Blog Assignment #7

“Sleep” by Eric Whitacre is a amazing example of text painting and word- music relationship. The song is in a minor key which reflects the ambiguous and heavy nature of the text. The lyrics were written by Whitacre’s good friend and the song is said to be about the state between consciousness and total sleep; some even go as far as to say that the altered state could refer to the time before death. Whitacre uses unusual and sometimes obscure chords that add tension to the piece. As the song progresses, the dynamics get louder and the melody is higher, showing the new levels of sleep. The very end of the song gradually gets smaller and the chords become less complicated as the top parts repeat the word “sleep” over and over until it gets so quiet that it can not be heard. This signifies the actual state of sleep, or according to some, death.