Glow

By Eric Whitacre

Hal Leonard Corporation

SATB and piano

Logan Caywood
10th-12th Grade Mixed Choir
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Contents

General Information 1

Student Learning Goals 1

National Standards Addressed 2

Score Analysis 3
Composer Information 3
Historical Context 3
Text 3
Melody 4
Harmony 4
Rhythm 4
Form 4

Lessons and Activities 6

General Information
Title: Glow
Composed by: Eric Whitacre
Text by: Edward Esch
Grade Level: Medium (JW Pepper)
Label: Secular Choral Ballad
Style Period: Contemporary
Voicing: SATB
Accompaniment: Piano and optional strings
Performance Time: 2:50

Student Learning Goals

1. Students will learn the background, poetic text, and uses of the piece, Glow.
2. Students w ill perform the piece using solfege syllables and Curwen hand signs.
3. Students w ill read and perform music using whole, half, triplet, quarter, eighth and dotted
notes and rests in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4 meter involving tempo changes.
4. Students will examine and reflect how music relates to individual development and
enjoyment of life, through journals and discussions.
5. Students will learn and use proper and appropriate diction and vowels.
6. Students will be able to perform alone and in small and large ensembles, singing their
individual musical line with accuracy and appropriate technique.
7. Students will assess the performance and music making, through the completion of both
self and peer evaluations throughout the unit.
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National Standards Addressed

MU:Cr2.1.E.8a Select and develop draft melodies and rhythmic passages that demonstrate
understanding of characteristic(s) of music or text(s) studied in rehearsal.

MU:Cr3.1.E.Ia Evaluate and refine draft melodies, rhythmic passages, arrangements, and
improvisations based on established criteria, including the extent to which they address identified
purposes.

MU:Cr3.2.E.8a Share personally-developed melodies and rhythmic passages individually or

as an ensemble that demonstrate understanding of characteristics of music or texts studied in
rehearsal.

MU:Pr4.2.E.Ia Demonstrate, using music reading skills where appropriate, how compositional
devices employed and theoretical and structural aspects of musical works impact and inform
prepared or improvised performances.

MU:Pr5.3.E.IIIa Develop, apply, and refine appropriate rehearsal strategies to address

individual and ensemble challenges in a varied repertoire of music.

MU:Pr6.1.E.Ib Demonstrate an understanding of expressive intent by connecting with an

audience through prepared and improvised performances.

MU:Pr6.1.E.IIa Demonstrate mastery of the technical demands and an understanding of

expressive qualities of the music in prepared and improvised performances of
a varied repertoire representing diverse cultures, styles, genres, and historical
periods.

MU:Re7.2.E.8a Describe how understanding context and the way the elements of music are
manipulated inform the response to music.

MU:Re9.1.E.Ia Evaluate works and performances based on personally- or

collaboratively-developed criteria, including analysis of the structure and context.

MU:Cn10.0.H.Ia Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices
and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.
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Score Analysis
Composer Information
Grammy-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre is one of the
most popular musicians of our time. His concert music has been
performed throughout the world by millions of amateur and professional
musicians alike, while his ground-breaking Virtual Choirs have united
singers from over 110 different countries. A graduate of the prestigious
Juilliard School of Music, Eric was recently appointed Artist in
Residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale having completed a
five-year term as Composer in Residence at Sidney Sussex College,
Cambridge University, UK.

As conductor of the Eric Whitacre Singers he has released several chart-topping albums
including 2011s bestselling Light and Gold. A sought after guest conductor, Eric has conducted
choral and instrumental concerts around the globe, including sold-out concerts with the London
Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra. In addition to
several collaborations with legendary Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer, he has worked with
British pop icons Laura Mvula, Imogen Heap and Annie Lennox. www.ericwhitacre.com

Historical Context
In 2013, Disney teamed-up with Eric to produce a song, Glow, written especially for World of
Color - Winter Dreams show which premiered at Disney California Adventure Park,
Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California.

1473 singers, representing all 50 American States, submitted recordings, most of which were
chosen, to be a part of World of Color Honor Choir, inspired by the Virtual Choir.

These singers from the United States and its territories aged 18 and older, joined by a love of
music and technology, delighted Park Guests throughout the 2013/2014 holiday season.
www.ericwhitacre.com/glow

Text
Softly falls the winter snow,
Whispers to the sleeping world below,
Wintertide awakes,
Morning breaks and set the earth aglow,
In gentle tones of white,
Proclaim the glory of Auroras light,
Sparrows wings in a clear, clean voice,
A sweet silver carol for the seasons born
Radiant beams as the skies rejoice,
Arise and illuminate the winter morn,
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Softly falls the morning snow,

Whispers to the sleeping world below,
Glow,
Like the softly fallen snow,
Glow.

Melody
The initial melody, that repeats several times throughout the piece involves a minor 3rd
ascending jump, a descending 5th, then an ascending perfect 4th and two descending major 2nds.
Using solfa syllables, this melody the order of notes is mi, so, do, fa, mi, re. This melody appears
with several different rhythmic variations as well as only part of the melody appearing before
moving to a different pattern. Another melody included is a descending scale in the soprano line,
that appears at the end of both B sections.

Harmony
The harmonies that appear come often times in an echoed entrance, that is offset by one or one
and a half beats. The first example of this comes in measure 13 with the basses beginning the
melody, followed by the tenor, alto, and soprano entrance one and a half beats later. This appears
in similar fashions throughout the piece. The harmonies from the bass line that appear in measure
25 are a great incorporation of the lower part of the bass voicing. Another beautiful harmonic
line appears from mm. 28-30 as each part enters individually, building to a IV6/4 chord on the
fourth beat of measure 30. The growth in the section includes two octave jumps, one jump of a
seventh from the altos, and a sixth from the basses. The homophonic movement on the last page
brings the piece to a cohesive, supported, and peaceful finish.

Rhythm
The main rhythmic patterns in the piece contain either 6 8th notes and a dotted half note, or 8 8th
notes followed by a dotted half note or whole note. This pattern is used to begin the A sections,
and provides sort of a poetic forward movement in the piece. Even in the B sections a similar
rhythmic pattern is used to continue the progression forward. Only in the C section of the piece
does the rhythmic settle into half notes and whole notes only. This provides the piece with a very
peaceful ending.

Form
Section/ Key Text Other Notes
Measures

Intro (mm. 1-4) B Maj Simplistic piano

introduction that plays the
upcoming S & A line

A (mm. 5-12) B Maj Softly falls the winter snow, whispers Unison S & A beginning
to the sleeping world below, line on a simplistic melodic
Wintertide awakes, morning line. A repeated phrase,
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breaks and set the earth aglow, with only a few different
notes in the second
repetition.

A (mm. B Maj In gentle tones of white, B begins the section, with

13-16) Proclaim the glory of Auroras light, T, A & S echoing on the
and of 2. Similar melodic
line and rhythmic pattern as
the initial S & A line.
Beautiful T line, almost like
a horn call in m. 15.

B (mm. 17-20) Sparrows wings in a clear, clean Beginning of the line has a
voice, lot of growth and forward
A sweet silver carol for the seasons movement, then backs off
born in a decrescendo in the
second half of the phrase.

B (mm. 21-24) B Maj Radiant beams as the skies rejoice, Beginning of the line has a
Arise and illuminate the winter lot of growth and forward
morn, movement, then backs off
in a decrescendo in the
second half of the phrase.

A (mm. 25-28) B Maj Softly falls the morning snow, Initial S & A line repeated,
Whispers to the sleeping world but with an added B & T
below, part to produce a more full
sound in the line.

C (mm. 28-38) B Maj Glow, like the softly falling snow, A sort of staggered or fugal
Glow. entrance (S, A, B, T) that
build through the first
Glow, before backing off
to a sweet like the softly
falling snow. The final set
of text (on Glow) has all
voices moving together in a
slower (half and whole
note) ascending line. The
section eventually resolves
into a I chord.
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Lesson Plans
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