for the balance and blend they achieve
amajorpianoman 11 months ago
@amajorpianoman 18 parts? Are you sure? I don't think there's 18 through the whole song..maybe in some spots.
Singingmyheartout3 11 months ago
@Singingmyheartout3 The majority is in 8-10 parts, however it splits into 18 twice
amajorpianoman 10 months ago
@amajorpianoman You're right. I realized that later when I looked at the music. Sorry.
Singingmyheartout3 10 months ago
Yeah my preference is to the choirs who take a bit more time with all of the little musical ideas, but it's probably just because that was the way I first heard it preformed. Here it just sort of sounds a bit too plotsy to me...
thumpernamanu 1 year ago
shivers...
goosebumps.
ahhh.
fear4fun 1 year ago
äh, piece ;)
parzenbua 1 year ago
why not the whole peace?
parzenbua 1 year ago
I listened to 3 versions of sleep: byu singers, polyphony and eric whitacre singers. The best for me, is the byu singers. why? because the choir is more balanced, you can actually hear the lower voices, when I heard the one by whitacre it felt like something was missing, the harmonics of the lower voices.... same with water night, byu singers stressed the contralto but the other versions have a lot of soprano sound and those melodies are lost
margotlorena1 1 year ago
1:01 to 2:10: stunning
margotlorena1 1 year ago
at 4:12 when it's is going all over the place I like how you can kinda hear the flip in the voice.
TheReighnart 1 year ago
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@enterandeject Overall, Polyphony (and its tenor soloist) has some phrasing issues. Whitacre mentions how the "principal musical motive would be silence," which demands serious phrasing interpretations of the conductor and vocalists that Staheli mastered and Layton is approximating, but not yet quite there. The large moments of the piece benefit from more voices, as well. But, clearly excellent performances by both choirs.
davidgolding 1 year ago
@enterandeject Overall, Polyphony (and its tenor soloist) has some phrasing issues. Whitacre mentions how the "principal musical motive would be silence," which demands serious phrasing interpretations of the conductor and vocalists that Staheli mastered and Layton is approximating, but not yet quite there. The large moments of the piece benefit from more voices, as well. But, clearly excellent performances by both choirs.
davidgolding 1 year ago
@enterandeject
I agree with you, polyphony understood the silence and simplicity in the piece, more than BYU, and that tenor is chilling. The dissonances in the soprano's as well.
PitboyHarmony1 1 year ago
Truly the BYU-Singers version is superior. In that one, the listener can almost feel David's mourning progresses spontaneously (in the choir voice).
jorgedanielito 1 year ago
@jorgedanielito My problem with the BYU-Singers is that quality of sound. BYU-Singers is top heavy. Polyphony is a much more balanced choir. They also lean harder on the dissonance, which is what Eric Whitacre is. I will agree that the BYU-Singers director's interpretation of the piece is superior.
Hobbsdude 1 year ago
this is absolutely gorgeous
altogirl0607 1 year ago
absolutly gorgeous! too bad our choir doesn't have enough voices to perform this piece.
singandact2013 1 year ago
Stephen always works closely with living composers.
emmapduk 1 year ago
oh my. oh my!!!!!
Llaryhi 1 year ago
This is such a beautiful song and I think that it was beautifully done. The thing about choral music is that it is all just once big experiment. Nothing is set in stone about how a piece should be done. Of course as Eric Whitacre being the composer, he had a vision of how he wanted it to be sang and that's what he did with the BYU singers. Obviously Stephen Layton had a different vision of how the song should be sang and it's beautiful. Also, I know from experience Whitacre is open to all views.
jlcandkmj 1 year ago
I just... i don't even know. goosebumps.
dm2chloe 1 year ago
I'm no musical expert and it may be because I am used to hearing the excellent BYU Singers recording of When David Heard, but, is there a particular reason this performance by Polyphony seems to be taken at a much faster pace than the BYU performance?
rippinsteo 1 year ago
@rippinsteo
I just want to let you know, This choir is Eric Whitacres choir. This is how Whitacre does it.
This is the best recording of this song around hands down.
although it is cut short. It should be 15 minutes long or around that point.
KaleyGayle 1 year ago
@KaleyGayle: A few points, if I may:
1) As noted in the down bar, this recording is by the professional British vocal ensemble, Polyphony.
2) The slower--and for me--more absorbing and more moving performance of "When David Heard" is by the BYU Singers on their CD, Eric Whitacre: Complete a Capella Works 1991-2001. I believe Eric Whitacre consulted with the BYU Singers on the recording of several of his works on that CD.
3) Listen to the second half here: /watch?v=utIo4qot4NE
rippinsteo 1 year ago
@rippinsteo You are right. It is not Whitacre's choir. But Stephen Layton worked closely together with Whitacre when Polyphony's CD "Cloudburst", which contain most of Whitacres works was recorded. I believe that is also the reason why it is Polyphony's recordings that is used on Whitacre's website.
enterandeject 1 year ago
@rippinsteo I much agree with you in all respects
jorgedanielito 1 year ago
@KaleyGayle no BYU is also eric whitacres choir and they sing it much better.
deadly990 1 year ago
@deadly990 no, the Eric Whitacre Singers is eric whitacre's choir. BYU is a simply a college choir who made an album of his songs. theyre a good choir, but i wouldnt say they sing when david heard any better than polyphony. polyphony just has a more intense interpretation, where as byu is a lot more slow and deliberate
miggtorr 1 year ago
@deadly990 No... BYU is not Whitacre's choir. They are a choir who have worked with him, but Polyphony is the choir Whitacre features on his website, and he's worked extensively with them on their recordings of his songs. Your preference is yours to have, but neither is "better" sung than the other. If one HAD to be, I'd say it's Polyphony. They are MUCH smaller than BYU and the sound they produce is superior. Mind you, that's just MY opinion.
earsplittingsequel 1 year ago
@KaleyGayle no, the Eric Whitacre Singers is eric whitacre's choir. polyphony is a british proffessional choir conducted by stephen layton.
miggtorr 1 year ago
@rippinsteo true the score says lento, recitativo, but when the soprano comes in with the "my son" solo it changes to adagio (usu. c. 60 bpm). thats probly why byu sang it more slowly. polyphony, on the other hand, went a little faster, and i think its because they interpreted the piece to be more intense, and burning, rather than reverent and deliberate. both interpretations are valid tho, and its ineresting to see how something as simple as tempo can drastically change the feel of the piece.
miggtorr 1 year ago
@rippinsteo
Interpretation, probably. I know they worked with Whitacre when recording it, and he's always open to people's views on what they feel when singing his music. My choir and vocal coach has worked with Dr. Morten Lauridsen for decades on his music, and certainly Dr. Lauridsen has a certain way he FEELS his songs should be done, but not all of the many great conductors who have performed his pieces do them that way. So I think it's similar in that respect.
earsplittingsequel 1 year ago
This is wonderful. Thank you for posting one of my favorite songs ever.
Singingmyheartout3 1 year ago